Graham Media Group observes Juneteenth 2021 by promoting education and outreach to combat injustice and racism

In observance of Juneteenth 2021, Graham Media Group and its seven media hubs take the opportunity to celebrate by educating and informing their employees and communities on the importance of this historical milestone in our country’s history.

“We wanted to further our Juneteenth efforts this year by creating opportunities for learning and outreach that supports the cause of combatting injustice and racism,” said Emily Barr, Graham Media Group President and CEO. “So, we established Juneteenth as an annual day to promote learning, reflection and action against racial injustice.”

To facilitate these opportunities for learning and outreach, Graham Media Group formed a Juneteenth Committee with members from all seven media hubs and our digital businesses.

“Establishing Juneteenth as a time for all employees to engage in learning and reflection that supports positive dialogues and community outreach has been very meaningful to our DEI mission,” said Caroline Chambers, GMG’s Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “This effort brought together a committee of employees from across GMG with diverse backgrounds and experiences working together to take all our colleagues on a collective learning journey focused on this important history that has been missing from most of our educational text.”

Many GMG media hubs will be hosting educational discussions with the community, airing locally produced shows, public service announcements, and supporting local organizations as part of this corporate-wide commitment to educating employees and station viewing audiences.

“We are able to commit to these projects by partnering with local education leaders and making purposeful engagements with Black-owned businesses to support our celebration events,” Chambers said.

Each employee will also get the opportunity to enjoy a live town hall meeting featuring local talent and experts with a special introduction by CEO Emily Barr.

“Graham Media Group will continue to set aside June 19 as a day to participate in programs that support learning, positive dialogues and community outreach,” Barr said.

WKMG-TV finalist for National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award

Graham Media Group’s WKMG-TV in Orlando has been named a finalist for the National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award for the fourth consecutive year in a row.

WKMG News 6 and ClickOrlando.com have been committed to helping Floridians make ends meet since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has put a financial strain on countless Americans, particularly in Florida, where the state’s unemployment system became clogged last year. Now, that work is being recognized.

Hearing story after story about Floridians struggling to pay their bills or put food on the table after being left without work due to statewide layoffs and furloughs sparked the station’s “Make Ends Meet” series, led by News 6 investigator Mike Holfeld and photojournalist Robert Breuer.

News 6 has reached out to individuals and state and congressional lawmakers by the day and month, trying to get help for those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ongoing campaign began in March 2020 and remains a weekly part of newscasts and the website.

Holfeld began airing and posting a series of Make Ends Meet economic reports on March 30, 2020. At that time, the entire campaign was aimed at helping families who were suddenly unemployed develop a budget based on their stimulus check and state and federal economic relief.

What Holfeld realized very quickly is that life in the pandemic was more about surviving than simply budgeting.

Since the start of the series, News 6 has worked to recover nearly $1 million in unemployment from the Department of Economic Opportunity for deserving people, and has procured more than $60,000 in donations from viewers.

Because of the difference News 6 has made through the Make Ends Meet initiative, the station has again landed a spot among the finalists for the National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award.

The award is presented each year by the NAB Leadership Foundation to honor outstanding public service commitment of local television and radio broadcasters.

News 6 has been a recipient of the prestigious award twice before.

WKMG-TV was honored in 2019 for its work to help first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder receive benefits they needed to deal with their illness. The station’s 21-month fight resulted in the passing of Florida state law providing those benefits for all first responders.

News 6 was recognized in 2020 for its “Driving Change” campaign, led by News 6 anchor Matt Austin, who was hit by a driver who admitted to texting behind the wheel. The station's coverage over the span of three years led to changing the texting and driving law in the state of Florida from a primary offense to a secondary offense.

The winner of the Service to America award will be announced later this year.

Graham Media Group stations win big at LMA Digital Innovation Awards

Each year, the Local Media Association awards the leaders in each market, and this year, Graham Media Group stations won big.

An especially noteworthy award went to Dustin Block, the audience development lead for Graham Media Group.

Block was named Innovator of the Year and was recognized for his leading content strategies and original, digital content production for platforms across the group, as well as driving new content and revenue opportunities.

“I’ve had the chance to work with Dustin on several innovation projects and have been consistently impressed with his thoughtfulness, his creativity, and his ability to combine technology with content innovation to create better journalism and sustainable business models,” said Frank Mungeam, LMA chief innovation officer. “Dustin is on the short list of people who ask me innovation questions that no one has ever asked me before. He is a worthy winner of LMA’s award for News Innovator of the Year.”

