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.  

Aaron King named Vice President, General Manager of Social News Desk

Graham Media Group announced that Aaron King has been named Vice President and General Manager of Social News Desk, the leading social media management solution for news.

The announcement comes as Kim Wilson, founder and president of SND, shared her plans to depart the company at the end of April, along with co-founder Elisa DeFoe.

“I cannot overstate how proud I am of what we have accomplished as a team at Social News Desk,” said Wilson. “But the time is right for me to start a new chapter focused on my family, my health, and personal projects I’m passionate about. And while I will remain SND’s biggest fan, I could not be more confident in the leadership of Aaron King to take Social News Desk to new heights. It has been the privilege of my professional life to build the business, brand and culture that have defined SND for the past 12 years. What was once little more than a conversation between Elisa and myself has now become an essential tool for an industry that we love.”

King, known as an innovative, hands-on software executive with a history of cultivating winning development teams and successful startups, joined Social News Desk in 2015 as its Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, he spent the past 8 years overseeing SND’s best in class technology platform while working closely with Wilson to set roadmap goals and company vision.

“It is a real honor to be entrusted with the future of SND,” said King. “We have a world-class product and team positioned for success thanks to the hard work of our founders. Over the past 8 years I’ve been privileged to work with outstanding colleagues and fantastic customers who love and appreciate the value of our products and services. For their sake, I look forward to stoking the innovative spirit that got us here and to leading us into a prosperous future.”

Prior to joining Social News Desk, King co-founded Varsity Outreach, a private community platform for college admissions and alumni engagement. Before that he led software engineering teams for companies including Amazon, New World Systems and TicketsNow.com. 

A Detroit native, King previously served on the board of The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW). He has also supported various organizations including Detroit Regional Chamber, ACCESS Detroit, Southwest Detroit Business Association (SBDA) and the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC).

King currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he and his wife Jennifer have four children.

WJXT, WKMG Honored With Emmy Awards By NATAS Suncoast Chapter

The 46th Annual Suncoast Regional Emmy Award winners were announced on Dec. 10, 2022, and Graham Media Group stations WJXT-TV in Jacksonville and WKMG-TV in Orlando were honored as recipients.

WJXT took home 6 Emmy Awards. In the category of News Feature-Serious Feature, WJXT anchor Joy Purdy and managing editor of special projects Jodi Mohrmann won Emmys for the report “High Anxiety.”

In the category of Diversity/Equity/Inclusion-News, reporter Marilyn Parker and photojournalist Ciara Earrey won for their report “A Second Shot.”

In the Health/Medical category, anchor Bruce Hamilton won for his report “Scoping Out Cancer: My Personal Story,” and in the same category, anchor Mary Baer and Mohrmann won for their story “Child Unsafe.”

In the Promotion: News Promotion (Campaign) category, Sherry Carpenter, Chrissy Sellers and Dylan Smith, all of News4JAX’s Creative Services Department, won Emmys for the campaign “News4JAX: They Are Who They’ve Always Been.”

In the Hard News Report category, WJXT anchor Vic Micolucci and Mohrmann won for the report “Manhunters.”

WKMG was given an Emmy for Business and Consumer News as reporter Mike Holfeld and Robert Breuer received the award for “Gas Pump Thieves.”

KPRC Wins 4 Lone Star Emmy Awards

KPRC-TV in Houston has been honored to receive 4 Lone Star Emmy Awards recognizing excellence in television news coverage in the Texas region.

KPRC 2 was awarded Best Evening Newscast for the breaking news coverage of the Ulvade school shooting. Executive producer Steve Ljuljdjuraj and producer Chanel Preston were presented with the Emmy.

In the category of Investigative Report, KPRC’s team of reporter Amy Davis, producer Andrea Slaydon, editor 
Bill Carruthers and photojournalist 
Adrian Montes received an Emmy for the feature “License To Fraud: Crime Rings Litter Roadways With Paper License Plates.”

In the Crime News category, KPRC won for “What Happened To Jason Landry?” with reporter Joel Eisenbaum, producer Debbie Strauss, editor 
Bill Carruthers and photographer 
Adrian Monte taking home the awards.

