Looking back on a career in journalism

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in print.
A few weeks ago, I was honored by the S.C. Broadcasters Association. I was presented the Masters Award in recognition of my contributions to the broadcast industry. I want to take time to thank all of you who sent me e-mails and cards congratulating me on this award. This is the top award for a broadcaster in South Carolina and that is a big honor. I know a lot of broadcasters in the business I feel should have won this award instead of me. I really do appreciate being recognized by my fellow broadcasters.
In the 39 years I have been involved in the business, I have received several awards. I am not bragging, but when you have been in the business this long, you are bound to win a few awards of some kind, but this is the big one.
Don’t get me wrong. It was great to receive the Order of the Palmetto from former Gov. David Beasley and a Lifetime Achievement Award from former Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler, but this award is from my peers, the men and women in the business. I have proudly placed the plaque on my wall in my office at home between the picture of me with President Gerald Ford and CBS anchor Walter Cronkite.
The Service Award was first presented in 1989, but it is not an award the S.C. Broadcasters Association gives out every year. In 19 years, they have only given the award 15 times. Such great broadcasters like Bob Fulton, Jim Phillips and Joe Pinner are on the list. There also are two Florence broadcasters on the list who I worked with when I was in radio. I am talking about two radio giants in the Pee Dee: Tom Kinard and Doug Williams. I am truly honored to be among such a distinguished group of broadcasters.
After receiving the award, I started thinking about the changes I have seen in the years I have been in the business. I started off covering hard news stories — murders, robberies and shootings. I remember covering mass murderer Pee Wee Gaskins in the early ’70s. I was working with a new CBS correspondent named Connie Chung. This was her big story and it was the first time any of my video made the national news.
In 1989, I uncovered a story in my hometown of Darlington. I discovered mail that was later determined to be deliverable dumped in a Post Office Dumpster. During the covering of this story, the photographer working with me shot video of me standing in the Dumpster looking through the mail and put it on television.
All the other reporters started calling me a Dumpster diver. Postal officials held a news conference — to which I was not invited — and they accused me of lying. Later, however, the story came out indicating someone at the post office was dumping mail that could have been delivered. This 1989 story won me the state’s best investigative story from The Associated Press. Now I am a feature reporter, traveling around finding people with unusual stories to tell and, of course, don’t forget Cooking with Cecil. Doing hard news stories was great, but I love doing features and the cooking shows.
Since winning this award, a good friend of mine in the broadcast business asked me, “How come I have never won this award and you have?” That’s a good question. Your time might be coming. I have been waiting for 35 years for this and you can’t have it.
The radio and television business has been very good to me. See you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.