In addition to Block’s big win, Graham Media Stations won the most awards of any media company, of which include:

WDIV and ClickOnDetroit.com

• 1st place: Best Contest and/or Promotion – Win for Vote 4 The Best
• 1st place: Best Local Newsletter/Email Strategy
• 2nd place: Best Contest and/or Promotion – Win for 4Frenzy
• 3rd place: Best Digital News Project

WJXT and News4Jax.com

• 1st place: Best Virtual Event
• 3rd place: Best Local Website
• 3rd place: Best Branded Content Strategy

KPRC and Click2Houston.com

• 2nd place: Best Service to Diverse Audiences
• 3rd place: Best COVID 19 Local Community Coverage

KSAT and KSAT.com

• 3rd place: Best Local Newsletter/Email Strategy

WKMG and ClickOrlando.com

• 2nd place: Best Local Newsletter/Email Strategy

WDIV takes home 2 Digital Innovation Awards from the Local Media Association

WDIV has been honored with two Digital Innovation Awards from the Local Media Association: A first-place win for the station's "Vote 4 The Best" campaign, and second-place honors for "4Frenzy."

The LMA contest recognizes the best in local digital media in 15 categories, such as best local website, best virtual event, best branded content strategy and more.

"Vote 4 The Best" and "4Frenzy" were honored as contests/promotional campaigns.

"Vote 4 The Best" was a highly anticipated contest that turned out to be not only successful but award-winning. It allows locals to nominate and vote for all different kinds of their favorite Michigan businesses. It builds in a bit of free advertising for area businesses, with a spot on the website and the ability to share a direct voting link.

The voting ballot remains a go-to guide of local businesses all year long. Additionally, "Vote 4 The Best" provides window clings to storefronts, and digital graphics to the top five winners in each category, which totaled about 940 in the main contest alone.

Here's a judge's note: "They took a yearly contest and added categories that were specific to the pandemic, to honor businesses that were doing great work, like (in) customer safety. This inclusion of categories that recognized added challenges of the past year led to more engagement and revenue."

As for "4Frenzy," these traditional campaigns have always been about celebrating high school students' hard work and passion surrounding sports, academics and school spirit (with a nomination and voting period each season), but this year, they needed to do something different because the pandemic changed the lives of so many seniors.

Here's another judge's note: "This news (organization) made the effort to change their yearly promotion/contest to highlight seniors who had not gotten their usual chance to sign through graduation and events."

WSLS launches pop-up newscast, prepares to go 'In Your Town'

WSLS 10 is preparing to take the news on the road and launch a new initiative, WSLS 10 "In Your Town."

Starting in May, WSLS 10 News will be LIVE in a different city every other Friday through November.

“We are passionate about informing and celebrating our communities,” said Margaret Kreger Ashburn, news director for WSLS 10. “This pop-up newscast is more than a tactic. This is our home too, and we are eager to feature extraordinary actions happening all around us.”

WSLS 10 "In Your Town" is an opportunity to help knit communities together.

“WSLS 10 is here to serve others. We are honored to elevate diverse voices, emphasize good news, and shine light on those providing meaningful contributions in our neighborhoods,” said Chrissy Funk, creative services director for WSLS 10.

“This project supports our ongoing commitment to listen and share the perspective of the people in our diverse communities,” said WSLS 10 Vice President and General Manager Jaimie León. “WSLS 10 'In Your Town' is an innovative approach to telling stories that matter here. I applaud the team for taking this on.”

Come, explore more of Southwest and Central Virginia with WSLS 10!

This fun and socially distant promo was shot and edited by creative services producers Rafael Ibarra and Andy DePue.

Graham Media Group stations proud to be selected for LMA’s 'Covering Climate Collaborative'

Graham Media Group stations are proud to be joining the Local Media Association's "Covering Climate Collaborative" to inform and empower their audiences to slow the catastrophic effects of global warming.

“Our stations are committed and excited to join this effort, which may well result in the most important journalism they do this year and beyond,” Graham Media Group President and CEO Emily Barr said. “Climate change impacts our stations on personal, professional and business levels. We all have to live in our rapidly changing world, and we’ve experienced the effects first-hand. Our newsrooms are taking on this issue with renewed focus and intensity. Weather is central to our mission as local broadcasters, both as a public safety service and for community education.”

GMG stations join a national group of publishers, broadcast groups, radio stations and digital-first news sites to expand and deepen climate coverage.

“We’re thrilled to announce this group of newsrooms that are recognized for their commitment to reporting locally on the impacts of climate change,” said Frank Mungeam, LMA chief innovation officer. “This collaboration brings together newsrooms with diverse platform expertise — from print to digital to audio and video — and represents key regions directly affected by our changing climate.”

The partners are grouped into five regional hubs, to cover the local impact of climate change in our "backyards" -- for example, to show how this global problem is affecting our regions specifically. Part of LMA's mission statement is "to localize and humanize the impacts of climate change, and to empower residents in those communities to take meaningful local action."

