CBS Sports director Robert A. Fishman will receive one of the DGA Awards‘ highest honors, the lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in television direction, at the org’s annual event in February.
Directors Guild of America President Lesli linka Glatter announced the kudo on Tuesday. Fishman is only the fifth director to receive the TV direction lifetime achievement honor. Fishman will receive the accolade at the 75th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
“The DGA is thrilled to recognize Bob Fishman for his unprecedented contributions to the direction of live sporting events over a legendary 50-year career,” Glatter said in a statement. “From the first live coverage of the Daytona 500 to Tanya Harding’s broken lace drama at the 1994 Olympics to the NCAA Final Four this year, Bob has been the quintessential storyteller in live sports, directing across the broadest possible spectrum. Bob’s mantra has always been, ‘Don’t miss the live action.’ And he didn’t miss one moment – bringing the action, and the stories behind the action, to life in ways that have influenced his peers and generations of sports fans. In every sport he touched – whether baseball, football, basketball, tennis, auto racing, figure skating, or horse racing – Bob always brought his special magic, that commitment to capturing what he calls ‘true emotion’ in his frame and sharing it with viewers nationwide. For his unique body of work combining the art of storytelling, live action, and the power of television, we are incredibly proud to present Bob with this honor for Lifetime Achievement in Television.”
At CBS, Fishman helmed 39 NCAA Final Fours, 27 US Open tennis championships, 21 Daytona 500s, three Olympic Winter Games, two World Series, numerous NFL and NBA playoffs, college football, Triple Crown horse races, and much more. He has received 20 Emmy Award nominations and 16 wins, including outstanding live sports series for NFL on CBS and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2019; outstanding playoff coverage for NCAA Basketball on CBS; and outstanding live sports series for the 1990 and 1991 NCAA Basketball Tournaments and for the 1988 NCAA Basketball on CBS.
Fishman has won three DGA Awards for outstanding directorial achievement in sports: for the American League Championships Series Game 4 in 1990, US Open Tennis in 1989 and NCAA Basketball Championship (Syracuse vs. Indiana) in 1987. He’s been a DGA member since 1972.
Past recipients of the TV lifetime achievement award include Don Mischer (in 2019), Joe Pytka (2016) and James Burrows and Robert Butler in 2014.
