CBS News Radio picked up two national Edward R. Murrow Awards this year, a recognition that lands with particular weight given the network no longer exists. The honors arrive months after CBS News Radio’s parent company shut the operation down, closing the book on a name that had defined network radio journalism for generations.
The Radio Television Digital News Association awarded CBS News Radio Best Newscast for its coverage of the January 2025 midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., a crash that killed 67 people. The network also won Overall Excellence in the network radio division, one of the industry’s most competitive and prestigious categories.
For former staffers, the wins triggered a wave of pride, nostalgia, and a fair amount of vindication. Many spent years — some spent decades — building the network’s reputation for fast, accurate breaking news coverage. Seeing that work honored after the fact hit differently than a typical awards-season win would have.
A Newscast That Delivered When It Mattered
One former CBS News Radio executive framed the Best Newscast win as proof the operation never lost its edge, even as its future grew uncertain. “It shows that the network was still producing at a high level, despite what the perception might have been elsewhere,” the executive said. “Winning a category like the newscast is what we were ultimately graded on: who could produce the best newscast, day-in, day-out. And CBS News Radio did that.”
That distinction matters because breaking news coverage tests an organization’s core competency more than any other assignment. Reporters and producers had to gather facts, verify details, and deliver a coherent broadcast while a tragedy was still unfolding in real time. Consequently, the newscast award carries a credibility that few other categories can match.
The same executive described the Overall Excellence honor differently, calling it something closer to a “lifetime achievement award” rather than a reflection of any single body of work. Still, they made clear the distinction didn’t diminish their pride in the accomplishment.
“It doesn’t matter if this award was given because CBS News Radio can never win it again,” they said. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone — if they were telling the truth — that would say that we didn’t deserve that Murrow Award.”
Craig Swagler spent 23 years working at the network. He rose to the role of Vice President and General Manager of the network before departing. He used the term “pride” in discussing the results.
“It speaks to the quality of the journalism,” said Swagler. “Through the years, the robustness of what the network was known for — even the robustness when I oversaw it — declined. That was a lack of resources and support. But these awards speak to, regardless of how fewer people were working there, no less dedication went into the quality of the journalism, or the reporting, or the use of sound, or the storytelling. It really shows how amazing the staff members every single day were bringing their best. That is that award of overall excellence.”
Pride Mixed With Loss
Another former high-level leader at the network offered a more emotional take, describing the awards as “bittersweet” rather than purely celebratory. Their reaction reflects a tension that’s followed CBS News Radio’s alumni since the shutdown: gratitude for the recognition, paired with grief over an institution that’s gone.
“It was an incredibly proud moment, but also a very bittersweet one,” they said. “To see CBS News Radio recognized with the overall excellence award meant a great deal to everyone who spent years building that network. We poured so much into maintaining the highest standards of broadcast journalism. Seeing that work recognized after the network had gone away brought mixed emotions. There was tremendous pride in knowing the work continued to resonate and earned such a prestigious honor. At the same time, it was difficult knowing the organization that produced that work is no longer there. It was a fitting recognition of an extraordinary group of people.”
They added that the timing may have amplified the emotional impact. Over the past several months, former colleagues have reconnected and swapped stories about their years at the network, and that shared reflection made the Murrow win resonate more deeply than it might have otherwise.
CBS News Radio’s closure left a void in network radio news, and its former staffers have scattered across the industry since. But the RTDNA’s recognition serves as a final, formal acknowledgment of what the operation built. Its coverage of one of 2025’s most devastating tragedies, and the broader body of work behind it, earned validation from the industry’s most respected journalism honor.
“They were performing at a level better than all their peers, judged by their peers,” concluded Swagler. “And it just speaks to that the quality was still there. It really asks the question: Why isn’t on the air anymore?”
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.