Congratulations are in order for WKMG-TV, KPRC-TV, WSLS-TV and WJXT-TV, all Graham Media Group stations that have been awarded 2020 Radio Television Digital News Association Regional Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence.
The Edward R. Murrow Award is among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news, and is presented to those who demonstrate excellence in their profession. It recognizes the best electronic journalism produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world.
WKMG-TV, Graham Media Group’s station in Orlando, is the only local TV station in Central Florida awarded with the Regional Murrow Awards. News 6 was presented with two wins: Excellence in Innovation and Excellence in Sound.
“WKMG works hard every day to serve the members of our community in meaningful and impactful ways,” WKMG Vice President and General Manager Jeff Hoffman said. “I am proud that kind of dedication and commitment is recognized with this prestigious award.”
WKMG conducted a groundbreaking digital and broadcast event on July 4, 2019. As organizations across the country traditionally covered America’s Independence Day celebrations, WKMG took a non-traditional approach, and in doing so, created an innovative, immersive online viewing experience.
An online streaming project harnessed live video from more than 25 different camera angles and sources, allowing viewers to select from a variety of shots, including the first-ever streams directly from mobile phones of reporters and producers in the field. The project paired the Graham Media Group station with several major partners, including Google, YouTube, Amazon Web Services, the Washington Post’s Arc Publishing and Grabyo to incorporate technologies that are outside of traditional broadcasting norms.
“We are constantly searching for new and engaging ways to share the stories of our community and the stories that matter to our community,” WKMG News Director Allison McGinley said. “It is an honor to be recognized for that hard work and innovation, especially with an award as prestigious as the Murrow.”
Two final elements of WKMG’s entry focused on digital journalism. As part of its coverage of the Apollo 11 Anniversary, the News 6 team created an interactive global display, highlighting memories of the original launch from people around the world. To do this, the station solicited calls, then placed them on a map pinpointing where those memories were established. This created a new experience with traditional audio links.
In Houston, Graham Media Group’s KPRC-TV took home two awards, as well.
The station received "Best Newscast" recognition for its 6 p.m. in-depth reporting the day Tropical Storm Imelda hit Houston.
The station’s digital efforts were also recognized for Excellence in Social Media due to its significant growth in the past year.
The station has developed opportunities for reporters and talent to do pre- and post-show Facebook Live broadcasts, as well as created lifestyle-oriented social media programming and developed a social media "good news" brand through Instagram.
In Roanoke, Virginia, Graham Media Group’s WSLS-TV was awarded for Best Multimedia, Best Hard News, for coverage of a high-profile manhunt, and Best Newscast 10 News at 5.
WJXT-TV, Graham Media Group's station in Jacksonville, was awarded with honors for Overall Excellence, Breaking News Coverage, Multimedia and Podcast.
“Trust in your local news team is more important than ever, and it's relentless dedication that earned News4JAX this recognition,” Vice President and General Manager Bob Ellis said. “The WJXT staff works hard every day to serve our community on every platform. I’m proud their hard work is being honored.”