WTOP's Dave McConnell Honored with New Industry Accolade

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, June 6, 2013

WTOP Radio's Capitol Hill Correspondent, Dave McConnell, has been named by the Radio & Television Correspondents' Association (RTCA) as the first ever recipient of the "Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Reporting on Congress." McConnell, a veteran journalist with more than 50-years of reporting in Washington has covered decades of Presidential Elections, White House Administrations, Watergate and more.

He joined WTOP in 1965 and became the station's full-time Capitol Hill Correspondent in 1981, a position which he still holds today. McConnell is a Maryland native and has received numerous awards over the years including an A.I.R. "Lifetime Achievement Award" and a Society of Professional Journalist "Hall of Fame Award."

"As a kid, Dave and his classmates used to cut class to go see the Senators," said WTOP Vice President of News & Programming Jim Farley. "His buddies went to Griffith Stadium to see the Washington Senators play but Dave actually went to The Hill to watch U.S. Senators debate. Dave is admired by members of Congress from both parties because of his fairness. Now his colleagues on 'The Hill' have chosen him as the first-ever recipient of their new lifetime achievement award. Dave is the EverReady Bunny of Congressional Correspondents and the hardest working Septuagenarian covering Congress and trying to keep them honest."

The "Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Reporting on Congress" is a new award established by the RTCA to honor those journalists who represent career achievement and dedication to Congressional coverage. The award further highlights House and Senate reporting that is respected and considered a model for all. The RTCA presented the honor on June 5 at the 69th Annual RTCA Dinner in Washington, D.C.