Press Release: 9/24/2025

Karen Holmes Ward, WCVB’s Director of Public Affairs & Community Services, as well as Host and Executive Producer of CityLine, Named 2025 Broadcaster of the Year by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association

 

Karen Holmes Ward 

SOURCE:

Updated: 10:12 AM EDT Sep 23, 2025

 

Karen Holmes Ward, WCVB’s longtime Director of Public Affairs and Community Services, as well as host and executive producer of CityLine, has been named the 2025 Broadcaster of the Year by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA). The Broadcaster of the Year award is presented annually to an industry leader in radio or television who displays an outstanding commitment to their community while showing an unwavering dedication to the evolution of broadcasting. The award will be presented at the Association’s Sound Bites event on November 13 in Framingham.

“I am extremely honored to be receiving this very prestigious award, and I am especially grateful for this recognition as I conclude my forty-plus years career at WCVB serving our community,” said Holmes Ward. “Having the opportunity to shed light on the achievements and concerns of communities of color, as well as spearheading important public affairs initiatives, is what I have always loved to do and has been a privilege. Thank you to the MBA for this honor and for recognizing the importance of community service.”

 

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“WCVB has been so fortunate to have Karen lead the station’s public affairs initiatives and programming for more than forty years,” said Andrew Vrees, WCVB President and General Manager. “As we celebrate Karen’s tremendous accomplishments and her contributions to the community as she plans to retire, this honor is the perfect way to cap-off her remarkable career and a way for all of her peers to say ‘thank you, Karen!’” 

Karen Holmes Ward Professional Biography:

Karen Holmes Ward is the Director of Public Affairs and Community Services as well as host and executive producer of CityLine, WCVB’s award-winning weekly magazine program which addresses the accomplishments, concerns and issues facing people of color living in Boston and its suburbs. Many notables including Oscar winners Regina King, Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker, Octavia Spencer, Denzel Washington, Louis Gossett Jr., Barry Jenkins, Spike Lee, and Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey among others have been interviewed by Holmes Ward for CityLine. CityLine has been a recipient of the Associated Press Massachusetts/Rhode Island ‘Best’ Public Affairs Program and numerous Emmy nominations.

Holmes Ward also oversees WCVB’s public service and community outreach efforts including the station’s work building homes for Habitat for Humanity on Five Fixer Upper, renewing and refurbishing common spaces for area nonprofits and Extreme Makeover: My Hometown, raising awareness about the need for affordable housing in the Greater Boston area. She was instrumental to launching Commonwealth 5, WCVB’s first-of-its-kind web-based initiative that promoted philanthropy by matching viewer-donors with non-profits via the Internet. The program’s success was recognized with a National Emmy Award nomination. Holmes Ward served as Executive Producer for Return to Glory, a one-hour prime-time documentary hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Andre Braugher about the famed Massachusetts 54thRegiment. Return to Glory was syndicated nationally and seen in over 80% of the country. Holmes Ward was part of the team honored with a National Association of Broadcasters 'Service to Community in Television' Award for WCVB’s community service efforts during and following the Boston Marathon attack.

Holmes Ward has enjoyed a career spanning nearly fifty years in broadcasting including early stints as a writer at WEEI News Radio, News Director at WILD-Radio where she hosted a daily one-hour talk show, and a reporter at WGBH-TV.

A graduate of Boston University’s School of Public Communications (now COM), Holmes Ward has received honorary doctorates in humane letters and communications from Boston University, Cambridge College, and Merrimack College. She was inducted into the 2018 Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed upon individuals for their outstanding achievements and unparalleled contributions to the broadcasting industry in Massachusetts. She has received numerous awards for her work in the community including the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences ‘Silver Circle’ Award for Lifetime Achievement, Boston Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award; National Association of Black Journalists Region I Journalist of the Year; Big Sister of Greater Boston Achievement Award; Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts President’s Award; Women of Courage and Conviction Award from the Greater Boston Section National Council of Negro Women, Inc., and MassVote’s ‘Champion of Democracy,’ among others. Holmes Ward has been a mentor to dozens of nonprofit groups over the years, serving on boards and assisting them in learning how to use the power of television to advance their causes.

On September 5, 2025, Holmes Ward announced her plans to retire from WCVB at the end of the month.

About the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association 

The Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA) is the only voluntary, statewide trade organization serving the Bay State’s over-the-air radio and television stations. The Association’s key responsibilities include assisting its members with general and broadcast-specific business challenges and assisting in the networking of fellow broadcasters. The MBA aims to promote broadcasting as a viable and exciting career choice by offering annual scholarships and maintaining an online database of available jobs for individuals searching for a career in radio or television, as well as the opportunity to post a resume online. Please visit www.massbroadcasters.org for more information. 

ABOUT WCVB

WCVB is Boston’s broadcast/digital media leader, providing news, weather, sports, community service and entertainment on multiple platforms including WCVB, wcvb.com, WCVB mobile and MeTV Boston. Founded by community leaders in 1972, WCVB is committed to its mission to serve the region with quality local content. In addition to 47 hours of NewsCenter 5 coverage each week, original offerings include Chronicle, the nation’s longest running local news magazine; CityLine, a weekly urban magazine program; and On The Record, a weekly political roundtable. WCVB, Boston’s ABC affiliate station, is owned by Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst, a leading media company whose global holdings include 33 television stations and two radio stations. Follow us on Facebook (wcvb5) and X (@wcvb).

ABOUT HEARST TELEVISION

Hearst Television owns and/or operates 35 television and two radio stations serving 27 media markets across 39 states reaching 24 million U.S. television households. Through its partnership with nearly all major networks, Hearst Television distributes national content over more than 120 video channels including programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, MY Net, MeTV, Estrella and more. The radio stations are leaders in Baltimore news/talk and rock music listenership. Its Hearst Media Production Group unit produces original programming across linear and streaming platforms for domestic and international distribution. Its Very Local app, free to download on household OTT devices and available across popular streaming services, offers 24/7 access to local news, weather and an array of local and regional programming. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry's premier companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst.