RADIO STATIONS
Radio stations newscast, all markets
First Place
“WBAL News Now at 5 a.m. 11-19-21”
WBAL-AM staff
WBAL-AM
Judges’ comments: Terrific organization, straightforward presentation, and classic weaving of sound make this a first-rate, evocative newscast. Brisk, insightful, and to-the-point. WBAL puts a wrapper around the day’s news and captivates in the process.
Second Place
“The resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo”
1010 WINS staff
1010 WINS
Third Place
Texas Standard staff
Texas Standard
Radio stations breaking news or continuing coverage of a single news event
First Place
“Chicago Blackhawks’ leaders failed to quickly act on allegations of abuse”
Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney
WBEZ Chicago
Judges’ comments: Dogged reporting by WBEZ uncovers the embarrassing story of how the six-time Stanley Cup winning hometown hockey team had been ignoring a player’s claims of sexual abuse.
Second Place
“Ida slams Tri-State”
1010 WINS staff
1010 WINS
Third Place
“Selections from WLRN’s Surfside Condo Collapse Coverage”
WLRN News Staff
WLRN News
Radio stations feature and human interest story, all markets
First Place
“Overlooked trailblazer: Before Rosa Parks, Sarah Keys refused to back down”
Jay Price
North Carolina Public Radio WUNC
Judges’ comments: A nearly forgotten story in the civil rights movement is brought back to life — and aural liveliness — in this story of a Black female soldier who stood up against oppressive authority. The reporters get out of the way and let the story tell itself, and it’s compelling.
Second Place
“You Don’t Say”
KBIA staff
KBIA
Third Place
“9/11 20th Anniversary: Former NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton”
Michael Mackey, Host and WLIW-FM Staff
WLIW-FM
Radio stations documentary or public affairs
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Sounds of the South”
Megan Wahn, Martin Matheny, Devon Zwald and Sarah Train
WGUA FM
Judges’ comments: Understanding why we speak as we do is more than skin deep. WGUA explores the fascinating reasons African American Vernacular English and White Southerner speech patterns overlap, causing them to sound so much alike you can’t distinguish who’s speaking.
Second Place
“Class of COVID-19: An Education Crisis for Florida’s Vulnerable Students”
Jessica Bakeman and Staff
Florida Public Media
Third Place
“Reversing The Trend: Baltimore’s Battle Against Crime”
Phil Yacuboski
WBAL-AM
Radio stations news series
First Place
“Seize and Keep: Civil Forfeiture in Massachusetts”
Saurabh Datar, Shannon Dooling and Beth Healy
WBUR
Judges’ comments: Important story from WBUR, and not one that is easy to report. Careful journalism explains how easy it is for authorities to seize funds in Massachusetts — and how difficult it is to get those funds back. The piece brought about scrutiny from lawmakers. Certainly more to follow.
Second Place
“Saving Mercy Hospital”
Kristen Schorsch
WBEZ Chicago
Third Place
“Unseen: The Boy Victims of the Sex Trade”
Jenifer McKim, Phillip Martin, Paul Singer
GBH News
Radio stations pandemic coverage/project
First Place
“Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic from MPR News”
Catharine Richert, Kirsti Marohn, Hannah Yang
MPR News
Judges’ comments: Sensitive portrayal that brings home the impact on those particularly vulnerable. An excellent look at early days of COVID, before we understood all of the effects but surely felt the pervasive dread of the unknown.
Second Place
“Battling the COVID variants”
1010 WINS staff
1010 WINS
Third Place
“COVID-19 Survivor: ‘Corona Is Real. It’s Not A Myth'”
Veronica Zaragovia
WLRN News
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators newscast
First Place
“CBS News World News Roundup, January 7, 2021”
Steve Kathan and Paul Farry
CBS News Radio
Judges’ comments: Classic use of sound and voice, clear order and progression, and careful reporting distinguish this fast-moving coverage of the Capitol Riot.
Second Place
“1/7/21 Bloomberg Radio 6 a.m. Newscast”
Bloomberg Radio staff
Bloomberg Radio
Third Place
“CBS News Top of the Hour, April 21, 2021 – 7 a.m.”