“For many of us, the issue is personal,” Barr said. “We have children and grandchildren destined to take over this earth as we pass on. We have a moral imperative to act now. We believe joining this collaborative is a critical next step in our efforts to raise awareness and hold the powerful accountable to future generations. … Graham Media Group stands firmly behind this effort and looks forward to doing our part.”

Learn more.

WDIV-Local 4 named 'Station of the Year' for seventh consecutive year

WDIV-TV Local 4 has once again received the honor of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Station of the Year.

In its seventh consecutive year of earning the proud title, the station won for broadcasting excellence in 17 categories from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters: 14 best and 12 merit awards for Market 1.

“The people of WDIV-Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit produce powerful content in news, community affairs, digital, and marketing," said Vice President and General Manager Marla Drutz. "I couldn’t be prouder to work alongside this team, especially in this challenging year when local news has been so important to our community.”

Best

• Newscast: Local 4 News at 11 p.m.
• News Anchor: Kimberly Gill
• News Reporter: Shawn Ley
• Photojournalist: Alex Atwell
• Community Involvement: WDIV community involvement
• Feature/Use of Medium: COVID Families
• Marketing Materials & Promos: Change Makers
• Mini Doc/Series: Unsolved Mystery: JoAnn Mahtouk Romain
• News Special: Education 4 All News Special
• Special Interest Programming: Fulfilling the Dream
• Breaking News Story: Racial Injustice Protest
• Continuing Coverage: Continuing coverage of Detroit protests
• Investigative Story: River Contamination
• Sports: Local 4 Sports

Merit

• Newscast: Local 4 News at 5 p.m.
• News Anchor: Devin Scillian
• News Reporter: Nick Monacelli
• Photojournalist: Ferlon Webster
• Marketing Materials & Promos: Decision 2020 Beliefs
• Use of New Media (All-Encompassing): WDIV ClickOnDetroit
• News Special: Covid-19 Townhall
• Special Interest Programming: Defending the Environment
• Breaking News Story: Devastating Floods
• Investigative Story: Toxic Freeway Ooze
• Sports: Big 10 Football is Back
• Weather: Thunderstorm Threat

The Broadcast Excellence Awards recognize outstanding achievement in broadcasting by Michigan radio and television stations each year. The 2020 awards were announced online this week by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

KPRC 2 celebrates Women's History Month in March

Throughout the month of March, KPRC 2 will celebrate the historic accomplishments of groundbreaking women and the current generation changing the face of our communities and country.

Women’s history will be a part of KPRC 2’s ongoing “Voices of Houston” initiative, spotlighting people in and around the Greater Houston area, making a difference in the community.

As part of KPRC 2’s decades-long mission of diversity and inclusion – and its ongoing commitment to spotlighting the triumphs, struggles and opinions of our city’s diverse communities – the station will celebrate women’s history through weekly on-air news packages, along with "Houston Life" stories featuring local women-owned businesses. Profiles will include some of Houston’s first female broadcasters who worked at KPRC 2.

“Every day, KPRC 2 celebrates Houston’s diverse communities through our storytelling,” said KPRC 2 Vice President/General Manager Jerry Martin. “We will continue our efforts by recognizing the wealth of history-making women who have come before us, and many currently walking amongst us.”

All women’s history content will also be available on KPRC 2 digital platforms, including www.click2houston.com/voices, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Volunteers rake in the trash: News4Jax teams up with Beaches Go Green to host clean-up events

Hundreds of volunteers did more than “talk” some trash to help News4Jax and Beaches Go Green give three spots around the Jacksonville area a clean slate.

Volunteers picked up litter at three sites throughout the community.

“We think it is so great," volunteer Blakely Rowe said. "We think it is important to give back, especially when everybody around here is pretty local, and following the wintertime, it is always such a mess, so we think it is pretty awesome.”

Nease High student Allie Leonard said it was surprising they found as much trash as they did, since it’s the offseason and the beaches aren’t filled with tourists.

“We found quite a bit,” she added.

Here’s a breakdown at what was found at the sites:

Atlantic Beach: 319 volunteers; 11,247 cigarette butts; 19 bags of trash; six bags of recycling.

Jacksonville: 459 volunteers; 9,562 cigarette butts; 16 bags of trash; four bags of recycling with two garden snakes (released).

Ponte Vedra Beach: 300 volunteers; 1,350 cigarette butts; 25 bags of trash; four tires; car parts; construction debris.

By county, Duval County had 778 volunteers -- and 20,809 cigarette butts, 35 bags of trash and 10 bags of recycling were collected and cleaned up.

In St. Johns County, there were 300 volunteers, and 1,350 cigarette butts and 25 bags of trash were collected.

