UGA’s Peabody Awards moves ceremony to L.A. for first time in 80 years

In a departure from 80 years of tradition, the Peabody Awards will hold its annual ceremony in Los Angeles this year.

The ceremony, which recognizes excellence in TV, radio and journalism, has historically been held in New York.

But this year, the festivities will be held on June 18 at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, according to an announcement Tuesday from the University of Georgia.

The Peabody program is based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

“Moving the ceremony to Los Angeles reflects the evolution of Peabody’s commitment to celebrating the meaningful and significant narratives about pressing social issues, right in the world’s capital of content creation,” Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody, said in a statement.

Jones, who has headed up Peabody for six years, told the Los Angeles Times he has been considering the move for a while.

"Peabody was formed in 1940, when broadcasting simply was constituted by radio. And we had our first award in 1941 in New York, and so when you've been somewhere for a really long time, the decision to move to a new space is often not taken lightly," he told the newspaper.

He also said that having the award ceremony in a place that’s more “convenient for the creative community to come to” will make the event even more valuable.

The nominees for this year’s Peabody Awards will be announced in April and the winners will be announced in May.

Nominees must receive unanimous support from the jurors to win. Of the 60 selected nominees, 30 will be honored at the Los Angeles ceremony in June, according to UGA.