Two Graham Media Group television stations are proud recipients of national 2019 Edward R. Murrow Awards presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association. The Edward R. Murrow Awards recognize exemplary public service and outstanding journalism by radio, television and online news organizations.
KPRC 2 News at 6 p.m. was awarded Best Newscast in Large Market Television for “Tragedy in Santa Fe,” which featured team coverage of the May 2018 school shootings in Santa Fe, Texas. The KPRC team worked to provide complete and compassionate coverage to its community in the immediate wake of such a horrific event.
“It’s difficult to celebrate an award when so many members of our community were affected by this senseless tragedy. However, I am proud of the way our team conducted themselves to bring this story to our viewers,“ said KPRC News Director Dave Strickland.
KPRC’s producer Erica Young produced the national award-winning newscast. The program was eligible for this high honor after being selected for a Regional Murrow Award earlier in 2019. The KPRC2 team also received two other Regional Murrow Awards this year. One was for Best News Series in Large Market Television for a series titled “Inside MS-13” and the other was for the highly coveted Overall Excellence in Large Market Television.
In addition, the Society of Professional Journalists honored KPRC for the breaking news coverage from Santa Fe with a Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism.
WDIV-Local 4 received the Murrow Award for Excellence in Sound in Large Market Television for “Criss-Cross Crash,” a beautifully crafted story that exemplifies the art of audio. Video journalists Alex Atwell and Hans Ihlenfeldt enhance the viewer’s experience of this story using multiple cameras, multiple microphones and sounds of the crowd’s reaction to a car and school bus racing in Flat Rock, Michigan.
“Our photographers are master storytellers who find special ways to craft a story. I couldn’t be more delighted to see Alex and Hans celebrated for their work,” said WDIV-Local 4’s News Director Kim Voet. “They are both the rare breed of journalists who excel technically, editorially and creatively in their reporting.”
WDIV-Local 4 is the only large market TV station in Michigan to win an Edward R. Murrow Award nationally or regionally. This is the third year in a row WDIV-Local 4 has won the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Sound. WDIV also received a Regional Murrow award this year for Excellence in Social Media, highlighting WDIV’s multiplatform news approach led by Social Media Manager Ken Haddad.
“We are deeply humbled and honored that the Edward R. Murrow judges selected two of our stations for this prestigious recognition,” said Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group. “I’m so proud of our teams at KPRC and WDIV-Local 4, who always put in extra effort to tell the stories of their regions with dignity and creativity. This award gives national recognition to the necessity and value of local reporting.”
The Radio Television Digital News Association has honored outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Winners will be honored at the annual RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on Oct. 14 in New York City.
Graham Media Group, a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), operates seven local media hubs -- each in a top-70 market and all recognized as news leaders: KPRC–Houston, WDIV–Detroit and WSLS–Roanoke (NBC); KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando (CBS); WJXT–Jacksonville (fully local), and WCWJ–Jacksonville (CW).
Based in Detroit, Graham Digital is a digital media and technology development group widely recognized as a leading industry innovator. Social News Desk, headquartered in Atlanta, provides its 2500+ worldwide newsroom-customers with a single dashboard to publish, measure, curate and monetize local news content on social platforms. Website: https://www.grahammedia.com/