PULLMAN, Wash. — Former ABC sports commentator Keith Jackson will be the featured
speaker at Washington State University’s 25th annual Edward R. Murrow Symposium set for
April 5. His presentation, titled “A Rap Session with Keith Jackson,” is planned for Beasley
Performing Arts Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public without charge.
Jackson, a 1954 WSU School of Communication alumnus, is a leader in sports broadcasting.
Among his efforts are ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” seven seasons of NBA basketball,
NCAA basketball and football, 10 winter and summer Olympics, and five World Series. He has
been on Wide World of Sports assignments in 31 countries.
Before joining ABC full-time in 1964, Jackson was a play-by-play announcer for WSU, a
sports announcer for the University of Washington and, for 10 years, a commentator at KOMO
TV in Seattle. For five consecutive years (1972-76), Jackson was voted by his peers as
“Sportscaster of the Year.” He credits his success to three broadcast philosophies: “Amplify,
clarify, and punctuate, and let the viewer draw his own conclusions.” The final event in
Jackson’s 47-year career in sports broadcasting was his broadcast of the 1999 Fiesta Bowl in
January.
Following his symposium address, Jackson will receive a Murrow Award. The honor is
given in the memory of world-renowned broadcaster and 1930 WSU graduate Edward R. Murrow,
who joined the Columbia Broadcasting System in 1935 and acquired notability for his World War
II broadcasts from London. The award recognizes persons or organizations that exemplify the
professional ideals of Murrow. Past recipients of the Murrow Award include Sam Donaldson,
Frank Blethen and Walter Cronkite.
Jackson and his wife, Turi Ann Johnsen Jackson, sponsor a WSU fellowship for
communication graduate students in media management or production for the promotion of
ethics in the broadcast industry. During the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, ABC announced the creation of a
new $50,000 scholarship that was matched with an additional $50,000 from WSU to honor
Jackson’s outstanding career. This donation, at Jackson’s request, was combined with the
previous Jackson fellowship and will benefit students who demonstrate high achievement.
In conjunction with the symposium, the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication
Advisory Board will hold meetings April 5-6 and a career fair will be held for WSU students.
Communication professionals will attend a breakfast with student organization leaders, speak to
various classes across campus, and participate in the fair on April 6 from 9 a.m.Ãnoon in the
Compton Union Building. All students are welcome to attend the career fair.
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