They both appeared at the annual On the Record gala hosted by Fordham’s public media service, WFUV, to receive awards named for alumni who learned their trade working at the station as students.

Chung received the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, named for the beloved CBS News broadcaster who died in January. “May I say to the Osgood family, I knew Charlie so well and loved him so dearly,” Chung said in accepting the award. 

“I’m very, very thrilled to have this wonderful honor in Charlie’s name.” (She was introduced by her husband, television host Maury Povich, who told a familiar story about once being referred to as “Mr. Chung” by a hotel doorman during a visit to New York.)

Chung was in the midst of a tour to promote her new bestselling book, Connie: A Memoir. Visser received the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting, named for the acclaimed announcer for the L.A. Dodgers, who died in 2022. She began by lauding Scully for his “humility and passion and professionalism” and joked with Scully’s family members, who attended. “To hear that voice coming across the breakfast table, not out of the TV? I can’t imagine. You’re so spoiled!” she said, to laughter.

She gave shout-outs to colleagues in attendance, including those who work on her weekly sports show, We Need to Talk. “We are the only all-sports network talk show produced, directed, and hosted by women, and you’re all here!” she said.

At the event, attendees viewed a video about the WFUV student journalist experience—ranging from news and public affairs reporting to sports journalism, audio production, and more.

The event honored television journalist Jane Pauley, sportscaster and former baseball catcher Tim McCarver, and retired ESPN executive and Fordham Trustee Fellow Christine Driessen, GABELLI ’77, for their decades of achievements in their respective fields.

Held at the Lincoln Center campus, the dinner was a celebration of both those at the pinnacle of their careers and those just starting out; two student broadcasters also received awards for their accomplishments. It was a particularly poignant evening for Pauley, who, after 30 years in news broadcasting, succeeded Charles Osgood, FCRH ’54, as host of CBS Sunday Morning in 2016.

Like Coming Full Circle

Pauley was presented the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism by CBS Sunday Morning producer Rand Morrison and Osgood himself, who sat next to her as she stood at the podium. Morrison said he knew they could never replace Osgood, but that Pauley has exceeded their every expectation.

“It was our lucky day at Sunday Morning, because suddenly the path became clear and all fell into place. Jane getting this award with Charlie’s name on it could not be more appropriate. It’s like coming full circle,” he said.

Pauley said she was still amazed to have gotten the best job of her life when she was 65, and confessed to feeling pressure to live up to the standards that Osgood upheld.

“When I first started at [CBS Sunday Morning], inevitably I would hear the voice of Charlie, [in my head]  because no one spoke the language with such effortless eloquence, pacing, and timing as him. Maybe a year or two years went by, and I stopped trying to be you,” she said to him.

A Storied Career in Baseball

McCarver was a two-time all-star and two-time World Series winner who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Montreal Expos, and Boston Red Sox, from 1959 to 1980. He went on to call a then-record 23 World Series and 20 All-Star games and earn three Emmy Awards. On Tuesday, he was presented the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.

Scully, a 1949 graduate of Fordham College at Rose Hill, lauded McCarver in a short videotaped message from Los Angeles, where he called games for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years before retiring in 2016. Steve Hirdt, a nationally recognized statistician and longtime friend of McCarver, presented him with the award. He noted that McCarver was able to bring into the broadcast booth the kind of knowledge that only someone with 21 years behind the plate can bring, such as the best way to run from third base to home when a ball is hit to the third baseman (shadow him, and then break for home if he throws to first).

“These things are things that would be delicious morsels of information not just to casual viewers, but to people such as myself who have watched baseball my entire life,” he said.

“When the rights to televised broadcast baseball shifted from one network to another, the first thing the networks would do is go after McCarver.”

In his acceptance speech, McCarver noted that when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record in 1961, he was never walked by opposing pitchers, because fellow slugger Mickey Mantle batted after him. Just as this afforded Maris an opportunity, he said, his success was due in part to the generosity of others.

“This is a very emotional moment for me and my family,” he said, noting that because he’d won the award, he got the chance to speak with Scully over the phone for the first time.

“Vinny—you would have thought he played the game. He understood it like no man who hadn’t played it did.”

Trailblazing a Path for Women

In a first for the event, a third special tribute award was also bestowed, upon Christine Driessen, GABELLI ’77, who recently stepped down as executive vice president and chief financial officer for ESPN.

Driessen joined the network in 1985, and in 33 years, she rose to become the most-tenured senior woman there. She is credited with helping the network’s unprecedented growth during that time, and, in her remarks introducing her, Fordham women’s basketball coach Stephanie Gaitley hailed her as a trailblazer for successful women in sports.

Driessen credited Fordham with introducing her to power of sports in business and in life.

“Fordham taught me the value of leadership, integrity, humility, and most importantly, speaking up for those who need a voice, especially women in business, and women from around the world, for the power of sport,” she said.