And KPRC Producer/Director/Editor Glorianne Quintero along with photographer 
Robert Grant were awarded Best Program Promotion for the campaign “Anthony’s Back!”

WKMG News 6 Changes the Way to View Local News

WKMG News 6, the local CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida is once again innovating the delivery of news and information to its audience by spotlighting- on broadcast television- the content and convenience of their OTT streaming channel News 6+.

On Monday, November 14th, WKMG will take over their 5:30pm newscast with new programming called the “News 6+ Takeover.” For years, News 6 has been producing award-winning local news while sharing stories that celebrate and highlight our diverse communities, local businesses and those who innovate and generate solutions. Now, WKMG will bring those personalities and themes from their owned-and- operated digital platforms, like ClickOrlando.com and News 6+, to the general broadcast audience at 5:30 p.m. every weekday on WKMG.

What will this Takeover look like on air? WKMG General Manager Jeff Hoffman explains, “The News 6+ Takeover will deliver relevant news and information throughout all our platforms. Our audience should expect a more personal and interactive experience with Central Florida’s best news team in a way that is not constrained by a ‘one size fits all’ format of traditional newscasts.”

Starting Monday, instead of a newscast, the audience will be exposed to News 6’s variety of podcasts and longer format journalism.

“In essence, it’s the opposite of our traditional broadcast to digital push. We will be using our vast collection of local, timely, original, digital content to populate our broadcast air”, said WKMG News Director Allison McGinley.

Why are we doing this now? Easy. People’s habits around consuming content and information has changed dramatically. News 6 will meet that desire for inspiring content with local, community-based, and solutions-oriented programming.

“In a market like Orlando with multiple local stations doing dozens of hours of news each day, this is an opportunity for WKMG News 6 to once again be the leader of innovation and crack the mold of what local news is expected to be. At WKMG News 6, we have an incredible team of passionate journalists with varied interests. Their reporting, their stories will help us to better connect with our audience. We are excited to expand it from our owned-and-operated digital platforms like ClickOrlando.com and News 6+ and bring it to our general broadcast audience at 5:30pm,” McGinley added.

The News 6+ Takeover will air weekdays at 5:30pm on News 6 and all content and shows will be available after they air on the News 6+ streaming app that is available for free on any Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, or AndroidTV device. You can also find the same content live streamed or as video on demand on ClickOrlando.com.

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to see on air after the launch of the News 6+ Takeover:

Monday: Florida’s Fourth Estate Podcast with News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden. This podcast takes these colleagues and true friends off the traditional news set and into the more casual podcast realm where they sit down to give us their unfiltered take on some of the craziest headlines in Florida.

Tuesday: Solutionaries. It’s probably a word you’ve never heard before, but we didn’t make it up. A Solutionary is someone who recognizes a problem or injustice in society and comes up with creative and innovative ways to tackle those inequities. To give those people a spotlight, News 6 created this digital- only show focusing on issues our community is dealing with while highlighting the potential solutions available locally and around the nation.

Wednesday: Florida Foodie. News 6 anchor Lisa Bell and meteorologist Candace Campos talk with chefs, farmers, small businesses owners, CEOs, and activists with the goal of getting people to think more about the food on their plates.

Thursday: Talk to Tom. We took a popular segment WKMG News 6 features during major weather events and turned it into a weekly show. Viewers can submit any of their weather-related questions online or call into the show. In addition, Tom will share his views on recent weather events, viral videos, and more. He will even talk to experts about weather topics.

Friday: A second weekly dose of Florida’s Fourth Estate featuring hot topics and viewer e-mails will allow the audience to enter the weekend with a light-hearted look at life.

Immediately following the weekday 5:30pm News 6+ Takeover, WKMG will air its regularly scheduled newscast ‘News 6 at 6pm’.

The News 6+ Takeover is expected to continue as alternative special programming for viewers throughout the holidays.