Some of what the volunteers found was surprising, too. The group at the Mickler Beach Access Point in Ponte Vedra Beach hauled in a car bumper. Check it out here.

And another interesting find among the hundreds of pounds of litter, plastic and cigarette butts? A set of false teeth.

Groups met at the Atlantic Boulevard Beach Access in Atlantic Beach and at Oceanfront Park in Jacksonville Beach. Despite the chilly morning, volunteers rolled up their sleeves (so to speak) and pitched in. Some even earned prizes for various milestones (like the most cigarette butts collected).

“We’re making a difference together and having fun, and it’s simple,” said volunteer Samantha Ryan with Sisters of the Sea.

While the cleanup was fun for those involved, Beaches Go Green founder Anne Marie Moquin pointed out that the need to keep things clean is very serious.

“A lot of the litter in this area ends up washing and blowing into sensitive marine environments like the ocean and waterways, so it is super important to keep our town center, parking lots and sidewalks clean as much as it is the beach,” Moquin said.

Like the recent food drive, this cleanup is part of News4Jax's Positively Jax campaign, an ongoing effort to make Jacksonville a better place to live through random acts of kindness and other good deeds.

Sign up and join the Positively Jax movement on PositivelyJax.com.

There you can share your good deeds, learn more about what News4JAX and others are doing to help the community and also receive updates about upcoming opportunities to make a difference.

KPRC 2, Texas Southern University celebrate Houston's Black history

KPRC 2 is partnering with Texas Southern University throughout the month of February 2021, when TSU students will curate the station’s Instagram and other social media accounts with a celebration of Houston Black history.

As part of KPRC 2’s decades-long mission of diversity and inclusion – and its ongoing commitment to spotlighting the triumphs, struggles and opinions of our city’s diverse communities -- students from TSU’s School of Communications and members of @KTSU_2 “The Voice” online team will provide 28 days of content for the @kprc2 Instagram account, and other station digital platforms, focusing on their personal visions of Houston Black history.

“I’m excited to be a part of a project that celebrates Houston’s Black history,” said Texas Southern University School of Communications Interim Assistant Dean Serbino Sandifer-Walker. “It’s a groundbreaking initiative that will shine a light on ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things. A unique thing about this project is Texas Southern University students are telling the stories. I applaud KPRC 2 for taking an innovative approach to telling stories that matter in our community.”

Texas Southern students will research and produce exclusive, original content including photography and writing, supervised by their School of Communications professors and the KPRC 2 digital team. Additional media including TSU student information along with social posts will be found at click2houston.com/blackhistory.

In addition, KPRC 2 will continue to celebrate and spotlight people in and around the Greater Houston area from all different backgrounds who are making a difference in our community through its ongoing “Voices of Houston” initiative.

“We welcome this partnership with TSU’s Assistant Dean Sandifer-Walker and the School of Communications students and look forward to sharing their visions of what Houston Black history means to them,” said KPRC 2 Vice President and General Manager Jerry Martin. “KPRC 2 will continue to strive to give voice to people from all walks of life and the unsung heroes who make us proud to call this city home.”

WJXT, WCWJ present special programming in tribute to Black History Month

WJXT and WCWJ will once again be honoring the history, events and people during 2021 Black History Month.

On WJXT, "River City Live" host Eden Kendall sits down with News4JAX anchors and reporters who have made the decision to wear their hair in a natural state. The series is called "Passing the Crown," and airs at 5 p.m. Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Feb. 9, and at 11 a.m. Feb. 10. These eye-opening stories explain how The Crown Act or Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair work to make it illegal to discriminate against someone over the way he or she wears the hair.

CW17 presents programs and special stories that will air in February. The programs praise the achievements of Black Americans today as well as those who fought for our country.

The events kick off at 4 p.m. Feb. 7 on CW17, with "What About Me," featuring the voices and perspectives of African-American men beyond the limiting image of only being entertainers, athletes and criminals.

Then at 5 p.m. is "Mentoring Kings." This special celebrates the national mentoring programs of celebrities, business entrepreneurs, educators and community leaders.

Jacksonville has a rich history in African-American culture. Each day in February, WCWJ will air a short vignette, profiling a moment or person from Jacksonville that played a significant role in African-American history.

"Willie" at 4 p.m. Feb. 14, tells the story of Willie O’Ree, who changed the game of hockey forever in 1958 by becoming the first Black player to skate in a National Hockey League. It is a testament to the resilience and determination of a man empowered by his family’s legacy, and the people he inspired along the way.

Continuing on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. is "Believe: The Barack Obama Story." This special reveals the extraordinary life story of President Barack Obama, beginning with his parents and culturally diverse childhood in Hawaii, and continuing with his years as a community organizer in Chicago and milestone achievements during his political career. It chronicles his historic campaign to become the 44th president of the United States.

