News and Events

A video chronicling the miraculous recovery of a horrifically injured pacer who captured the heart of Canada has captured the 24th edition of the John Hervey Broadcasters Award, it was announced today by the United States Harness Writers Association.

The Woodbine Entertainment Group [WEG] was honored with the first place video award for its account of the injury, recuperation and eventual return to the winner's circle of the pacer, Joe Canadian.

The feature aired on The Score Network on August 13, 2007 and was produced by Charlene Newland, associate producer for WEG's weekly standardbred program, Race Night.

On June 10, 2006, the gelded son of Armbro Operative was warming up before a race at Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia, Ontario, when he collided with the track's water truck. Although severely injured, Joe Canadian became the comeback story of the year, winning at Sarnia on June 9, 2007, almost a year to the day of the incident. The story is told through his caretaker, Brittany Kennedy.

"I was fortunate to see some excellent submissions, but [this] one piece stood out on first viewing and held up on subsequent viewings," said John Lee, the director of communications for the New York Racing Association, who judged the broadcast entries for the Hervey.

"The piece skillfully compensated for the lack of footage of the actual accident with judicious use of stock footage and post production effects," Lee noted. "It vividly communicated the extent of the horse's frightening injuries along with the depth of compassion and concern that developed between the horse and his owners, vet and, especially, his groom.

"As the feature reaches a storybook ending when Joe Canadian beats all the odds, not just surviving, but actually racing and winning, the folks at Woodbine wrapped-up a compelling story that brought out the best in the racing game and would appeal to a wide-ranging audience," he added.

Identifying the skill and production values of the piece, Lee also singled out for honorable mention a feature on Hall of Fame driver John Campbell, produced by NBC's David Gulotta, which appeared on the September 1, 2007 SUN-TV broadcast of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine.

"The story highlights the partnership between Campbell and his wife [Paula], and showed how the strength of that relationship sustained the driving legend when a racing injury put him on the sidelines," Lee said.

Lee, the immediate past president of the Turf Publicists of America and a broadcast veteran who wrote, produced and anchored the daily "NYRA Today" update feed, assumed all communication duties for NYRA earlier this year.

The audio component of the John Hervey Broadcasters Award was not judged this year due to insufficient entries.

Winners will be honored as part of the Night of Champions Awards Banquet at the Dover Downs Hotel in Dover, DE on January 27, 2008. For tickets to the banquet, contact Mark Short or Scott Warren at (302) 398-7595 or DEValleyUSHWA@aol.com. Further information is available on www.ushwa.org.

PAST HERVEY TELEVISON WINNERS

YEAR	TV PROGRAM	AFFILIATION	TV FEATURE	AFFILIATION
2007	Charlene Newland	Woodbine Entertainment Group/ The Score
2006	Sam McKee	Meadowlands/ Fox Sports Net
2005	Sam McKee	Meadowlands/ Fox Sports Net
2004	Tom Wolski	Sport of Kings/City TV
2003	Liane Davis	Fox Sports Net Chicago
2002	Alex Dadoyan	Meadowlands/ Fox Sports Net
2001	Heather Vitale	WBOC-TV	Alex Dadoyan	Meadowlands/ Fox Sports Net
2000	Mike Sheehan	Hambletonian Society	Tom Wolski	Sport of Kings/Rogers & Shaw Cable
1999	Gail Cunard	Harness Racing Museum	Alex Dadoyan	Meadowlands/ Fox Sports Net
1998	Tom Dawson	Winner Communications	Tom Dawson	Winner Communications
1997	Steve Scheer	CBS-TV Sports	John Learing	Cable News Network
1996	Steve Scheer	CBS-TV Sports	Tom Wolski	Sport of Kings/ Rogers & Shaw Cable
1995	Jim Wilburn	Winner Communications	Gary Sussman	WFAX/Yonkers Raceway
1994	Mike Pearl	CBS-TV Sports	Gary Sussman	WFAX/Yonkers Raceway
1993	Marty Adler	Great Lakes Television	Gary Sussman	WFAX/Yonkers Raceway
1992	Robert Abbott	CNN	John Doe	WVLK
1991	Bob Rosburg Jr	TWI	Philip Pines	syndicated
1990	Brad Diamond	Bradford JAJ Prod.	Tony Doucette	CBS Radio
1989	Chuck Howard	TWI	Philip Pines	syndicated
1988	Bill Green	WCSH-TV	Tony Doucette	CBS Radio
1987	Bob Rosburg Jr	TWI	Normal Weil	Yonkers Raceway
1986	William King	William King Prod.	Philip Pines	syndicated
1985	Ellen Lasher	KPC	Philip Pines	syndicated
1984	Kenny Rice	WTVQ-TV	Marv Bachrad [tie]	KYW
	Carleton Metcalf	Eastern Racing Network

Broadcasters were added to the awards in 1984, to honor radio and television journalism. Prior to 1996, the feature category was the radio category, and the program category was discontinued in 2002.