Local Media Digital Innovation Awards Honor WDIV and WKMG

WDIV-TV/ClickOnDetroit and WKMG-TV/News 6 Orlando were each awarded with Local Media Digital Innovation Awards from the Local Media Association. This highly competitive contest recognizes the best in local media across the nation, focusing on 16 categories such as best local website, branded content strategy, and more. The Local Media Digital Innovation Awards honor local media outlets in both large and small media companies, for their outstanding and innovative work in digital media.

WDIV-TV was awarded first place for “Best Audience Listening Strategy” for audience engagement on the station website, ClickOnDetroit. This award recognizes the collective efforts of the newsroom to create a strategy around listening to and engaging with audiences, including the WDIV Insiders membership program.

The winner of the “Best Digital News Project,” with over 750,000 monthly unique visitors, went to WKMG-TV and their website ClickOrlando.com, for Solutionaries, the GMG franchise focused on solutions journalism reporting. Judges commented, “The idea to create a nonlinear viewing/news consumption series is a great idea and keeps people engaged with the content and allows them to engage with what matters most to them.”

Also recognized for their digital work at the Local Media Digital Innovation Awards include KPRC-TV Houston and WSLS-TV Roanoke as runner ups for Best Local Website; WSLS-TV Roanoke, WJXT/WCWJ News4Jax, and KSAT-TV San Antonio as runner ups for Best Product Initiative; and WKMG-TV/News 6 Orlando as runner for Best Contest/Promotion.

Graham Media Group Honored With Four 2022 EPPY Awards

Graham Media Group stations are proud to have been honored with four 2022 EPPY Awards. The EPPY Awards, presented by Editor and Publisher in partnership with the Local Media Consortium, honor the best in digital news publishing across more than thirty diverse categories. This year, WKMG-TV in Orlando and KSAT-TV in San Antonio have each won an EPPY Award, and WSLS-TV in Roanoke was awarded two EPPYs.

WKMG’s website, ClickOrlando.com, was awarded “Best Local TV News Website” with 1 million or more unique visitors. The award recognized new features including the introduction of Solutionaries, a digital newscast that focuses on solutions-based journalism; the multi-platform Make Ends Meet effort that recovered millions of dollars for people struggling with unemployment issues; feature stories that mattered to the community during Black History Month; and enhanced traffic coverage with Florida Highway Patrol trooper, Trooper Steve, answering viewer questions.

KSAT received an EPPY win for “Best News or Event Feature Video” with 1 million or more unique visitors for their feature “Remember Their Names,” a special project from KSAT memorializing the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary shooting.

WSLS earned two EPPY Awards; “Best Local TV News Website” with fewer than 1 million unique visitors and “Best Investigative/Enterprise Video” with fewer than 1 million unique visitors. This category highlights a single story or a series of stories focusing on added information that may or may not be apparent to the public, whose revelations may bear consequences to their lives.

Ashley Parker named Vice President, General Manager of Graham Media Group's KSAT-TV

Graham Media Group, the local media division of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), announced today that Ashley Parker has been named Vice President and General Manager of KSAT, the ABC broadcast affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas, effective October 1, 2022.

Parker replaces Phil Lane, who was recently named Vice President and General Manager of KPRC.

Parker has held the role of General Sales Manager at KSAT since 2013. In her 19 years at the station she has been Local Sales Manager, Digital Sales Manager and an Account Executive.

“Ashley has been an integral part of KSAT’s success, helping spearhead major station initiatives and driving KSAT to achieving greater revenue goals year after year,” said Catherine Badalamente, President and Chief Executive Officer, Graham Media Group. “Her commitment to transforming the business and leading KSAT into the future, is, and has always been, a top priority.”

“I am honored and humbled to have this amazing opportunity to lead KSAT,” said Parker. “It has been a lifelong dream that is coming true. I am excited for the future of broadcast television and look forward to serving the San Antonio community through our relentless commitment at KSAT.”

Prior to joining KSAT in 2003, Parker was at KIII/ABC affiliate in Corpus Christi, and KRBC/NBC affiliate in Abilene, Texas. She is a member of the San Antonio Women Leaders Association.

