Bob Dotson

Robert Charles "Bob" Dotson (born October 3, 1946) is a New York Times best selling American author, (1) teacher and television journalist. His long running series, "The American Story with Bob Dotson," was a regular feature on the NBC "Today" Show for 40 years. (2) He traveled four million miles, crisis crossing the United States, searching for people who are practically invisible, the ones who change our lives, but stand in the shadows behind the media mirror that reflects celebrity and power. Dotson's odyssey has touched and informed millions of viewers and readers worldwide (3.) His "American Story" series became one of the most honored in network television history, winning more than 100 national and international awards. (4)

EARLY LIFE

Dotson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Dottie Bailey, a singer who performed on NBC radio (5) and Bill Dotson, a janitor who dropped out of school in fifth grade, but attended night classes for 23 years, and later earned an honorary Masters Degree in Ophthalmics for his study of the eye. (6) Bob Dotson knew well the role that hope and persistence play in the human story. The morning of his second birthday, he awoke to discover he could not stand or walk. The family doctor diagnosed polio. Twenty thousand children would fall victim during the epidemic of 1948. (7) Determined he would walk again, Dotson's mother drove him to rehab three days a week for years. His cast left scars still visible, but he learned to walk normally again, having beaten a disease that crippled many.

PERSONAL LIFE

Bob and his wife, Linda, live in New York City and Mystic, Connecticut. Their first date was in an edit room where she applied film conditioner and preservative to a documentary Bob was completing. They both worked in Oklahoma City at the time—Linda in Rock and Roll radio; Bob in TV. They married on July 1, 1972. Dotson spent an average of 200 nights a year on the road pursuing the American story, around 8,000 nights in total, or the equivalent of nearly 22 years away from home. He made up for his absences by dedicating the other half of his life life to Linda and their daughter. (8)

{"Linda taught me an important lesson. Work and life may have the same number of letters, but they are not the same."—Bob Dotson (ibid)}

The Dotson's have lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1972 to 1975,) Shaker Heights, Ohio (1975 to 1979,) Atlanta, Georgia (1979 to 2000,) New York City and Mystic, Connecticut (2000 to present)

EDUCATION

In 1969 Dotson earned a Master of Science degree in television and film from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (9)

In 1968 Dotson received a Bachelor of Science in journalism and political science from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS (10)

In 1964 Dotson graduated from Webster Groves Highschool in Webster Groves, Missouri. Forty years later his picture went up on the highschool's hall of fame (11)

CAREER

One summer evening in Hiawatha, Kansas, a five-year-old red head with freckles crawled up on a porch swing beside his grandfather and discovered the magic of stories never heard or imagined before. Thus began Bob Dotson's lifelong quest to create a portrait of an extraordinary country built on the efforts and values of ordinary people – the real America that newscasts and history books so seldom show us.

Here are a few highlights:

In December 2015 Dotson was a visiting professor at the Newhouse School, Syracuse University, NY (12) and the New York Film Academy in New York City. (13)

On October 23, 2015 Dotson left NBC News, 40 years to the day he was hired in 1975. (14)

{"The first time I did one of my ‘American Stories’ for the TODAY show, I called my grandmother to see what she thought,” Bob recalls. “There was a long pause at the other end of the line, and then finally she said, ‘Bobby, I think you ought to learn a trade.’ “A t- trade!” I stammered. “Yes, they’re not going to keep paying you for four minutes work a day.’ But they did from red head to gray. (15)"}

On October 15, 2015 Rowman & Littlefield published the second edition of Dotson's journalism textbook, "Make it Memorable," an update for the digital age. (16) The book hit number one on the Amazon hot list. (17)

On October 5, 2015 Dotson became a visiting professor at Regents University, London, and Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands (18)

In September 2015 Dotson served as the first Stembler Visiting Professional at the School of Media and Journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (19)

In April 2015 Dotson was a visiting professor on the Webster University campuses in Geneva, Switzerland, and Vienna, Austria. (20)