In a discussion afterward moderated by Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, the award winners touched on everything from what advice they’d give to students looking to pursue a career in their fields, to the future of those same fields. Driessen suggested students work hard, learn to ask for what they want, and learn to communicate effectively. She also emphasized the importance of mentoring others, a point Pauley revisited later in the conversation.

“Christine, just in case you want to go to bed tonight not wondering whether you influenced someone positively or not, ding!” she said, raising her hand in the air and pointing to herself.

Honoring Student Broadcasters

Proceeds from the awards dinner, which this year raised close to $160,000, help fund WFUV’s training programs for University students, two of whom also received recognition. Natalie Migliore, FCRH ’20, was given the WFUV Award for Excellence in News Journalism, and Charlie Maisano, FCRH ’20, was presented with the Bob Ahrens Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism—named for the station’s recently retired executive sports producer.

Migliore, WFUV’s current news director and a lead reporter for the station’s Strike a Chord campaigns, said she was grateful for the opportunity to work on extensively researched stories on air pollution in New York City and a school walkout against gun violence.

“WFUV is a gift to Fordham University students, and I’m beyond proud to enter the work force telling people where I started,” she said.

Rose was presented the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence Broadcast Journalism, named for legendary broadcaster, WFUV alumnus, and 1954 Fordham graduate.

In his remarks, Osgood complimented Rose for his productivity and his recent inclusion by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

“I cannot imagine when he sleeps or where he keeps his Legion of Honor medal or all the Peabodys and Emmys and the other cups and plates,” said Osgood. “You deserve them all Charlie. With you accepting it, I feel honored.”

Rose returned the compliment to Osgood, a colleague at CBS.

“He understands that a picture is worth a thousand words, but a word can define a thousand pictures,” Rose said.

Emrick, a play-by-play announcer for NBC and NBCSN, and former voice of the New Jersey Devils for 21 seasons, was awarded the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting, named after the Hall of Fame broadcaster, play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and alumnus of WFUV.

Scully, who graduated from Fordham in 1949, lauded Emrick in a taped segment as “nice a guy as ever got into the profession, meticulous in his preparation, and able to effortlessly broadcast hockey matches.”  Bob Ahrens, executive sports producer at WFUV, presented Emrick with the award.

Emrick singled out Sam Flood, executive producer and NBC Sports, and Lou Oppenheim, CEO, Headline Media Management as key colleagues.

“For those of you who are students here tonight, 50 years from now I hope you have two people in your life who take as good care of you as Sam and Lou have done for me,” he said.

In a post-award discussion led by CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Jane Pauley, Rose said growing up as an only child in a tiny town in North Carolina had a profound effect on him.

“Conversation was the way you found your place—by asking questions, by being able to somehow figure out how curiosity would serve you well,” he said. “That’s where it all began for me.”

Emric, when asked how he manages to narrate the action of a game that moves at lightning speed, said that, ironically, it’s easier at the professional level than in amateur sports.

“When I was riding the bus leagues for several years, you’d have a 5-1 lead and it would become a 7-5 loss because there would be a lot of mistakes made and a lot of changes of possession. But at the level I get to work at now, its much more predictable,” he said.

The fundraising event, which replaced the annual gala that WFUV began celebrating in 2008, raised $200,000. On May 13, 2016, the station will celebrate its musical heritage with “The FUV High Line Bash: A Moveable Feast of Music and Food,” at Milk Studio in lower Manhattan.

Charlie Rose, anchor and executive editor of Charlie Rose, the nightly PBS program, and co-anchor of CBS This Morning, will receive the Charles Osgood Award for Excellence Broadcast Journalism, named for legendary broadcaster, WFUV alumnus, and 1954 Fordham alumnus.

Fordham welcomed Rose in 2008 as its commencement speaker and awarded him an honorary degree for his work profiling those on the cutting-edge of their fields, exploring fresh ideas, and illuminating difficult issues. In 2013, he won an Emmy Award and Peabody Prize for his interview that year with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Just last year he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

Mike Emrick, a play-by-play announcer for NBC and NBCSN and former voice of the New Jersey Devils for 21 seasons, will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting. The award is named after the Hall of Fame broadcaster, play-by-play voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and alumnus of Fordham (1949) and of WFUV.

Emrick, now in his 39th year covering professional hockey, has called more than 3,000 hockey games and worked on 25 consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs in his broadcast career. He served as the lead announcer for NBC’s coverage of men’s and women’s ice hockey at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, marking his seventh Winter Olympics assignment for NBC.

He is a two-time Emmy Award winner for best sports play-by-play personality.

Television anchor and journalist Jane Pauley will moderate an armchair discussion as the awardees reflect on their extraordinary careers. Two Fordham students who have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing media careers in news and sports will also be spotlighted.

The gala supports WFUV (90.7 FM), New York’s source for music discovery, and a noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University for more than 65 years.

For more information, contact [email protected] or (212) 636-6508.