NBC Wins Eclipse Award for Preakness Coverage

NBC Sports has won the Media Eclipse Award for National Television - Live Racing Programming for its production of the 2002 Preakness Stakes. The show, produced by David Michaels, aired on Saturday, May 18, from Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md. NBC Sports also won this year's Media Eclipse Award for National Television - Feature. The award is NBC's sixth since 1971.

"We are so pleased to receive the prestigious Eclipse Award for our coverage of the Preakness," said Michaels. "This was a thrilling year to be involved in horse racing, as we saw War Emblem simultaneously attempt the Triple Crown and bring horse racing back into the sporting consciousness. The team of people we have working on our broadcasts are the best in the business, and this award acknowledges their passion and talent that resonates throughout their work."

Judges for the National Television - Live Racing Programming category included Ed O'Brien, a morning news anchor at WRGB-TV in upstate New York; Marty Rotberg, a 25-year sports marketing veteran who is now managing director, national sponsorship, with PBS Sponsorship Group/WNET in New York; and Terry Hanson of Hanson Enterprises, a sports and entertainment management firm.

"The telecast provided a feeling of warmth and personal involvement, giving the viewer the sense of being part of the action and the emotion of the day," said Rotberg. "Instead of just reporting the day's action in simple black and white, this production was delivered in warm living color."