In October 2014 Dotson was visiting professor at Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. (21)

In July 2014 Dotson was the keynote speaker at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy conference, United Nations, New York, NY. He spoke about the American experience. (22)

In September 2014 Dotson addressed the United Nations assembly, "People for Peace" in Soul, South Korea. (23)

In September 2012 Dotson was the David Letterman guest lecturer at Ball State University. (24)

In March 2013 Penguin/Random House published Dotson's third book, "American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things." (25) The book became a New York Times Best Seller. (26)

In July 2010 Dotson was a visiting lecturer at the Walkley Foundation and Network Seven Television in Sydney, Australia. (27)

In December 2009 Dotson wrote and hosted an hour-long American Story Christmas special for MSNBC. It won a CINE Golden Eagle award for Best American Documentary. (28)

In May 2000 Dotson moved to New York City and began reporting his "American Story" exclusively for the NBC Today Show. Bonus Books published his second book, Make it Memorable, Writing and Packaging TV News with Style. (29)

In 1997 Dotson wrote, edited and hosted a series of half-hour programs about America on the Travel Channel.

In 1985 Atheneum published Dotson's first book, In Pursuit of the American Dream. (30)

In September, 1979, Dotson began a series of video workshops for students attending Radio and Television News Directors Association conventions. Those workshops continued for 35 years. (31)

In August, 1979, Dotson became an NBC News National Correspondent based in Atlanta working on American Story segments for the TODAY Show, Nightly News and several NBC News magazine programs.

{"Bob once persuaded me to send him and a team to Australia to do a series of features there," recalls Bill Wheatley, then executive Vice President of NBC News. "Yes, it almost broke the bank, but the pieces he came back with were extraordinary, among the finest to appear on the NBC Nightly News during my tenure as executive producer.”} (32)

In 1977 Dotson opened the first NBC News bureau in Dallas, Texas—in his laundry room.

{"I’ve done all sorts of jobs. I was an investigative reporter, covered politics and breaking news. Shot documentaries. Ducked bullets reporting wars. Spent months trying to solve murders, and covered more natural disasters than I can count."—Bob Dotson} (33)

In 1975 Dotson joined NBC News as a Network Correspondent in Cleveland, Ohio.

In 1971 Dotson became Director of Special Projects at WKY-TV, now KFOR-TV, in Oklahoma City. He produced, wrote, edited and narrated 19 documentaries over the next four years.

In 1970 Dotson joined the faculty of the National Press Photographers Annual Workshop in Norman, Oklahoma. He is still on the faculty 46 later. (34)

In 1969 Dotson joined WKY-TV, now (KFOR-TV) the NBC affiliate station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as a reporter, photographer and Anchorman.

In 1967 Dotson applied for a news job at KMOX radio. The station sent him to work behind the a microphone at the St. Louis Zoo, announcing elephant and chimpanzee acts. (35)

In 1966 Dotson became News Director of KFKU-KANU-FM in Lawrence, Kansas (36) and was a reporter and photographer for KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri.

HONORS AND AWARDS

In April 23, 2015 Dotson received the William Allen White National Citation for long standing journalistic excellence in service to the profession and community. Past winners include Watergate Reporter Bob Woodward, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger and CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkite. (36)

{Bob Dotson is the epitome of all that a storyteller should be. He finds fascinating subjects, engages the audience, and we come away from his stories feeling better for having heard his stories. - Ann M. Brill, Dean of the School of Journalism, University of Kansas} (37)

In 2014 Dotson's third book, "American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things" won the Christopher Award for Best Non-Fiction Book (38)

In March 2013 Penguin/Random House published Dotson's third book, "American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things." It became a New York Times Best Seller. (39)

In 2011 The Society of Professional Journalists selected Dotson's online column writing as the best in the nation. (40)

In December 2010 Dotson won a CINE Golden Eagle Award for Best American Television Documentary. His hour-long Christmas special aired on MSNBC. (41)

In October 1999 Dotson received a Murrow Award from the Radio and Television Digital News Association for "Best Network Writing." He was awarded this honor a record six times: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 (42)

