New York Festivals® Television & Film Awards and Radio Awards are proud to honor distinguished news leader Stephen Capus, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and former President of NBC News, with the New York Festivals 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
A respected global news leader and editorial strategist, Capus has spent decades shaping the modern broadcast news landscape while upholding the highest standards of journalistic excellence.
The New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award, launched in 2011, honors prominent industry leaders, innovators, and driving forces in the broadcast world whose groundbreaking accomplishments have advanced their field and left a lasting impact on the industry.
The 2026 Lifetime Award recipient will be celebrated at the annual Storytellers Gala, recognizing TV & Film Awards and Radio Awards trophy winners from around the globe.
“It is a profound honor to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award and be recognized alongside this esteemed community of storytellers. This honor is not mine alone, but a testament to the journalists I’ve worked with throughout my career – especially my RFE/RL colleagues who are committed to showing the world what is happening inside places like Ukraine and Iran. Their passion for excellence and dedication to the truth inspires me each day. My deepest gratitude to my family, whose support has made all of this possible.”
Stephen Capus has served as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty since January 1, 2024, leading one of the world’s most vital independent media organizations. Prior to his appointment, he provided strategic and managerial counsel to RFE/RL leadership.
Under Capus’s leadership, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty continues its mission to promote democratic values by delivering accurate, uncensored news and fostering open debate in countries where free press is threatened and disinformation is pervasive. Reaching nearly 50 million people each week, RFE/RL fills a critical gap in regions where independent journalism is restricted, banned, or still emerging.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has received global recognition for its investigative reporting, human rights coverage, and public-interest storytelling.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s programs have earned multiple awards from New York Festivals TV & Film and Radio Grand Juries. Most recently are 2025 Gold Tower for Human Rights Documentary “How Russian Forces Hunted Down A Ukrainian Shopkeeper In Bucha Bloodbath” (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service); 2025 Gold Tower for Sports Podcast “Gordafarid” (RFE/RL’s Persian-language service Radio Farda); 2024 Bronze Tower for Social Justice Podcast “Vida” (RFE/RL’s Persian-language service Farda); and 2024 Gold Tower for Human Rights Documentary for “Silent Deportation” (RFE/RL).
Capus’s leadership and production teams have been recognized with many of the industry’s most prestigious honors, including the Edward R. Murrow Award, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, multiple Emmy Awards, a George Polk Award, and a Peabody Award. In 2007, he was bestowed the Ida B. Wells Award by the National Association of Black Journalists.
The annual Storytellers Gala, featuring award winners and industry executives from around the globe, will be streamed on May 21, 2026.
For more information on the 2026 New York Festivals Radio Awards visit HERE.