The National Association of Catholic Communicators recently awarded local TV station WNDU-TV, the NBC affiliate for the Michiana area the prestigious Gabriel Award, as well as honoring the station as "Television Station of the Year."

The Gabriel Award recognizes one television or radio station in the United States or Canada for its outstanding achievement in both total programming and its commitment to community service. The judges for the award review a broadcaster's work in serving the community over a 12-month period.

The awards committee looks for the ability to uplift and nourish the human spirit, the single most important criterion of a Gabriel. The judges seek those programs that affirm human dignity and impress the importance of the community.

Lou Pierce, director of audience development and programming for WNDU-TV, cited the commitment to the community of all the members of the station as the reason the station stood out among all the rest.

"It actually took the participation of every single member of our staff to make it [the Gabriel Award] happen," Pierce said. "That's saying a lot about this remarkable company. We are all very proud."

WNDU-TV was recognized for three community efforts. The first is a"Toys for Tots" drive the station holds a every year. The drive helps to gather toys for Michiana's less fortunate youngsters and the drive is broadcast live from the station's parking lot.

WNDU-TV also took on a project entitled "Our House." The year-long project took on the task of remodeling a house in a dilapidated inner city South Bend neighborhood. The project recognized the importance of neighborhoods in a community and pooled together the resources of the staff and management of the station, as well as The Near Northwest Neighborhood Association, South Bend Heritage Foundation, the City of South Bend and many other companies, organizations and volunteers.

Finally, the station helped to raise over a quarter of a million dollars for South Bend's Life Treatment Centers through an event entitled "Toastin' Fr. Ted," which honored Father Theodore Hesburgh, University president emeritus. Life Treatment Centers is a non-profit organization in South Bend which assists individuals who suffer from drug and alcohol addictions and do not have the funds to find treatment at other facilities.

Jim Behling, president and general manager of WNDU-TV received the award on behalf of the station in a ceremony on Sept. 30, 2000 in Orlando, Fla. Individual awards were also presented to CBS's "Touched by an Angel," ABC's "20/20" and "Dateline NBC." The runner-up for "Television Station of the Year" was WCVB-TV, an ABC affiliate in Boston, Mass.

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