In 1998 Dotson received the CINE Golden Eagle for Best Television Series -- "Bob Dotson's American Story" (43)

In 1995 Dotson received two National Clarion Awards from Women in Communications for his work on the Susan Smith Trial and his American Story television series (44)

In 1991 Dotson received the CINE Golden Eagle Grand Prize for Best Documentary in International competitions -- "El Capitan's Courage Climbers." The film won seven International Film Festivals. (45)

In 1989 the National Press Photographers selected Dotson for the Sprague Award, its highest honor. (46)

In 1974 Dotson earned his first national EMMY Award and was the Grand Prize recipient of both the Robert F. Kennedy and DuPont Columbia Awards for Best Television Program of 1973. (47) His 90 minute documentary, "Through the Looking Glass Darkly," told the little known story of African-Americans in the Oklahoma territory and their contributions following Oklahoma Statehood.

{"He won that first Emmy with both hands tied behind his back,” WKY-TV News Director Ernie Shultz recalls. “In those days we weren’t set up to do documentaries at that level. He had to do that on his own time, with minimal video support.” For months, Bob scoured Oklahoma attics and basements for pertinent images and film to chronicle a story unknown to most. The documentary aired September 30, 1973. Shown often through the years, it aired again in 2007 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood.} )48)

In 1972 Dotson's film, "Still Got Life to Go," shot in an Oklahoma prison for juvenile offenders, was nominated for a National EMMY. The first of Dotson's 19 EMMY nominations during his television career.

BOOKS

Dotson has written the following books:

"Make it Memorable, Writing and Packaging Visual News with Style" 2015 Journalism Second edition updated for digital age (49)

"American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things," 2013 "American Story" (50)

"Make it Memorable, Writing and Packaging TV News with Style" 2000 Journalism (51)

"In Pursuit of the American Dream" 1975 Cultural history (52)

AMERICAN STORY ARCHIVE

Over the years, Dotson saved more than six thousand original story tapes, whenever his bosses, looking to save space, tossed them out. He preserved not just the stories themselves, but every field cassette. For three decades, they were maintained at his own expense in air-conditioned rooms—first in his basement then, as the collection grew, in warehouses. NBC donated that archive to the University of Oklahoma. All of Dotson's stories, his scripts, research and video are now available to students. (53)

References

REFERENCES

(1) New York Times Best Selling Book List: http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2013-04-10/hardcover-advice/list.html

(2) USA Today Newspaper: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/03/27/bob-dotson-american-story/1972947/

(3) Network Seven SUNRISE Show: https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/16675812/bob-dotsons-inspiring-stories/#page1

(4) NBC Today Show: http://www.today.com/id/6694528/ns/today-today_news/t/bob-dotson/#.VokySa88KrU

(5) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary people Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/ page 118

(6) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary people Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/ page 45

(7) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary people Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/ page 6

(8) News Photographer Magazine, October 2015, written by Fred Shook: https://nppa.org/page/news-photographer-digital-archive

(9) Syracuse University: http://newhouse.syr.edu/news-events/events/bob-dotson-g69-former-today-show-correspondent

(10) Kansas University: https://news.ku.edu/nbc-news-correspondent-bob-dotson-receive-2015-william-allen-white-foundation-national-citation

(11) Webster Groves Highschool Wall of Fame: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster_Groves_High_School#Wall_of_Fame_inductees

(12) Syracuse University: http://newhouse.syr.edu/news-events/news/after-four-decades-air-veteran-storyteller-bob-dotson-shares-advice-students

(13) New York Film Academy: https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/award-winning-network-correspondent-bob-dotson-to-meet-with-nyfa-broadcast-journalism-students/

(14) Los Angeles Times newspaper: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-bob-dotson-retires-20151023-story.html

(15) NBC TODAY Show: http://www.today.com/video/bob-dotson-looks-back-at-40-years-of-american-stories-says-goodbye-550102083504

