John Babcock; Award-Winning TV Journalist

John Babcock, 63, an award-winning Los Angeles television journalist who was a news executive for Channel 7 Eyewitness News. Babcock, who retired two years ago, was director of special projects and director of news operations at KABC-TV and previously worked as a producer, writer and on-camera reporter for more than 20 years. Babcock and the late reporter Wayne Satz won the prestigious Peabody Award in 1977 for an expose of alleged racism in the Los Angeles Police Department. Babcock also won an Emmy in 1979 for a series on the influence of Times Mirror Co., which publishes the Los Angeles Times. Born in Long Beach, Babcock was arrested as a youth for car theft and sent to live at the Boys Republic group home and school in Chino. He eventually became the first alumnus to serve as president of the Boys Republic board, said Lou Leslie, a KABC news writer and a friend. Babcock also served as president of the Southern California Radio and Television News Assn. and was active with the California Freedom of Information Committee. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Mount Sinai Memorial Park. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Sternig-Babcock, and daughter, Audrey. On Sunday of cardiac arrest at Century City Hospital.