Deborah Rodriguez, Matt Cherry and Steve Futterman
CBS News Radio
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators breaking news or continuing coverage
First Place
“Assault on the US Capitol”
CBS News Radio staff
CBS News Radio
Judges’ comments: Urgent but factual, unexpected but authoritative, CBS Radio draws on a variety of correspondents inside and outside the Capitol as events unfold on Jan. 6, with audio of chants and gunshots, reporters and representatives, eyewitnesses and analysts. Fast-paced and up to the second.
Second Place
“The Fall of Afghanistan”
CBS News Radio staff
CBS News Radio
Third Place
“NPR coverage of India’s yearlong farmer protests”
Lauren Frayer
National Public Radio
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators feature and human interest story
First Place
“CBS News Radio – One Year Later”
CBS News Radio staff
CBS News Radio
Judges’ comments: An eloquent story framed in the transition of CBS’s coverage when COVID hit. It’s not just the story of the news organization, though: Through lucid storytelling we’re reminded of the extraordinary efforts society as a whole made to cope with a brand new way of doing business and living life.
Second Place
” In India, boy meets girl, proposes — and gets accused of jihad”
Lauren Frayer and Sushmita Pathak
National Public Radio
Third Place
“Racial covenants, a relic of the past, are still on the books across the country”
Cheryl W. Thompson, Natalie Moore, Corinne Ruff, Cristina Kim and Roxana Popescu,
inewsource
National Public Radio
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators documentary or public affairs
First Place
“Remembering 9/11, 20 Years Later”
Amy Morris
Bloomberg Radio
Judges’ comments: Bloomberg has produced a program that brings back startling and vivid memories. This report is more than a retrospective – it weaves a tapestry of recollections, many from unusual angles, many tempered with retrospect, many still raw in the subjects’ memories.
Second Place
“Lorena’s Alcance”
Julia Rocha, Sindy Nanclares, Sofia Cerda Campero and Andrea López-Cruzado
Futuro Media Group
Third Place
“The Debrief: ‘Insurrection: Capitol Hell'”
Major Garrett, Arden Farhi and Jamie Benson
CBS News Radio
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators news series
First Place
“Help Wanted: Where are the Workers?”
Alina Selyukh, Scott Horsley and Andrea Hsu
National Public Radio
Judges’ comments: Tells the human story behind the statistics. Balanced, insightful, and eye-opening. A good story told in a strong narrative voice.
Second Place
“Hot Days: Heat’s Mounting Death Toll on Workers in the U.S.”
National Public Radio, Columbia Journalism Investigations, and the California and Texas
Newsroom
Third Place
“CBS News Special Series, 20 Years Later, America Remembers 9/11”
CBS News Radio staff
CBS News Radio
Broadcast radio networks and syndicators pandemic coverage/project
First Place
“CBS News Radio – One Year Later”
CBS News Radio staff
CBS News Radio
Judges’ comments: An eloquent story framed in the transition of CBS’s coverage when COVID hit. It’s not just the story of the news organization, though: Through lucid storytelling we’re reminded of the extraordinary efforts society as a whole made to cope with a brand new way of doing business and living life.
Second Place
“NPR coverage of India’s spring 2021 COVID wave”
Lauren Frayer and Sushmita Pathak
National Public Radio
Third Place
“The Debrief with Major Garrett, ‘Virus of Hate'”
Major Garrett, Arden Farhi and Jamie Benson
CBS Radio News
TELEVISION
Broadcast or cable television stations newscast
First Place
“News at 6: Tragedy at Astroworld”
KPRC staff
KPRC
Judges’ comments: This Astroworld newscast brought out the exceptional chaos with an emphasis on concertgoers in this tragedy. This was quite an expansive edition of an investigation that went beyond the normal. Excellent use of visuals including strong social media graphics. The strong collection of first hand accounts of what happened made the story stick.
