WKMG-TV Awarded 'Large Market Overall Station of the Year' by Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists

WKMG-TV News 6 at 2024 FABJ Awards

WKMG-TV News 6 the Graham Media Group owned CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida has been named the Large Market Overall Station of the Year by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (FABJ). The FABJ held its annual Florida News Awards ceremony on Saturday, April 20, at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, FL. This prestigious recognition marks the third time since 2018 that WKMG has earned this honor, reinforcing its commitment to quality journalism and community service.

"Our team of multi-platform journalists understands the importance of community, the power of information, and the requirement that our audience be able to access that information anytime and anywhere," said WKMG News Director Allison McGinley. "Our mission is clear: to be of service and to Get Results for Central Florida."

The FABJ award ceremony celebrated excellence in broadcast journalism across the state, and WKMG stood out for its outstanding coverage and impactful storytelling. The station and its reporters took home awards in the following categories:

• Breaking News

• Digital Reporting

• Investigations

• Political Reporting

• Team Coverage

In addition to these wins, the WKMG team was recognized as a finalist in seven additional categories, including Environmental, Transportation, and Educational Reporting, among others. This breadth of recognition highlights the station's commitment to diverse and comprehensive news coverage.

"We are incredibly proud of our team's achievements," said McGinley. "These awards reflect the hard work, dedication, and passion that our journalists bring to their work every day. We are honored to serve Central Florida and will continue to strive for excellence in everything we do."

For more information about WKMG-TV, and its award-winning coverage, please visit www.clickorlando.com or follow them on social media for the latest updates.

The FABJ is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization operated by a volunteer board of broadcast journalism professionals based throughout Florida. The organization's annual awards ceremony continues to be a significant event, recognizing the dedication and talent of journalists who strive to inform and engage their communities.

Graham Media Group Stations Awarded Five 2023 Regional Murrow Awards

The Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious, sought-after awards in broadcast and digital news. The Murrow Awards recognizes local and national news stories that demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Graham Media Group stations WDIV-Detroit, WKMG-Orlando, WJXT-Jacksonville, and WSLS-Roanoke were all honored with a national 2023 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.     

WDIV-Detroit is the recipient of two coveted Murrow Awards for Breaking News and Excellence in Writing. WDIV was awarded for their Breaking News coverage of Detroit firefighters trapped while battling a fire. And anchor Devin Scillian won Excellence in Writing for his story about a local woman who nearly lost her home. “The Murrow Award is a remarkable honor and one of the highest in broadcast journalism,” said Vice-President and General Manager Bob Ellis. “To see our commitment to serving Southeast Michigan rewarded with this honor is a testament to the hard work our news department does each and every day.”

Breaking News

For coverage of the Detroit firefighters trapped while battling a house fire on Detroit’s East Side. Local 4 anchors and reporters were on the air throughout the afternoon and into the evening newscasts and there was aerial coverage, as well as cameras on the ground at the scene as the rescue unfolded.

Excellence in Writing

Local 4 anchor Devin Scillian won for his story on June Walker, the woman who nearly lost her home because of a fake landlord – but the generosity of one man helped her reclaim the house she worked so hard to own. This is the second time the station has won this award.

WKMG-Orlando won a Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation, highlighting the News 6+ Takeover programming block to change how the audience views local news. In November 2022, WKMG revamped its afternoon lineup by taking over its regular scheduled 5:30 pm newscast with new programming. This new programming included News 6 locally produced podcasts and longer format journalistic shows hosted by their news anchors and reporters. “We are using our broadcast to be a billboard for our digital assets,” said Jeff Hoffman, WKMG’s General Manager. “We are a multiplatform content provider, and we want our community to know they have options for local news, information, and new content on any of our News 6 platforms.” 

WSLS-Roanoke anchor and reporter Jenna Zibton, and Photojournalist Jeff Perzan won the Murrow Award for their Solutionaries series and continuing commitment to solutions journalism. The award submission includes several stories from WSLS in 2022, including how Danville, VA drastically cut crime and murder after having the most homicides per capita in Virginia. In addition to this, WSLS also discussed how local communities are fighting inflation. WSLS talked to a cattle farmer in Bedford County about how he is cutting costs so you do not pay more for meat and how urban gardening is taking off. WSLS also highlighted how a local nonprofit delivers milk to keep their neighbors fed during trying times. The “Moo Crew” raises the money and then picks up and delivers milk in Franklin County. WSLS highlights the creative people in Virginia communities working to make the world a better place, one solution at a time. 

WJXT-Jacksonville was awarded a Murrow Award for News4JAX anchor Mary Baer’s feature story “Child Unsafe,” exposing the life-threatening dangers of children ingesting commonly used lithium batteries. Jodi Mohrmann, Chris O’Rourke, and former colleagues Joe Drumm and Dylan Smith made up the team that produced this award-winning story. “It is unrelenting dedication that earned News4JAX this wonderful recognition. The WJXT team works hard every day to help keep local families safe. I am so proud their hard work is being honored,” said Vice President and General Manager, Terri Cope Walton. 

The Edward R. Murrow Awards are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism excellence. 

For links and a complete list of winners, click or tap here.  

WKMG wins regional Edward R. Murrow award for Overall Excellence

WKMG-TV News 6 has been honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association with the Regional Award for Overall Excellence in a large market.

“I am thrilled our WKMG News 6 team has been honored for their tireless work for our Central Florida community,” said Allison McGinley, News 6 news director.

The Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious awards in news. The awards recognize “outstanding achievement” in broadcast and digital journalism.

“Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession,” according to RTDNA, which has been offering the Murrow Awards to journalists since 1971.

“This award not only celebrates our daily news coverage, investigative work and digital innovation, it honors our commitment to being of service to our community. There is no greater priority for WKMG than ensuring we inform, educate and serve our community,” McGinley said.

News 6 now moves on to the national Murrow Award competition. The winners of those awards will be determined in the fall.

WKMG News Director inducted into UCF's Nicholson School of Communication and Media Hall of Fame

WKMG News Director Allison McGinley has been inducted into the Nicholson School of Communication and Media Hall of Fame at the University of Central Florida.

McGinley graduated from UCF in 1996 and has been with WKMG/News 6 in Orlando since the mid ‘90s.

From her start as an intern in 1994 to her promotion to news director in 2015, McGinley has always had her focus on serving Central Florida.

She’s also been instrumental in supporting and letting her employees grow and learn, while getting actionable results that have a positive impact on our community.

“Fame is nothing Allison has sought. Her road to this moment has been paved with a 28-year record of tireless public service, and undaunting commitment to journalistic excellence and an unmatched dedication to team building that has created what I know for a fact is the happiest newsroom in Orlando,” said Rick Brunson, fellow NSCM alumni Hall of Fame member.

On Friday, faculty, staff and alumni of the school presented McGinley with the esteemed Hall of Fame honors.

“The journalistic burden remains heavy for our young journalists as they must understand the shifting requirements of today’s fast and multi-faceted industry are the same they’ve always been to get it done,” said McGinley as she received her honors. “But above speed and being first, make sure you get it right. Tonight, I can unequivocally confirm that despite these tests, we can and should find renewed a sense of purpose and passion because what we do matters. Period.”

Watch the video and read more on WKMG's website, ClickOrlando.com.