Gray Television Honored with Eight National Edward R. Murrow Awards
Wednesday, August 18th, 2021
Gray Television, Inc. (“Gray”) (NYSE: GTN) announced today that the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has selected five of its television stations for eight National Edward R. Murrow awards.
In the large market category, WVUE (FOX) in New Orleans, Louisiana, won a National Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting for its series of stories called “Inspecting the Inspectors” in which they uncovered failures with certifications and inspections of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans that collapsed while under construction.
In the small market category, WRDW-TV (CBS) in Augusta, Georgia, received two National Murrow Awards. RTDNA recognized the station for its Investigative reports uncovering a severe shortage of EMTs and paramedics that, long before the pandemic, led to EMS stations shutting down, delays in emergency response, and deadly mistakes by dispatchers. The station’s initial investigation ignited follow-up reports earning WRDW-TV a second National Murrow Award for its Continuing Coverageof the crisis.
WVLT (CBS) in Knoxville, Tennessee, also won two National Murrow Awards, one in the Feature Reporting category and one in the Sports Reporting category, for its piece entitled “Always Get Back in the Saddle.” The story features the perseverance of a triple amputee and her journey to again do what she loves most. It is a powerful piece on resilience and finding purpose after surviving a rare disease.
Hawaii News Now (NBC and CBS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, earned a National Murrow Award for Excellence in Sound and a second for Excellence in Video for its piece entitled “Honolulu EMS.” In this piece the station equipped an ambulance with 4 Go Pros for a “ride-a-long” with paramedics fighting COVID-19 on the frontlines during the height of the pandemic.
Finally, WDBJ (CBS) in Roanoke, Virginia, was awarded a National Murrow award for its Podcastentitled “Hometown Stories Episode 4: Great American Outdoors Act.” This report explored how a new historic law finally provided aid and proper care of national parks.