Second Place
“Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 At 11:00”
WTAE Staff
WTAE
Third Place
“NewsCenter 5 at 6 p.m.: Henri Makes Landfall in New England”
WCVB-TV staff
WCVB-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations coverage of a live breaking news event
First Place
“Shots Fired Inside Ross Park Mall”
WTAE staff
WTAE
Judges’ comments: Quick response and video-driven coverage – much of it from shoppers with cell phones during the disturbance at Ross Park Mall – makes Action News 4 the winner. In the same news cycle, the team even develops the security angle about the mall not installing cameras despite requests by local police.
Second Place
“Tahoe Evacuations”
KCRA 3 News staff
KCRA 3 News
Third Place
“Deadly Standoff After Brockton Shooting”
WCVB-TV staff
WCVB-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations continuing coverage of a single news event
First Place
“Robert Vicosa Manhunt”
WBAL-TV News Team
WBAL-TV
Judges’ comments: There was intense build up across several stories about a police officer who was a father and another officer on the run with his kids. It was compelling and informative, shedding light on an important topic of custody and parenting but through the story of a couple that was desperate. It all happened within the short span of a week that all of these details and interviews were collected to present an attention grabbing story with an amazing ending.
Second Place
“The Durst Diaries”
News 12 staff
News 12
Third Place
“Green Line Derailment Exposes Safety Lapses”
WCVB-TV staff
WCVB-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations feature, sports or human interest story
First Place
“The Photo”
Adam Harding, Michael DelGiudice and Rachel Belli
WNBC
Judges’ comments: 9/11 NY Port Authority police officer Chris Amoroso’s last valiant effort as a first responder to the World Trade Center tragedy is frozen in time, now for 20 years, by way of a single photograph that shows him saving the life of a woman. The woman’s identity and fate remained unknown, until now. From a new interview with the photographer who snapped the picture to the news organization’s plea and search through social media for information, the story culminates with a videoconference meeting between the officer’s widow and the mystery woman, now living in India, whose face (through two nearly pixel-matched cross dissolves) is immediately matched to the woman in the photograph. This piece tells the story of a single moment in life, the journey of that moment and the unknowns surrounding it for two decades, culminating in an incredibly emotional personal connection offering comfort and closure.
Second Place
“Mrs. Klein’s Greatest Lesson”
Boyd Huppert and Chad Nelson
KARE-TV
Third Place
“In The Name Of A Soldier”
Jeff Abell and Ben Otte
WBFF-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations public service
First Place
“Failure Factory”
Carolyn Peirce, Chris Papst, Jed Gamber, Dwayne Myers and Ray Rogowski
WBFF-TV
Judges’ comments: Fox45 thoroughly details the story of a Baltimore City high school student failed by the system, reporting that revealed widespread deficiencies in passing students despite failing grades, grade fixing, ineffective or non-existent communication with parents, “ghost students,” administrators under investigation, and more in classic TV “but wait, there’s more” presentation that uncovers a veritable treasure-trove of documents, statistics, and report findings that show the fault does not reside solely at the local level. Interviews with former students, government officials and concerned parents cover the gamut of impact and ongoing efforts to change the broken system.
Second Place
“Politically Charged”
Dave Biscobing, Chief Investigative Reporter; ABC15 Staff
ABC15
Third Place
“Powerless”
KXAS TV staff
KXAS TV
Broadcast or cable television stations documentary or series of reports on the same subject
First Place
“Paper Tag Nation”
KXAS TV staff
KXAS TV
Judges’ comments: KXAS uncovers a huge scam operating right under your nose – or at least on the bumper in front of you. Texas temporary tags are being sold fraudulently on a $200 million black market abetted by a lack of oversight at the Texas DMV. KXAS pioneered media oversight into the DMV database in exposing this scam.
Second Place
“Crisis in Corrections”
Adam Walser, Kylie McGivern and Matt McGlashen
WFTS-TV
Third Place
“Who Killed Barbara Jean?”
NBC10 Philadelphia staff
NBC10 Philadelphia
Broadcast or cable television stations investigative reporting
First Place
“Risky Rides”
KXAN Investigates Staff
KXAN
Judges’ comments: The Risky Rides paper license problem reveals an in depth look at temporary tags to cover up crimes. Excellent dig into an underground problem that allows fugitives to remain in plain sight. The business of these tags cannot be understated and this team of journalists had the tools to discern and sort through the massive paperwork. Graphics were exceptional and the segment had solid storytelling and issues that affect the community.
