Byron Allen’s African American-focused multiplatform media outlet, theGrio, will honor CBS News’ Gayle King with the Journalist Icon Award for her career achievements and service to the country in a star-studded event in Washington, DC. immediately following the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner on April 29.
The event, which will take place at The Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture, will be hosted by comedian Roy Wood Jr. and guests will be treated to a special concert by music legend Diana Ross.
“Gayle King and Diana Ross are both American treasures, and I can’t think of a better way to honor their excellence than by hosting this event at The Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture,” Allen said. “I created the Washington, DC Gala to be a spectacular celebration, informative, and a great deal of fun.”
King — who co-hosts “CBS Mornings,” hosts a weekly radio show titled “Gayle King in the House” on SiriusXM and is also editor-at-large of Oprah Daily – has received numerous awards and honors during her illustrious career, including three Emmys, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, the induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and was selected for the TIME 100, Time magazine’s annual list of the hundred most influential people in the world.
Allen is chairman, CEO and founder of Allen Media Group, which owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and 12 round-the-clock HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers.
In 2016, Allen Media Group purchased theGrio, a highly-rated digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. The Grio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment.
