Muppeteer and children's TV pioneer Jim Henson is being awarded the National Association of Broadcasters' highest honor.
Henson's children, Lisa, Jim Henson Company CEO, and Brian, company chairman, will accept the Distinguished Service Award for their father April 20 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
As part of the awards ceremony, Brian Henson will recreate the Sam & Friends show Henson created for NBC-owned WRC-TV Washington while still a student at the University of Maryland.
From Sesame Street to The Muppet Show to Fraggle Rock and Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, Jim Henson changed the face of TV into a multicolored cloth and foam reflection of diversity and inclusiveness and humor, from Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to Cookie Monster and Bert & Ernie.
The DSA recognizes "significant and lasting contributions" to the broadcast industry and the public. Past winners include Walter Cronkike, Ronald Reagan, Alan Alda, and Oprah Winfrey.