Second Place
“Gideon’s Army”
Phil Williams and Bryan Staples
WTVF-NewsChannel 5
Third Place
“Sedated”
Lori Jane Gliha and Noah Skinner
FOX31
Broadcast or cable television stations business and consumer reporting
First Place
“Car Warranties and Your Friendly Neighborhood DMV”
Chris Vanderveen and Chris Hansen
KUSA
Judges’ comments: A story that is entertaining and Orwelian at the same time. While there are laws on the books that prohibit the sale of much motor vehicle data, the system is leaky. While this can be an annoyance, it can also be dangerous — such as for victims of stalkers. A careful investigation and a well-produced piece.
Second Place
“13 Investigates Consumer Concerns”
Bob Segall & 13 Investigates Team
WTHR
Third Place
“Same does not mean equal”
Adam Racusin and Geoff Steven
KGTV
Broadcast or cable television stations health/science reporting
First Place
“Unforgettable Chance for Woman Battling Brain Cancer”
WCVB-TV staff
WCVB-TV
Judges’ comments: Moving, informative, and beautifully produced story of a woman undergoing experimental treatment for a rare and deadly cancer. WCVB not only documents her hope, but the promise of a new type of treatment that is, in effect, custom-made for each individual patient.
Second Place
“Cycle of abuse closes teen psychiatric facility”
Bennett Haeberle and Chris Kettler
WBNS-TV
Third Place
“Plan C Pills: The Debate Over Safety & Access”
KXAN Investigates Staff
KXAN
Broadcast or cable television stations environmental reporting
First Place
“Skagit: River of Light and Loss”
Susannah Frame, Ryan Coe and Eric Derosiers
KING TV
Judges’ comments: This is an extremely moving investigative series about the impact of Seattle City’s Light “false narrative” denying the impact of a low cost, “green” power dam’s impact on the Chinook salmon and other fish. The narrative has hidden how the dam has choked the river and fish travel producing deleterious effects for Native Americans and orca. King 5 Reporting led to the City of Seattle’s passage of measures to protect the fish habitat. The series is a testament to the power of journalism to restore justice to nature, Indigenous Peoples and humanity.
Second Place
“Discarded Danger”
Lee Zurik, Jon Turnipseed and Cody Lillich
WVUE-TV
Third Place
“Fallout”
Duane Pohlman Eric Frisbee and Tim Geraghty
WKRC-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations pandemic coverage/project
First Place
“Hospital staff continue to walk often deadly road with COVID patients, ‘prepare for chaos every
day'”
Bianca Marais and Chad Bricks
WJHL
Judges’ comments: A piece that shows the daily agony of decision-making in a small hospital. Short, impactful, and deeply moving. It tells the raw story — no embellishments, no drama, just gripping fact.
Second Place
“Tennessee’s Pandemic Response”
Phil Williams and Bryan Staples
WTVF-NewsChannel 5
Third Place
“COVID-19 Impact: Helping Kids Cope”
WMUR News Staff
WMUR-TV
Broadcast or cable television stations severe weather reporting
First Place
“Severe Weather Triggers Serious Flooding”
WCVB-TV staff
WCVB-TV
Judges’ comments: WCVB tracked fierce storms moving into its coverage area, gave precise coordinates to communities in peril, then delivered a vivid, detailed wrapup of the impact, both flooding and wind damage. High video production values and broad use of helicopter footage elevated this entry, as did strong graphics that showed the regional impact of the storm. Chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard, reporting from the weather studio, delivered calm, non-hysterical narration that bespoke a veteran’s skill.
Second Place
“Tornado Outbreak”
WTAE Staff
WTAE
Third Place
“Monadnock Flooding”
WMUR News Staff
WMUR-TV
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators newscast
First Place
“Sunday Today, Aug 22, 2021”
Staff of Sunday Today
NBC News
Judges’ comments: An uncharacteristically busy news day for a Sunday, all developing at dawn – Tropical Storm Henri moving into the Northeast, floods overnight in Tennessee and the U.S. pullout gathering steam in Afghanistan. All delivered with up-to-the-minute facts, cool and calm anchoring in New York and well-produced video.
