The Radio Television Digital News Association has named WFAE the winner of four regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for 2014.
WFAE ranked first among large market stations for reporting in the categories of Hard News, Continuing Coverage, News Series and Newscast.
Ben Bradford’s story on Moral Monday protests in Raleigh won the Hard News honor.
“We were tired of depending on wire reports out of Raleigh as the Moral Monday protests grew over the summer. We needed to have our own presence on this story,” said WFAE news director Greg Collard. “Ben jumped at the opportunity and produced a fantastic piece. It brought you to the 1,200-person rally, and showed the orchestration that took place between protesters and police during months of demonstrations.”
You can listen to that story here.
WFAE’s coverage of the battle for control of Charlotte’s airport won for Continuing Coverage. WFAE filed 50 stories on the controversy. These stories included breaking news “spots” and in-depth stories such as an investigative piece that informed listeners how the conflict started.
Julie Rose’s 3-part series about North Carolina’s film industry tax incentives, “Paying For Film,” earned best News Series honors. Here are links to each story in that series:
Part 1: What We're Getting Part 2: What We're Spending Part 3: How NC Compares To Other States
WFAE Morning Edition host Kevin Kniestedt anchored the award-winning newscast. It also featured contributions from Michael Tomsic, Tasnim Shamma and Ben Bradford.
WFAE competes in a region that’s comprised of stations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. The regional winners will now be considered for national Murrow awards.
