YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing site that ushered in the migration of television content to the Web, was among the 36 winners of the 68th annual George Foster Peabody Awards.
The awards, presented by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, also recognized several programs from HBO and PBS. The pay-cable channel and the public-TV service each won five Peabodys for programs including HBO's John Adams and PBS' Washington Week in Review With Gwen Ifill.
NBC won three honors, for its production of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, Richard Engel's reporting in Afghanistan for NBC News and Saturday Night Live's satirical take on the 2008 presidential campaign.
ABC received awards for its medical documentary series Hopkins and its primetime hit Lost. CBS' 60 Minutes was honored for Scott Pelley's report on under-insured Americans.
Three local stations were recognized for investigative reporting-WWL-TV in New Orleans, KLAS Las Vegas and KMGH Denver-and Hearst-Argyle Television was honored for its 25 stations' local coverage of the 2008 election as "a model of community service."
In addition to HBO's five awards, the Peabodys also recognized several cable programs and networks, including ESPN's Black Magic documentary, AMC's original series Breaking Bad and Turner Classic Movies for its "exuberant celebration of our film heritage."
The Peabody Awards will be presented May 18 in ceremony hosted by NBC News anchor Brian Williams at New York's Waldorf-Astoria.