Second Place
“The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell: October 13, 2021”
CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell staff
CBS News
Third Place
“World News Tonight with David Muir”
ABC News staff
ABC News
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators coverage of a major news event
First Place
“ABC News: January 6th 2021”
ABC News staff
ABC News
Judges’ comments: George Stephanopoulos – calm, professional, restrained – presided over a rotary of reports about an unprecedented and deadly surprise attack on the U.S. Capitol, presenting events as they broke from a team of ABC correspondents and other key sources.
Good video and still photo presentation elevated the report. Reported accurately, without speculation, good detail. Real news, real coverage.
Second Place
“Deadly December Tornadoes”
Staff of Weekend Today
NBC News
Third Place
“Belarus – Inside a Manufactured Migrant Crisis”
Matthew Chance, Zahra Ullah and Jeffrey Kehl
CNN
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators continuing coverage of a major news event
First Place
“Afghanistan Continuing Coverage”
Richard Engel, On Assignment with Richard Engel Staff, NBC News Staff
NBC News
Judges’ comments: This is a story that examines an angle little-noticed in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan – the deadly peril confronting school children who face potential loss of classes and even their lives under Taliban rule, children who project a dignity rarely seen in coverage of the war-torn country. Richard Engle fights his own battle to reach the site of a bombing at a girl’s school that claimed 20 casualties, facing danger and hostility to tell the story and illuminate. This is not an easy report to watch, but everybody should watch it because it reflects grim reality.
Second Place
“The Fall of Afghanistan”
Clarissa Ward & Crew
CNN
Third Place
“Mission’s End: War and Withdrawal in Afghanistan”
Ayesha Tanzeem, Carla Babb, Kane Farabaugh and Arif Aslan
Voice of America
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators feature, sports or human interest
First Place
“60 Minutes: The Final Act”
Anderson Cooper, Nichole Marks, David M. Levine and Robert Zimet
CBS News
Judges’ comments: A moving piece about Tony Bennett’s battle with Alzheimer’s, showing how even though he struggles with memory loss, orientation, and the tasks of daily life he was able to light up the stage for one last concert — a tour de force in which the notes rang our perfectly and the complex lyrics from the old standards flowed. A day or so later, he couldn’t remember having given the concert. The point of the piece is to show that the music of memory lives within all of us, somewhere, and “60 Minutes” portrays this with perfect pitch.
Second Place
“CBS Sunday Morning: Bullseye”
Lee Cowan, Dustin Stephens and David Bhagat
CBS News
Third Place
“CBS Sunday Morning: Home Free?”
Lee Cowan, Amol Mhatre and Remington Korper
CBS News
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators documentary or series of reports on the same subject
First Place
“ABC News Originals for Hulu – 3212: Unredacted”
ABC News staff
ABC News
Judges’ comments: Deaths of 4 Green Berets in Africa. An in-depth look at a military cover-up of wrongful deaths in combat. Extremely well structured and researched. The families and major players all interviewed in depth. Seamless editing. Mesmerizing. Many creative graphics and informative styles and techniques. This is what the documentary form was created for.
Second Place
“Big House, The Pearl, and the Triumph of Winston-Salem State”
Blake Berson, Samuel Smith and Gideon Brown
CBS Sports
Third Place
“The Queen Carries On: A Gayle King Special”
CBS News and 48 Hours staff
CBS News
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators investigative report
First Place and BEST IN SHOW
“Ethiopia: Exposing All The Hallmarks of a Genocide”
CNN staff
CNN
Judges’ comments: Nima Elbagir, Africa correspondent, shouts down, challenges, cows and generally – through patience occasionally, perseverance more often and mostly through sheer force of personality – drives like a spearhead into the killing fields of Ethiopia, overpowering military and rebel opposition to find the relatives of the murdered and get the first-person eyewitness accounts of the horrors of what is the new genocide in one of the world’s most troubled lands. This is extraordinary journalism by a fearless reporter unmatched by her peers. Remember her name. We look forward to much more in her promising career.
