Jayne Kennedy to receive NSMA's Roone Arledge Award for Innovation in Winston-Salem
John Dell May 10, 2022
Before Robin Roberts, Doris Burke, Holly Rowe, Pam Oliver or Hannah Storm, there was Jayne Kennedy helping pave the way for female journalists in television.
Kennedy, 70, the first Black woman to (co-anchor) on a national TV sports (desk), will receive the National Sports Media Association’s Roone Arledge Award for Innovation this summer during the group's awards weekend in Winston-Salem.
Kennedy appeared on CBS’ NFL pre-game show, “The NFL Today,” for the first time in 1978, a year before ESPN was born and when three networks dominated TV.
Jayne Kennedy, now 70 and the first Black woman to work on a national TV sports show, will receive the National Sports Media Association’s Roone Arledge Award for Innovation this summer.
Kennedy, a former Miss Ohio who also sang and danced on NBC’s “Dean Martin Show,” was one of the hosts for the show through 1980. She followed Phyllis George, the first woman to appear on a national sports show.
Kennedy will receive her award as part of NSMA’s Legacy Night celebration on June 26. The group’s 62nd awards weekend and national convention are in Winston-Salem June 25-27.
