State of Vermont House of Representatives Montpelier, Vermont House Resolution
H.R. 15
House resolution honoring Vermont television journalist Stewart Ledbetter for his four decades of insightful reporting Offered by: All Members of the House Whereas, for 40 years, television news viewers in Vermont and northeastern New York State have benefited from the journalistic expertise of Stewart Ledbetter, and Whereas, Stewart Ledbetter’s introduction to journalism began as editor of his high school newspaper and continued at the University of Vermont, where he volunteered at WRUV, the student radio station, and Whereas, after earning his degree, he was employed in the newsroom of radio stations WJOY-AM and WQCR-FM (now WOKO-FM), and Whereas, in 1984, Stewart Ledbetter transitioned from radio to television, joining the staff of WPTZ, and Whereas, the caliber of his news reports impressed station management, and throughout the 1990s, Stewart Ledbetter served as the WPTZ news director, assumed newscasting duties, and launched the station’s first website, and Whereas, in 2000, Stewart Ledbetter returned to daily reporting, with the State House as his winter beat,
developing a keen political awareness, and,
Whereas, his news portfolio also included coverage of major statewide political races, New Hampshire presidential primaries, the Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns, and moderating numerous live candidate debates, and Whereas, most recently, he has hosted the 5:30 p.m. weekday newscast and the Sunday public affairs program NBC5 In Depth, and Whereas, from 2007 to 2023, Stewart Ledbetter moderated the Vermont Public’s weekly journalist discussion program, Vermont This Week, and he is the recipient of Vermont and New York AP broadcast awards and a regional EMMY, shared with a colleague a 2015 national Edward R. Murrow Award, and, in 2019, the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame welcomed him as a new inductee, and Whereas, Stewart Ledbetter has announced that his career signoff will occur on February 16, 2024, but that,
later in the year, he will return to WPTZ’s public affairs programs as a political contributor, now therefore be it Resolved by the House of Representatives:
That this legislative body honors Vermont television journalist Stewart Ledbetter for his four decades of
insightful news reporting, and be it further Resolved: That the Clerk of the House be directed to send a copy of this resolution to Stewart Ledbetter and to WPTZ.