Patrick Stewart to be Peabody host

British actor Patrick Stewart is to serve as host of the 71st annual George Foster Peabody Awards for broadcasting in New York, organizers said Wednesday. The winners of the Peabody Awards for original broadcast, cablecast and Web-cast programs presented in 2011 will be announced via Web-cast April 4 from the University of Georgia. The prizes are to be presented May 21 at a ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan. "Patrick Stewart, the first actor to host the Peabody Awards Presentation Luncheon, brings a career that perfectly illustrates the breadth of the Peabody Award," Horace Newcomb, director of the Peabody Awards at the University of Georgia, said in a statement. "He starred in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' which was recognized with a Peabody in 1987. Just last year, he gave us his superb Macbeth, another Peabody Award production. The Peabody recognizes excellence in journalism and news, documentary and public service, and in all forms of entertainment in electronic media. We are truly honored to have Sir Patrick as our host."