Phil Lane named Vice President, General Manager of Graham Media Group’s KPRC-TV

Phil Lane

Graham Media Group, the local media division of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), announced that Phil Lane has been named Vice President and General Manager of KPRC, the NBC affiliate broadcast television station in Houston, Texas.

Lane replaces Jerry Martin, who recently announced his retirement after 11 years at the helm of KPRC.

Lane will move to Houston from San Antonio where, since July 2011, he has held the role of Vice President and General Manager at KSAT, an ABC affiliate station owned by Graham Media Group.

“It is impossible to describe Phil Lane and his incredible leadership in just one sentence – to put it simply, he is a unicorn,” said Catherine Badalamente, President and Chief Executive Officer, Graham Media Group.  “While he has had a long and successful career running market-leading television stations, he is also a trailblazer and innovator whose skills are hard to match inside (and outside) of our industry.”

“I'm excited to join a wonderful local television station,” said Lane. “KPRC is enjoying ratings momentum thanks to a talented team of local broadcasters who deliver important, engaging, and enterprising content to their audiences. I'm eager to build on that success while exploring new, innovative ideas for Houston. Now is our opportunity to transform our business so we can connect with and serve our community in exciting new ways. I can't wait to see what we accomplish together!”

Under Lane’s leadership, KSAT maintained market-leading ratings in news and the number one local media website in San Antonio. He launched numerous groundbreaking local programming initiatives including “SA Live,” a daily live lifestyle program, and “Texas Eats,” a local food series now distributed across the state. Lane expanded KSAT’s digital initiatives with the streaming news series “KSAT Explains,” the launch of KSAT Plus content stream, mobile and OTT app, KSAT’s Big Game Coverage high school sports streaming network and the creation of Graham Media’s first membership program, KSAT Insiders.  Another successful franchise launched by Lane this past Saturday is the first-ever KSAT Pigskin Classic high school football triple-header held at the Alamodome which was televised and streamed across all KSAT platforms.

Prior to joining KSAT, Lane had served as VP and GM of WSPA and WYCW in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, NC, market from 2004 to 2011; WJBF in Augusta, GA, from 2000 to 2004; and WRBL in Columbus, GA, from 1997 to 2000.  Lane is a graduate of Furman University with a BA in History.

WKMG News 6 Orlando Celebrates Society of Professional Journalist 2022 Award Wins in Multimedia

WKMG News 6, the Graham Media Group owned television in Orlando, Florida, is proud to announce that they have been honored as winners of the 2022 by the Society of Professional Journalists Sunshine State Awards with two exceptional 2022 Multimedia wins.

The Society of Professional Journalists is a national organization honoring “excellence in journalism" and "prize original reporting, where appropriate, visual storytelling."  This highly competitive competition recognizes and awards the best in journalism in the Sunshine State.

The two wins presented to WKMG and announced on August 27th, consisted of a 1st place Multimedia Feature win for their innovative multimedia program Solutionaries and its Policing 2.0. Episode.   The second prize was awarded in the Data Visualization category for their work on School Shooting numbers.

Solutionaries, is an innovative new digital newscast that focuses on solutions-based journalism and highlights people who are making a difference. All six of Graham Media Group’s stations participate in making each Solutionaries episode a success.

“WKMG News 6 continues to evolve and innovate our multimedia platform content, and we are pleased to know our community has found our efforts informative and engaging,” said Jeff Hoffman, WKMG Vice President and General Manager.

“We strive every day to provide in-depth coverage of stories that matter to our community.  While that encompasses broadcast, it goes beyond the TV,” commented News Director Allison McGinley.  “We are committed to bringing important information to our audiences however and whenever it is convenient to their lifestyle.  Winning awards like these says a lot about our commitment and the pride WKMG takes in telling these stories.”   

We commend the winners for their impressive work, and we would like to off our congratulations to all the 2022 SPJ Award recipients

First-ever KSAT Pigskin Classic to Showcase High School Football at Alamodome

The first-ever KSAT Pigskin Classic will showcase six local high school football teams over three games in one day at the Alamodome on Saturday, August 27, 2022.

