2009 RTNDA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award Winners

TORONTO, Feb. 19 /CNW/ - RTNDA Canada - The Association of Electronic
Journalists is pleased to announce that two individuals will be honoured with
the 2009 RTNDA Lifetime Achievement Award in the Central Region. The awards
will be presented at the President's Award Banquet on June 26, 2009 at the
Westin Hotel in Toronto, ON.
The 2009 Central Region RTNDA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award
recipients are:

Dave Devall has been talking about Mother Nature for more than 40 years,
having worked at CTV Toronto since the station's inception in 1961. A trusted
and familiar face, he does his job with a unique mix of panache, wit, and
expertise. Dave was born, raised, and educated in Toronto. While studying
Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson, he also served in the Royal Canadian Air
Force (RCAF) where part of his training centered on meteorology. When CTV
Toronto launched in 1961, Devall auditioned with 2,000 other hopefuls.
Ultimately, he was one of six people hired as broadcasters. After 40 plus
years on the job, Dave Devall continues to stay at the forefront of weather
science, which may help to explain why he is one of the most beloved members
of the CTV News family.

Peter Silverman led the 'Silverman Helps' investigative/consumer news
unit at Citytv Toronto for over 20 years. In his time as 'Ombudsman' for
CityNews, Silverman not only helped many deserving families with their
problems, he also managed to tell these stories in a way that informed,
educated, and entertained viewers. Silverman's impact through his journalistic
endeavours has been life-changing for hundreds of people. Silverman also
volunteered much of his time to charitable causes: Habitat for Humanity (using
vacation time to build homes in places like El Salvador and India; Peter also
sat on Habitat Toronto's Board), and 'Save a Child's Heart Israel.' Silverman
is the winner of several prestigious journalism awards, including the New York
Festival's 'Grand' and 'Gold' awards, and an RTNDA Award for investigative
reporting. He has also been nominated for several Gemini awards.

The RTNDA Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2002 to recognize
individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service and
continued excellence during the course of their career in broadcast
journalism.

RTNDA Canada is the voice of electronic journalists and news managers in
Canada. The members of RTNDA Canada recognize the responsibility of broadcast
journalists to promote and to protect the freedom to report independently
about matters of public interest and to present a wide range of expressions,
opinions and ideas. The RTNDA Canada Code of Ethics adopted by the Canadian
Broadcast Standards Council, is used to measure fairness and accuracy in our
profession.