The month caps off at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 on CW17 with the documentary, "For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots." This two-part special salutes the contributions of African-American men and women throughout our nation’s history. Hosted by Halle Barry, the documentary features the voices of Morgan Freeman, Lou Gossett Jr. and more.

WKMG's 'Make Ends Meet' initiative is changing lives in the community -- and it's just getting started

In March 2020, in the midst of a global health crisis, WKMG News 6 launched Make Ends Meet, a franchise spearheaded by investigative reporter Mike Holfeld, to help residents of Central Florida answer financial questions and budget their money throughout a pandemic.

But what it turned into was so much more.

As soon as Holfeld starting profiling struggling families, and their cries for help aired during the newscasts, the phones and emails began pouring in from viewers hoping to donate and lend a hand.

Once stimulus checks began rolling into people’s accounts, the donations surged even more from those hoping to donate the extra cash, to people who need it more.

So far, News 6 and Make Ends Meet have received $50,178 in donations.

Then, Holfeld began holding the Florida Department of Unemployment accountable for their system and response to those in need.

To date, Holfeld and his Make Ends Meet team have helped nearly 100 people, providing them the more than $540,000 they were due, which comes out to an average of about $6,000 per person.

News 6 is nine months into this project, which it plans to continue through 2021.

The goal now? Hit $1 million in recoveries.

When asked if she thinks the team can reach that benchmark, news director Allison McGinley said, “With the generosity of our community, I believe so. Since the introduction of the second round of stimulus checks, we have already started to see additional donations from viewers. So far, families have gifted in excess of $2,000, with several viewers offering funds in advance! I feel confident we will meet or exceed the $50,000 gifted by our News 6 community during the first nine months of this project.”

This proves it: Nothing is better than "Getting Results" for those in need, which is News 6's mantra.

Read some Make Ends Meet stories:

News 6, Addition Financial debut Make Ends Meet fund

News 6 debuts Make Ends Meet initiative to provide budget guidance for viewers

Florida's Fourth Estate: How Make Ends Meet got started

Furloughed bartender has been waiting on $6,500 in unpaid unemployment since May

'Positively Jax Day' event collects more than 21,000 pounds of food

To say the first-ever Positively Jax Day, in Jacksonville, was a success, would be a massive understatement.

WJXT and WCWJ viewers and readers truly outdid themselves. When it came to the Positively Jax food drive, people came out in droves to donate canned fruits and vegetables, cereal and other non-perishable goods to help feed families in need all across the area.

The results were staggering: The station collected more than 21,000 pounds of food. That’s more than 10 tons, or the weight of an average-sized elephant. Plus, the community donated more than $5,300 to Feeding Northeast Florida.

Combined, those donations work out to roughly 50,000 meals for families who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Here is a massive THANK YOU to everyone who chipped in, whether the contribution meant dropping off food, donating money to this worthy cause, or volunteering time and energy.

The work isn’t done just yet.

While the food drive was a strong start, the next goal is to share 1,000 good deeds (or Random "Jax" of Kindness), happening around town.

The next Positively Jax event is set for Feb. 20.

The station will host a Positively Jax Community Cleanup with Beaches Go Green, and is welcoming volunteers to pick up litter at three sites throughout the community.

WJXT studio manager celebrates 50 years with the station

Fifty years is a long time to do anything.

The year Freddie Rhodes started at WJXT-TV, a gallon of gas cost 40 cents, the microprocessor was first invented and Disney World opened in Orlando.

Five decades later, this beloved gentle giant is still keeping the team in line in Jacksonville -- and blessing the community.

A deacon at Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ, Rhodes is constantly doing things for others. He’s been a devoted husband for 40 years, raised five sons and now has nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A 53-year broadcast radio veteran, Rhodes -- who is legendary for his baritone voice and size 17 shoes -- clearly has no problems committing.

His wife, Sara, describes him as mild, meek, humble, loving and caring.

News4Jax celebrated with Freddie five years ago for his 45th anniversary, so the station knew it had to come back even bigger this year.

Channel 4 got even more folks in on our celebration.

From one News4Jax legend to another, “Fifty years. Congratulations, Freddie,” said retired WJXT Chief Meteorologist George Winterling. “God bless you in all that you do. It’s your old friend, George.”

Mayor Lenny Curry even recognized Rhodes' long term of exceptional service with News4Jax, and declared Jan. 15, 2021, as Freddie Rhodes Day in Jacksonville.

The mayor said he encourages “all citizens to strive each day to display the compassion for others and the unparalleled work ethic that Freddie has shown each day for the last 50 years.”

