The Leibner Cooper Grant for Creative Productions on the History of Media
BEA, in partnership with the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF), offers this grant thanks to the generous support of the Leibner Cooper Family Foundation. The gift is in celebration of Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper’s devotion to media education.
Carole Cooper and Richard Leibner have nurtured and advanced the careers of many of the leading journalists of our time and whose firm N.S. Bienstock has been synonymous with quality journalism for more than 50 years. Leibner and Cooper are co-presidents of Bienstock, a talent agency serving many of the biggest television news personalities, including Anderson Cooper, Megyn Kelly, Steve Kroft, David Muir, Norah O’Donnell, Robin Roberts, Bill Whitaker, and many more. Bienstock was acquired by United Talent Agency in 2014, but remains under the management of Leibner and Cooper.
Annually, a $2,500 grant will be awarded to a faculty member who is producing a documentary, news story, multimedia project or sports production focused on historical issues, figures and/or events related to media. The project can be either a work in progress or a concept you are getting off the ground. The goal of the grant is to offer support to BEA’s creative faculty members. Applicants must be a current BEA individual members.
Each year, the grant recipient will be recognized at the LABF Giants of Broadcasting Luncheon in the fall and at BEA’s annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
Application Requirements:
1. Please upload a 1,200-word (maximum) project description which includes the following:
(a) Project title
(b) (c) (d) Tell us about your role in the project
(e) Tell us about the team working on the project.
(f) Please provide a general timeline and include a target date of completion
2. Please provide a brief budget that describes how the funds will be used to complete the project.
Evaluation Criteria:
-appropriateness to media history
-worthiness of preservation
-depth and uniqueness of project
-quality and thoroughness of proposal
-demonstrated need for funding
-addresses diversity and inclusion elements
Submission Deadline: December 15, 2022
The recipient will be notified by early February, 2023
Winners
2023 Jason Lee Gutherie, Clayton State University, Recollecting Carter
2022 Ben Borgardus, Quinnipiac University, Reporting on 9/11
2021 James E. Machado, Millersville University;WGAL Digital Archive Documentary Project
2020 Francesca Soans, University of Northern Iowa, The History of KBBG
2019 Tracy Songer, Northern Kentucky University, The many voices of Gary Burbank: A Daughter’s story about her dad who changed radio
2018 Brian Graves, Florida State University, It’s Your War Too