(16) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary people Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/ page 219

(17) Make it Memorable book: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442256118/Make-It-Memorable-Writing-and-Packaging-Visual-News-with-Style-Second-Edition

(18) Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442256117/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

(19) Webster University, Leiden, the Netherlands: http://www.webstermedia.nl/special-visit-bob-dotson-from-nbc/

(20) University of North Carolina: http://mj.unc.edu/news/nbcs-bob-dotson-first-stembler-visiting-professional

(21) Webster University, Vienna, Austria: University, Vienna, Austria: http://webster.ac.at/bob-dotson

(22) Webster University, St. Louis, MO: http://events.webster.edu/event/lecture_eight-time_emmy_award_winner_bob_dotson

(23) Institute of Cultural Diplomacy: http://www.cd-n.org/index.php?lecture-discussion-11

(24) United Nations "People for Peace:" http://opfp.us/?p=1211

(24) Ball State University: http://cms.bsu.edu/web/letterman/pastspeakers/dotsonbob

(25) Christian Science Monitor Newspaper: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2013/0402/American-Story

(26) St. Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/tv-storyteller-from-webster-shares-his-own-great-tales-american/article_e53fb2f7-000c-59ad-a7a5-791aab224681.html

(27) Walkley Conference: http://cityoftongues.com/2010/08/04/australian-literary-review-and-walkley-conference/

(28) MSNBC Christmas special: http://www.today.com/id/34432388/

(29) Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Memorable-Bob-Dotson/dp/1566251583

(30) Lawrence Journal World Newspaper: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19851208&id=rQ8yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HeUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6942,2206330&hl=en

(31) TV Newser ADWeek: http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/scene-the-nabrtdna/25887

(32) News Photographer Magazine, October 2015, written by Fred Shook: https://nppa.org/page/news-photographer-digital-archive

(33) Ibid

(34) National Press Photographers: https://nppa.org/training/news-video-workshop

(35) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/ page 116

(36) KANU Radio, University of Kansas: http://kansaspublicradio.org/kpr-news/nbcs-bob-dotson-receives-william-allen-white-award

(37) William Allan White Foundation: http://journalism.ku.edu/cherry-picked-nbc-news-correspondent-receive-2015-william-allen-white-foundation-award

(38) The Christophers: http://www.christophers.org/release---awards-2014

(39) St. Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/tv-storyteller-from-webster-shares-his-own-great-tales-american/article_e53fb2f7-000c-59ad-a7a5-791aab224681.htm

(40) Society of Professional Journalists: https://www.spj.org/sdxa11.asp

(41) CINE: https://cine.org/about-cine/

(42) RTDNA: http://www.today.com/allday/today-wins-6th-murrow-award-american-story-bob-dotson-6C9580361

(43) CINE: https://cine.org/about-cine/

(44) Women in Communications: http://www.womcom.org/wp/clarion-awards/clarion-winners/2010-clarion-winners/

(45) CINE: https://cine.org/about-cine/

(46) National Press Photographers Association: https://nppa.org/page/joseph-sprague-memorial-award

(47) DuPont-Columbia Awards: http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/page/412/4

(48) News Photographer Magazine, October 2015, written by Fred Shook: https://nppa.org/page/news-photographer-digital-archive

(49) Make it Memorable. Writing and Packaging Visual News with Style, 2nd Edition for the digital age (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015:) https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442256118/Make-It-Memorable-Writing-and-Packaging-Visual-News-with-Style-Second-Edition

(50) American Story, a Lifetime Search for Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things (Penguin Random House, 2013:) http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311268/american-story-by-bob-dotson/9780142180761/

(51) Make it Memorable, Writing and Packaging TV News with Style (Bonus Books, 2000:) http://www.amazon.com/Make-Memorable-Bob-Dotson/dp/1566251583

(52) In Pursuit of the American Dream (Atheneum, 1985:) http://www.amazon.com/In-pursuit-American-dream/dp/0689116284

(53) Daily Oklahoman newspaper: http://newsok.com/article/1915212