Along with his work at WJXT, Rhodes is the program director for Gospel station WCGL Victory AM 1360 in Jacksonville. He’s an award-winning announcer who’s been in radio longer than in TV, and he’s well-known in the industry.

“I want to take this time to congratulate my man, Freddie Rhodes. You know you’re one of my favorites. God bless you and may you have many, many more years,” said gospel musician Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson.

Freddie is motivated by his family and his faith.

Congrats on 50 wonderful years!

Read more.

WSLS 10 announces station news director

WSLS 10, the Graham Media Group-owned NBC affiliate in Roanoke, Virginia, announced they have named Margaret Kreger Ashburn as their News Director.

The news comes behind News Director Rick Moll announcing he would be retiring after six years with WSLS, 30 years as news director and 40 years in the business.

In her new role, Ashburn will oversee the editorial content and its execution on all platforms, as well as have an integral role in maintaining the brand image for WSLS 10.

She is a familiar face at the station and a key member of the community. Not only has she held the WSLS 10 Assistant News Director role for the last two years, she also helped the station win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Newscast in 2020 and she earned a spot on the local "40 Under 40" list.

As someone born and raised in Roanoke, Ashburn is passionate about helping make the region a better place to live and grow, serving on several committees.

“Margaret is exactly the right person to lead WSLS 10 News," said WSLS 10 Vice President and General Manager Jaimie León. "She is passionate and innovative. Her proven leadership and fresh perspective, paired with our exceptional journalists at WSLS 10, will allow us to serve our communities in new and exciting ways."

Ashburn graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. Before returning home, Ashburn worked for WAGA in Atlanta, WGHP in Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem and WRDW in Augusta.

She is also a fitness enthusiast and a high school Sunday school teacher.

Ashburn begins her role on Feb. 15.

WSLS anchor, assistant news director earn spots on Roanoke '40 Under 40' list

Brittny McGraw, at left, and Margaret Ashburn

Two women from WSLS, Graham Media Group's NBC affiliate in Roanoke, Va., have been honored as "the next wave of Roanoke's leaders," and recognized on a list for the top 40 Under 40.

In an online feature called "Meet the Class of 2021," assistant news director Margaret Ashburn and anchor Brittny McGraw are listed as honorees.

"Applicants were judged not only on their career achievements, but also on their involvement in the community and other factors," The Roanoker said.

Of Ashburn, 31, the website said the following:

"A Magna Cum Laude graduate with a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Georgia, Margaret Ashburn’s leadership has resulted in numerous awards for WSLS10, including a 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Newscast. She serves on the Junior League of Roanoke Valley board as secretary, and organized the first Carilion Toy Drive, while also volunteering as the Ronald McDonald House Committee co-chair. She began virtual training in May 2020 with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia to serve as a wish granter and participates each year in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge by jumping in the New River in early February dressed as a penguin! She is also a high school Sunday school teacher for Second Presbyterian Church."

“Having the opportunity to give back to the community that gave me so much growing up is the greatest honor,” Ashburn said. “It's what pushes me to continue to want to be involved and do something for others, no matter how big or small the impact is. … My drive comes from holding this city so deeply in my heart.”

And from the nominations: "Ashburn works tirelessly to ensure the local news reported by WSLS 10 is professional, accurate, locally relevant, and responsible. In our divided and politically charged world, where even local news is often mistrusted, she manages the newsroom at WSLS 10 with strict adherence to journalism's canon of ethics. Ashburn dedicates much of her time outside of work to volunteering and she constantly seeks ways to give back to her community. ... It sounds clique, but Ashburn truly gives 100% percent to everything she does."

Read more.

Of McGraw, 39, the website said the following:

"Brittny McGraw knew she wanted to be a journalist since the third grade – she is now an award-winning journalist and WSLS10 evening news anchor. ... The Charlotte native and University of Chapel Hill graduate moved to Roanoke in 2017, becoming an integral part of the station’s newscast awards, most recently for an Emmy nomination on her story on integrating Floyd. She is an active member of the Junior League of Roanoke Valley, as well as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. An avid health enthusiast, she’s also known to lead her coworkers in station workouts! She is the station’s lead for their Habitat for Humanity Home for Good project and formed a Polar Plunge team to help raise money for Special Olympics Southwest Virginia, where the organization named her one of the top fundraisers."

“I have a passion for making sure people are informed about the world around them, and that’s even more critical in an age when inaccurate or misleading information can run rampant,” McGraw said. “It’s important that people have fair and accurate information so they can make the best decisions for themselves, their family and their community.”

