JOYCE KULHAWIK

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Joyce Kulhawik, arts and entertainment anchor for WBZ-TV, has been an integral part of the region’s cultural landscape since she began reporting for the station in 1981. Covering all aspects of art, entertainment and pop culture, Kulhawik reports weekdays at 5:00PM, 6:00PM and 11:00PM on WBZ-TV. She also anchors the “Joyce’s Choices” entertainment report on TV38 News at 9:00PM. Kulhawik was co-host of the weekly nationally syndicated movie review program “Hot Ticket” with veteran movie critic Leonard Maltin, and during the 1999-2000 television season, she was a continuing co-host on “Roger Ebert & The Movies,” the popular nationally-syndicated film review program. Kulhawik has been instrumental in focusing attention on local artists and events, as well as covering all aspects of Broadway and Hollywood. Paul Newman, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Barbara Streisand are among the many entertainment luminaries she has interviewed for WBZ-TV News. Kulhawik joined WBZ-TV in 1978 as an associate producer and tipster for “Evening Magazine.” In 1981 she became the station’s arts and entertainment reporter and played a key role in the public service campaign, “You Gotta Have Arts!” As part of the campaign, Kulhawik hosted the station’s Emmy Award-winning “You Gotta Have Arts!” magazine program during its one year run, as well as three specials, the first of which received an Emmy Award in 1982. She also presented “Arts Breaks,” sixty-second spots featuring local artists, museums, and cultural events. From 1982 through 1985 Kulhawik served as co-anchor of the station’s “Live on 4” newscast. Kulhawik received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English & Secondary Education from Simmons College in 1974. One of the top two graduating seniors at Simmons, Kulhawik received the prestigious Crown Zellerbach Award and a full fellowship from the University of Vermont, where she received her MAT in English/Education in 1977. She taught English at Brookline High School from 1976 through 1978 and at the Boston Architectural Center from 1977 through 1979. A three-time cancer survivor, Kulhawik was called upon to testify before Congress on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of The National Cancer Act. Since 1983 she has served as the Honorary Chairperson for the American Cancer Society’s “Daffodil Days,” helping to raise millions of dollars in the Society’s largest state-wide spring fundraising event. The American Cancer Society has honored Kulhawik with its National Bronze Medal Award for her work. Kulhawik accepted the 1994 Gilda Radner Award from the Wellness Community in Greater Boston “for engendering inspiration in cancer patients via her own valiant fight with the disease.” Most recently, Kulhawik was chosen to become a member of the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Silver Circle. This honor is given to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to television over the course of at least 25 years. She received the Community Spirit Award at the 2006 New England Women’s Leadership Awards, the longest running event in Boston honoring the achievements of women. She was also inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame in the spring of 2007. Kulhawik is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and serves on the selection committee for The Elliot Norton Awards, Boston’s local theater awards. In 1994 the Berklee College of Music honored Kulhawik for her many contributions to the Boston arts community by establishing a $25,000 newly endowed scholarship in her name, in perpetuity. In 1995 the Lyric Stage Company honored Kulhawik with their Arts Support Award. In 1990 she was the recipient of The Boston Theatre District Award, which is presented annually to a Bostonian who has made a significant contribution to the stage, screen, and/or television. Previous recipients include Lee Remick, Bette Davis, Ray Bolger, Jane Curtain, and Jane Alexander. Additionally, Kulhawik was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by her high school in 1982. In May 2002, Kulhawik received an Honorary Doctorate in Communications from her alma mater, Simmons College in Boston. Kulhawik also received a 2001 Boston/New England Emmy Award for WBZ-TV 's Outstanding Team Coverage of Ground Zero. Kulhawik also starred in the WBZ-TV Emmy award-winning promotion “The Look” for Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. A talented musician, Kulhawik plays the piano and has sung professionally. She was the soloist and organist for seven years at her parish church in her home state of Connecticut. She resides with her husband and daughter in the Greater Boston Area. Boston’s WBZ-TV is owned and operated by CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.