The full day of high school football action features the following matchups:

11:30 a.m.: Smithson Valley vs. Reagan

3:30 p.m.: Judson vs. Johnson

7:30 p.m.: Steele vs. Brennan

The games will be televised live starting at 11am on KSAT 12, on KSAT.com and KSAT Plus streaming as well at the Big Game Coverage mobile app and on the KSAT YouTube channel. Production of the BGC games is in partnership with Texas Sports Productions.

Tickets are available at the Alamodome box office and San Antonio area Lal Palapas locations. VIP seating packages are available for purchase at KSAT.com/pigskin.

WDIV-Local 4 Honored With National Edward R. Murrow Award

WDIV-Local 4, a Graham Media Group station, won the prestigious 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast (Local 4 News at 11 p.m.) for coverage of the Oxford High School shooting.

National winners were announced Thursday, Aug 11, by the Radio Television Digital News Association.

“We are truly honored to be the recipient of this national award that holds newsrooms to such high standards in journalism,” said WDIV News Director Kim Voet. “Our team handled the coverage of this tragic event with compassion and sensitivity for the Oxford community.”

“This day will forever be etched in all of our hearts,” said Vice President and General Manager Bob Ellis. “Although our news team had an important job to do during that horrific time, they covered it with grace, compassion, and respect. Since then, we have built relationships with the families and school community in Oxford, and we will always be here to tell their stories as they continue to recover and heal.”

The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name.

This honor comes after receiving a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award in May and another distinguished tribute in March -- the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year Award – which WDIV-Local 4 won for the eighth year in a row.

About WDIV-Local 4

Local 4 News is currently the No. 1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market and is honored to be named Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for the eighth year in a row. WDIV is the No. 1 NBC affiliate in the top 20 LPM markets. In addition, Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is a top breaking news and weather website in Michigan and the No. 1 news website in Metro Detroit.

Catherine Badalamente appointed to NAB Board of Directors

Catherine Badalamente, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, has been appointed to the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board of Directors, effective immediately.

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age.

In addition to her role as president and CEO of Graham Media Group and her new appointment to the NAB Board of Directors, Badalamente is chair of the Board of Directors of the Local Media Association, serves as treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Local Media Foundation and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Women in Media. She was the recipient of the Digital Leadership Award from the NAB in 2017.

Phil Tahtakran, SVP, Head of Federal Government Affairs for NBCUniversal, was also appointed to the NAB Television Board of Directors, and Kevin Godwin, SVP for Townsquare Media, was appointed to the NAB Radio Board of Directors. The appointments were made by NAB TV Board Chair Perry Sook and NAB Radio Board Chair Bill Wilson, respectively, in accordance with NAB bylaws.

Read the announcements here. Learn more about the NAB at www.nab.org.

Local 4 honored with nine awards at the 2022 Michigan Emmys

WDIV-Local 4, a Graham Media Group station, was recognized for its exemplary work at the 44th Annual Michigan Regional Emmy Awards.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our team, both in front of and behind the camera,” said News Director Kim Voet. “They give it their all every single day to bring viewers the important news that affects their lives.”

Congratulations to the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Michigan Emmy award winners:

Sports Story, News Feature (Catching up with Mike Utley)

• Justin DePrekel, Ben Bell, Bernie Smilovitz, Ro Coppola

Children/Youth/Teen, News (A Mascot’s Moment)

• Nick Monacelli

Weather, News - single shift (125 Years Ago: The Great Cyclone Hits Oakland County)

• Paul Gross

Team Coverage (Night of the Tornadoes)

• Mia Balbin-Cuesta & Mary Burson

Reporter, Specialty Assignment (Royal Oak Remembered)

• Rod Meloni

Religion, News (All-American Muslim)

• Paula Tutman & Justin DePrekel

Breaking News (Metro Detroit deals with overnight flooding)

• Mary Burson

Investigative (Missing in the Morgue)

• Karen Drew, John Pompeo, Benjamin Bell

Reporter, Daily News

• Rod Meloni

KPRC 2 Names Keith Garvin Anchor of 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Newscasts

Native Texan Keith Garvin has been named anchor of KPRC 2 News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Garvin will co-anchor with Lauren Freeman at 5 p.m. and Daniella Guzman at 6 & 10 p.m. effective June 20, 2022. 

