On the Front Line: The Road from Yale to Pro Football and Broadcast News
BOB MCKEOWN has a record few journalists can match - two Emmys, three Geminis (the Canadian Emmys) and a Grey Cup, won when he was an all-star center with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.
McKeown returned to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2002 to host the CBC's flagship investigative series, 'the fifth estate', after a distinguished career in the U.S. He spent eight years as a Correspondent with "Dateline NBC", during which time he reported extensively on September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing; tracked down war criminals; covered hurricanes and tornados, broadcast live from the wrecksite of the Titanic and was bitten by a shark - on camera.
Before "Dateline", McKeown was at CBS News for five years, highlighted by his award-winning coverage of the Persian Gulf War. McKeown was the first reporter to broadcast from the front lines during Operation Desert Storm and reached Kuwait City as Iraqi troops were fleeing, almost a day before allied forces arrived. People Magazine wrote: "McKeown and his crew survived artillery, minefields and Iraqi snipers to get the best story of the Gulf War."
While at CBS, he was also a Correspondent for two prime-time newsmagazines, Street Stories and America Tonight, and contributed
to 48 Hours and The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
Prior to his American adventures, McKeown hosted the fifth estate from 1981-90 and produced, wrote and directed several critically acclaimed documentaries, including The Boys on the Bus, an intimate portrait of the Edmonton Oilers as they won the 1987 Stanley Cup; Les Canadiens, the history of the Montreal Canadiens, and Strangers in a Strange Land, which depicted the trials and tribulations of a Canadian movie crew in China as it shot a feature film about the legendary doctor, Norman Bethune.
His latest production, The Wild Horse Redemption, a feature documentary about a Colorado prison program which brings together
inmates and wild mustangs in the hope that each can save the other, premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.
In all, Bob McKeown has reported from more than 60 countries and been recognized with dozens of major journalistic prizes, including the two Emmys - for the Gulf War and Dateline - the three Geminis, two Edward R. Murrows, two Gracies, two National Headliners and awards from the National Press Club and the Audubon Society.
Most recently, his hour-long report on the relationship between hockey agent David Frost and NHL player Mike Danton was named 'Best Investigative Program ' and 'Best Overall News Program' at the 2007 New York Television Festival.
A 1971 graduate of Yale University, McKeown began his broadcasting career in his hometown of Ottawa, after a 6-year stint in professional football. He and his wife, Sheilagh D'Arcy McGee, have four sons -Robert, Alexander, D'Arcy and Liam . They live in Toronto and Old Chelsea, Quebec.