HistoricSiteMarkers
Postwar & Contemporary

Ed Bradley (1941-2006)

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

African American radio and television journalist, best known for his 26 years with the popular news magazine broadcast 60 Minutes. He began his career near here with WDAS radio, reported from Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s, and served as the first African American White House tele-vision correspondent during the Carter administration. Awards include 19 Emmys, a Peabody, and a National Assoc. of Black Journalists Lifetime Achievement award.

Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Story

Ed Bradley grew up in Philadelphia and got his start in broadcasting at WDAS radio not far from this spot before rising to the top of American journalism. He reported from the battlefields of Vietnam and Cambodia, became the first African American television correspondent to cover the White House, and spent 26 years as a fixture on CBS's 60 Minutes. Along the way he collected 19 Emmys, a Peabody, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Why it matters

Bradley broke racial barriers in network news and set a standard for broadcast journalism, showing a national audience that a Black reporter from West Philadelphia could sit among the most trusted voices in America.

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