Keith Garvin is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist who joined KPRC 2 as an anchor/reporter in August of 2012. He has reported on both shooting tragedies at Fort Hood, the American Sniper Murder Trial, along with coverage from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and local contestants on NBC’s The Voice. Garvin won a regional Emmy as anchor of the Best Newscast in 2013 and an Edward R. Murrow award in 2021 for “George Floyd Continuing Coverage". 

“Keith is the perfect co-anchor for KPRC 2’s evening newscasts,” says KPRC 2 VP/General Manager Jerry Martin. “Over the last 10 years he has proven himself as a top-notch journalist with the local roots and knowledge of our community to bring the news into Houston homes.”

Garvin grew up in Bryan-College Station and is a proud graduate of Bryan High School. He attended the University of Nevada at Reno on a football scholarship, where he earned a broadcast journalism degree from the university’s Don Reynolds School of Journalism.

"I absolutely love Houston & consider it the highest of honors to be named as the evening anchor alongside Daniella & Lauren for KPRC 2,” says Keith Garvin. “It is a privilege to be allowed into the homes of our viewers and followers on a daily and nightly basis to deliver information that makes a difference in their lives."

Prior to KPRC 2, Garvin was an anchor/reporter at KTVT in Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as a correspondent for ABC serving as a member of the White House Press Corps, reporting from Iraq & covering Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Keith has also worked at WRC-TV in Washington D.C., WTVD in Raleigh, N.C. and KFSN in Fresno, California.

Keith says the favorite part of his job is being able to meet people and tell their stories and he is proudest of telling the stories of United States military members directly from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Rwanda. He has interviewed former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, Rev. Billy Graham, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and other notable figures.

When Keith isn't working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four daughters. They are members of Houston's Second Baptist Church. Keith also enjoys traveling, running, reading, and dining at Mexican and Thai restaurants. His memberships include the Houston Association of Black Journalists & Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

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.

WJXT, News4JAX.com awarded prestigious 2022 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Excellence

WJXT has been awarded two 2022 Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) 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.

In the area of Large Market, WJXT-TV, News4JAX, won a 2022 Regional Murrow award for Breaking News Coverage. On the morning of May 27, 2021, morning rush-hour drivers faced an emergency shutdown of the normally busy Buckman Bridge.

Florida Department of Transportation workers were forced to make emergency repairs after a portion of the bridge was damaged. This quickly became a safety concern and caused a traffic nightmare.

From The Morning Show through News4JAX at Noon, 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., the news team at WJXT provided important safety information and repair status updates for commuters.

In the category of Digital, News4JAX.com also won the Regional Murrow award. The website has a wealth of information for people living in and interested in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.

From the pandemic to social justice, the environment and the legislature, News4JAX.com provides rich detail about the impacts of such issues. It is a commitment to the best coverage of news, weather, community engagement and public service.

News4JAX.com is designed to keep people safe, aware and informed.

WDIV wins prestigious 2022 Regional Murrow Award

WDIV-Local 4 is honored to receive the coveted 2022 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast (Local 4 News at 11 p.m.) for coverage of the Oxford High School shooting.

Regional winners were announced Wednesday by the Radio Television Digital News Association.

“It’s an incredible honor to be named Best Newscast in the Regional Murrow Awards,” News Director Kim Voet said. “This is a true team win on one of the most difficult and tragic days our community has faced. I’m incredibly proud of our Local 4 newsroom and the quality and compassion we displayed in our coverage.”

“This day, we were confronted with a tragedy that every newsroom hopes they never have to cover,” Vice President and General Manager Bob Ellis said. “And when it happened, our team did what they do best. We were informative, measured, we asked important questions, and we were compassionate. We also made decisions not to show video or cover private moments, for which I’m extremely proud, as well. While I’m grateful this work has been recognized, it’s more important to again recognize the people of Oxford. They have demonstrated what the term 'community' truly means.”

The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name.

This honor comes after receiving another distinguished tribute in March -- the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year Award – which WDIV-Local 4 won for the eighth year in a row.