And from the nominations: "When you meet McGraw for the first or 100th time, she always greets you with a smile. She brightens up any room that she walks into and is someone you can count on to put a smile on your face too … McGraw is not your stereotypical television anchor. While she is serious about what she does, McGraw also knows how to have fun. She is a teacher to younger journalists, offering advice to help their careers grow. Even the most seasoned journalists look to McGraw’s for input and critiques. McGraw is someone who never says no to a good opportunity. She's the first person to raise her hand and volunteer for something that will better the community. McGraw is someone you can count on consistently to go above and beyond her job description."

Read more.

Graham Media Group is so proud to have Ashburn and McGraw on the team.

KSAT12’s Defenders team awarded Emmy for ‘Broken Blue,’ an investigation into police misconduct

Graham Media Group's KSAT12 Defenders team has spent years uncovering, digging and researching to discover several instances of misconduct within the police department in San Antonio, the area which it serves.

The investigation culminated in the news team being honored with a regional Emmy award for Best News Special, KSAT12 News Director Bernice Kearney announced.

The Defenders, led by Executive Producer David Raziq and Chief Investigator Dillon Collier, took a raw, no-holds-bar look at disciplinary actions within the San Antonio Police Department.

The team also uncovered the ongoing misconduct of some officers who returned to their jobs months after their infractions. Many of the arbitration clauses in the police union's contract were cited as the reasons for the appearance of special treatment given to the officers who won their jobs back, some of whom returned and allegedly got into more trouble.

The investigation resulted in the city manager and the head of the police union explaining why the arbitration clauses existed, and how they might impact future contract negotiations between the city and the police union.

In addition to Raziq and Collier, KSAT12 anchors Steve Spriester and Tim Gerber, photojournalists Josh Saunders and Dale Keller, editor Dominic Lawrence and Graphics Artist Henry Keller were all recognized for their roles in producing the prime time report by the Lone Star Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the hard work of our Defenders team as they uncovered and shined the spotlight on disturbing practices within the SAPD,” said KSAT12 Vice President and General Manager Phil Lane. “It’s our job to hold those in positions of power accountable to the people they serve. We will continue to do so when we find discrepancies within a public entity.”

Graham Media Group’s Social News Desk gets nod for ‘smarter’ social media management

Breaking big news to broadcast and digital viewers first is what newsrooms everywhere strive for. It can come with major wins, but especially increased engagement.

A part of that is through social media, and in today’s climate, newsrooms must plan and generate multiple social media posts to different platforms.

TVNewsCheck recently gave a nod to Graham Media Group’s Social News Desk as a smarter way of managing social media, allowing integrated and streamlined solutions that reduce “tool fatigue.”

The website credited SND’s automation as one of those tools that reduces fatigue and repetition.

“We’ve seen newsrooms go from 100% manual publishing to pushing the boundaries of automation and doing as much automation as possible, and then starting to pull back from that,” said Kim Wilson, the founder of Social News Desk. “They’re saying, ‘We’re journalists and subject matter experts. We don’t want to turn everything over to a place where journalism isn’t part of the decision-making process.’”

In order to provide newsrooms looking for some assistance with decision making, yet still give journalists some control, SND developed a hybrid automation.

It “blends artificial intelligence with good old-fashioned journalism,” Wilson told TVNewsCheck.

The result? A tool that allows a blend of data science and artificial intelligence to find content that’s overperforming on a website, social media or within a media group. SND makes a suggestion through the dashboard and the journalist can decide how to move forward.

“It takes some of the manual work out of it to make the most out of some of the content they’re creating,” Wilson says.

SND’s hybrid automation is currently in the beta phase, but it is expected to release widely in the first quarter of 2021.

Graham Media Group builds Election Day team to fight misinformation

Graham Media Group and Fathm, a London-based news consultancy, are partnering to fight misinformation on Election Day in Texas, Florida, Michigan and Virginia.

The exclusive partnership will create a Trust Index team of internationally respected fact-checkers to flag trending misinformation and allow GMG newsrooms to correct the record for its viewers and online users. The fact-checking team will also invite audiences to share social media posts, emails and text messages for verification by the team of trained journalists. The combined effort is designed to cut through the fog of misinformation expected on social media on Election Day.

“Audiences turn to us to get the story right on and after Election Day,” said Catherine Badalamente, chief innovation officer for Graham Media Group. “Partnering with Fathm gives our newsrooms a globally tested tool to counter any deliberate attempts to confuse our communities.”

Fathm co-founders Fergus Bell and Tom Trewinnard are global experts in fighting misinformation, particularly around elections. They’ve built fact-checking projects in the U.S., U.K., India, Sweden and Mexico, and have trained hundreds of journalists worldwide. Earlier this year, Fathm worked with GMG newsroom to build verification systems that guided coverage through the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election season.