Second Place
“Nightline: Out of Bounds”
ABC News staff
ABC News
Third Place
“Al Jazeera Investigations – The Island of Secrets”
Al Jazeera I Unit
Al Jazeera Media Network
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators news magazine program
First Place
“What Happened to the Perfect Child?”
48 Hours staff
CBS News
Judges’ comments: You don’t see this coming. Reporter Troy Roberts tells viewers this “story stuck with him” and “hit him in his heart.” But it’s viewers’ hearts that’ll be moved by a masterful plot twist. Just when you think you know how the story might end … boom!
Second Place
“The Story of Somebody”
Liz Brown, Allison Orr and Josh Mankiewicz
Dateline NBC
Third Place
“CBS Sunday Morning: Behind the Badge”
Rand Morrison
CBS News
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators business and consumer reporting
First Place
“Collision Division”
Gray Television/InvestigateTV staff
Gray Television/InvestigateTV
Judges’ comments: Crash test dummies are so well-known in American culture that they even do commercials. But who knew they were unisex? Gray Television reporters reveal that the ill-fated stand-ins for motorists are all modeled on the male body. Females in crashes, because of size, weight and skeletal differences, are not represented, with sometimes deadly consequences. This story got immediate results in having the metrics for government crash tests re-examined.
Second Place
“Crypto Nightmare”
Scott Zamost, Eamon Javers and Jennifer Schlesinger
CNBC
Third Place
“Shock To The System”
Joce Sterman, Alex Brauer, Andrea Nejman and Max McClellan
Spotlight on America
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators health/science reporting
First Place
“Are You Dense?”
Joce Sterman, Alex Brauer, Andrea Nejman and Max McClellan
Spotlight on America
Judges’ comments: Careful reporting highlights a problem that many women may not know they confront — the fact that certain breast tissue hides malignancies. An important story that could save lives.
Second Place
“60 Minutes: Geldingadalir”
Bill Whitaker, Heather Abbott, Sean Kelly and LaCrai Mitchell
CBS News
Third Place
“Chamber of HOPE”
Duane Pohlman, Eric Frisbee and Max McClellan
WKRC-TV
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators environmental reporting
First Place
“Exit Honduras”
Laila Al-Arian, Mark Scialla, Monica Villamizar, NeilBrandvold, Warwick Meade and Paulo
Cerrato
Al Jazeera English
Judges’ comments: A heart wrenching story that shows the struggles and plight of climate change refugees from Honduras. Not only does this story shed light on this critical issue, its stellar and compelling production should spark change in asylum laws and change of hearts and minds.. Moreover, the report is truly investigative, as many Hondurans are interviewed including an MS-13 female gang member who shares the chaos that ensued after flooding. Overall, this is a splendid and moving piece by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines.
Second Place
“Climate Crisis: Saving Tomorrow”
ABC News staff
ABC News
Third Place
“CBS Sunday Morning: For the Birds”
Martha Teichner, Mary Lou Teel and David Bhagat
CBS News
Broadcast television networks, cable networks and syndicators pandemic coverage/project
First Place
“CBS Sunday Morning: On Point”
Lee Cowan, Dustin Stephens and Carol A. Ross
CBS News
Judges’ comments: Point Roberts is a thumbnail of land hanging from Canada that nips below the 48th parallel, making it one of the most remote outposts of the United States, one so distant that you need to drive through Canada for 24 miles to reach the rest of the U.S. … In this quirky,
clever but altogether engrossing piece, we learn how the border closure has marooned this tight community not only from its native land but from its close neighbors, and how much each depends on the other. Residents of both sides have a voice in this delightful, unexpected piece – over a low cement barrier that separates the two great nations, and so many close friends.
Second Place
“COVID Relief Fraud”
Kate Rogers, Leslie Picker, Scott Zamost, Jennifer Schlesinger and Ritika Shah
CNBC
Third Place
“COVID: One Year Later”
Alan Golds, Martha Teichner and Ed Givnish
CBS News