“We are delighted that Fathm can continue to support GMG's Trust Index work, from its inception right through to what is a crucial day for robust, trusted journalism and the communities it serves,” Bell said. “Partnering with Graham Media Group for this work allows us to deploy crucial skills and lessons that we have learned from countering election-related misinformation across the world.”

GMG created the Trust Index fact-checking team early in 2020 to fight misinformation in its local markets. Trained team members representing all Graham newsrooms and the Graham Digital team used more than 1,000 audience tips to produce hundreds of daily broadcast and digital stories debunking questionable claims about COVID-19, U.S. elections and local concerns.

“Our newsrooms worked together this year to strengthen and continue to improve our verification systems,” said Mario Orellana, assistant news director at KSAT in San Antonio and co-founder of the Trust Index team. “The key to that is our audience who continue to submit ideas and claims that they find from social media and other places that we fact-check for them and set the record straight. It’s a critical role our teams embraced throughout 2020 to best serve our communities.”

Graham Media Group is comprised of seven local media hubs, Graham Digital and Social News Desk, delivering local news, programming, advertising solutions and digital media tools for television, online, mobile, OTT, podcasts and audio devices. We are dynamic, local brands that extend well beyond the traditional TV set. Our work helps inform, celebrate and empower the communities we serve. GMG operates in six regions: 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 2,500+ worldwide newsroom-customers with a single dashboard to publish, measure, curate and monetize local news content on social platforms.

Graham Media Group wins 2 Editor & Publisher EPPY Awards

This year's Editor & Publisher EPPY Awards are in -- and Graham Media Group won two of them, as was announced earlier this week in a virtual ceremony.

This year’s EPPY Awards received more than 450 entries. Winners were selected from an international list of nominations to honor the best digital media websites across 38 diverse categories, in addition to categories for excellence in college and university journalism.

When it came to best local TV news website with 1 million unique monthly visitors and more – the winner was: WSLS.com

And in the category of best redesign/relaunch with 1 million unique monthly visitors and more – the winner was: ClickOnDetroit.com.

In a way, this was a win for all Graham Media Sites, considering they share a design.

Check out the winners and runners-up on this list to see the best of the best in digital media.

More on the best redesign award for ClickOnDetroit, from GMG audience development lead Dustin Block:

"Our websites have been growing a loyal fanbase for some time, so as website technology and our CMS has improved, the goal was to improve the website without making it feel new and different. We are quite proud of the relaunch and the new sites has been well-received by the community from day one, and continuing through the coronavirus crisis, our users have been able to find their reporters and content that they trust. We did this in the relaunch of the websites by focusing on these important elements:

Improved video: We focused on the mobile experience first, looking to convey the visual storytelling of our reporters without making the site feel sluggish. The video experience of the television station is an element that separates our reporting, so we improved it, offering live previews on the homepage of videos, and scrubbing to mimic the best of the big players. We improved our recommendation engine. This effort more than doubled the number of videos played between January 2019 and January 2020, pre-pandemic.

Improved engagement: We aimed to improve the legibility of the website and allow for easier and more consistent engagement. By improving successful login attempts by mor than 200%, and promoting more reporter and producer involvement in comments, we have increased the quality of commenting on our websites. We have also had consistent growth in our newsletters and are quickly able to build new newsletters and verticals as content topics take off.

Reduced site load: The trade-offs of a rich-video and visual website is generally page load and performance. The team knew this going into the project, but focused on new technologies and techniques to improve the page load and interactivity of the website for mobile and desktop. We believe that improvement of page load has been a major factor for the increase in Google Organic Search traffic we have seen.

Improved advertiser performance: We increased viewability of all ads to >65% while improving page load; meanwhile, continuing to provide valuable first party and remnant inventory, increasing the revenue we can use to support our journalism.

The new site has done more than just provide a new visual, but has been the backbone of a community movement we have been working toward from our television station."

And as for best local TV website, WSLS.com:

"WSLS in Roanoke, Virginia, builds its outsized success on teamwork. The digital team, which recently grew to four full-time employees, worked closely with the broadcast newsroom over the past year to move from a distant second in market to the most-read news hub in southwestern Virginia.

Data-driven reporting throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is an important example of how digital and broadcast teamed up to serve their audiences. The digital team closely tracked and reported public health data that became the backbone of coverage online and on-air. Their commitment to data reporting helped them track changes in how the state reported coronavirus cases and deaths. In turn, 9.4 million users turned to the site for conravirus-related news, including 1.2 million to their daily case tracker and interactive map.

In the past year, the team guided WSLS.com through a site redesign, a move to the Arc Publishing system and a rebuild of their engagement systems. The technology overhaul improved performance, boosted local news production and grew the audience.

The small, but mighty site is now a critical source for news in its market and a working model of what’s possible when an entire TV station works together on-air and online."