APME Ohio Awards 2013

[DirtyHarry 720]

Because I enjoy trolling all you Sinclair haters, I thought I would post this article.

 

Winners announced in 2013 OAPME broadcast contest

Sunday May 18, 2014 3:45 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Radio and television stations in Dover, Toledo, Cleveland and Columbus have been named the best in the state in the annual Ohio Associated Press Media Editors broadcast competition.

WBNS-TV in Columbus and WCPN-FM in Cleveland won first place in General Excellence in the state's largest markets for 2013. Other winners for General Excellence were WTVG in Toledo and WJER-AM, serving the Dover-New Philadelphia area.

Twenty-six broadcasters submitted 324 entries in the contest, which featured news, sports and weather reporting as well as features, documentaries and photography from 2013.

Entries were judged by broadcasters from Michigan Radio, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Radio II; WBBM-AM, Chicago, Radio I; WPBN-TV/WTOM-TV, Traverse City, Michigan, and WTVQ, Lexington, Kentucky, Television II; and KSTP-TV, St. Paul, Minnesota, Television I.

The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,500 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States. Members of AP include 127 broadcast stations in Ohio.

Winners in the 2013 Ohio APME broadcast contest:

TELEVISION I

General Excellence: 1, WBNS-TV, Columbus; 2, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Producer: 1, Aly Boucher, WBNS-TV, Columbus; 2, Jordan Waniewski, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Anchor: 1, Tracy Townsend, WBNS-TV, Columbus; 2, Bob Kendrick, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Feature Reporting: 1, Chris Blake and Kristyn Hartman, WBNS-TV, Columbus, "Side Roads - Sled Hockey"; 2, Mike McCarthy, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus, "Hardware of Hope."

Best Broadcast Writing: 1, Chuck Strickler, WBNS-TV, Columbus; 2, Mike McCarthy, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Photographer: 1, Tony Mirones, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati; 2, Ryan Bradford, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Reporter: 1, Ron Regan, WEWS-TV, Cleveland; 2, Brendan Keefe, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati.

Outstanding Sports Operation: 1, Paul Spohn and Rob Kunz, WBNS-TV, Columbus; 2, Clay Hall and Mike Jones, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus.

Best Use of Photography: 1, Tony Mirones, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, "One Man Band"; 2, Ryan Bradford, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus, "Bring Him Home."

Best Documentary or Series: 1, Ron Regan and Melissa Watson, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, "FBI Probe of Pilot Flying J"; 2, Brooks Jarosz and Ryan Bradford, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus, "Waste Watch."

Extraordinary Coverage of a Scheduled Event: 1, Angela An and Lindsay Weisenauer , WBNS-TV, Columbus, "National Night Out-Whitehall"; 2, Tracy Townsend and Jim Heath, WBNS-TV, Columbus, "Presidential Inauguration."

Best Breaking News Coverage: 1, WBNS-TV, Columbus, "Thorton Shooting"; 2, John Kosich and Tom Livingston, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, "Girls Found Interview."

Best Continuing Coverage: 1, Tom Meyer, WKYC-TV, Cleveland, "Castro Exclusives"; 2, Kevin Roach and Jason Scott, WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, "IRS Scandal."

Best Enterprise Reporting: 1, Brendan Keefe and Jennifer Cobb, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, "Police Guns For Sale on the Street"; 2, Tom Meyer, WKYC-TV, Cleveland, "Bad Medicine."

Best Investigative Reporting: 1, Brendan Keefe and Jennifer Cobb, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, "911 Roulette"; 2, Sarah Buduson and Melissa Watson, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, "Deadbeat Doctors."

Outstanding Weather Operation: 1, Bill Kelly and Mitch Jacob, WSYX/WTTE-TV, Columbus; 2, Chris Bradley and Mike Davis, WBNS-TV, Columbus.

Best Use of Multimedia: 1, WEWS-TV, Cleveland; 2, Don Taylor and Elbert Tucker, WBNS-TV, Columbus.

TELEVISION II

General Excellence: 1, WTVG, Toledo; 2, WHIO-TV, Dayton.

Best Producer: 1, Quincy Wallace, WHIO-TV, Dayton; 2, Joshua Love, WTVG, Toledo, "Remains Found in Search for Toddler."

Best Anchor: 1, James Brown, WHIO-TV, Dayton; 2, Cheryl McHenry, WHIO-TV, Dayton.

Best Feature Reporting: 1, James Brown and Byron Stirsman, WHIO-TV, Dayton, "Making a Difference: CJ Swimmer"; 2, WKBN/WYTV, Youngstown, "Expecting Mother Battling Cancer."

Best Broadcast Writing: 1, Timothy Dale and Michelle Nicks, WFMJ-TV, Youngstown, "Baseball Letters"; 2, Tony Geftos, WTVG, Toledo.

Best Photographer: 1, Todd Gaertner, WTVG, Toledo; 2, Byron Stirsman, WHIO-TV, Dayton.

Best Reporter: 1, Michelle Nicks, WFMJ-TV, Youngstown; 2, Tim Miller, WTOL-TV, Toledo.

Outstanding Sports Operation: 1, WTVG, Toledo; 2, WTOL-TV, Toledo.

Best Use of Photography: 1, Byron Stirsman, WHIO-TV, Dayton; 2, Timothy Dale, WFMJ-TV, Youngstown, "Blind Runner."

Best Documentary or Series: 1, Byron Stirsman and Becky Grimes, WHIO-TV, Dayton, "Miami Valley Murder Mysteries"; 2, James Brown and Cheryl McHenry, WHIO-TV, Dayton, "Prescription for Pain."

Extraordinary Coverage of a Scheduled Event: 1, Christine McKenzie and Kevin Todd, WTVG, Toledo, "Christmas in October"; 2, Sanaa Orra and Todd Gaertner, WTVG, Toledo, "Paralyzed Bride Walks Down Aisle."

Best Breaking News Coverage: 1, Joshua Love, WTVG, Toledo, "Remains Found in Search for Toddler"; 2, Amanda St. Hilaire and Joe Cromer, WTOL-TV, Toledo, "Tornado Outbreak."

Best Continuing Coverage: 1, Lissa Guyton and Todd Gaertner, WTVG, Toledo, "Inside Jeep: The Toledo Tradition"; 2, John Fortney and Todd Baucher, WTAP-TV, Parkersburg, W.Va., "PHS Stadium Field Bleachers."

Best Enterprise Reporting: 1, Jackie Sprague and Josh Ames, WDTN-TV, Dayton, "Arresting the Demand, Not the Supply"; 2, Cheryl McHenry and Byron Stirsman, WHIO-TV, Dayton, "Serial Killer Wants Parole."

Best Investigative Reporting: 1, Dan Martin and TJ Renninger, WKBN/WYTV, Youngstown, "Ohio's Smoking Law Investigation"; 2, Ashley James, WTOL-TV, Toledo, "Sex Offenders."

Outstanding Weather Operation: 1, WTVG, Toledo; 2, WTOL-TV, Toledo.

Best Use of Multimedia: 1, WTVG, Toledo.

 

©2014 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Breaking News 805]

I'm happy for the win for WSYX and I'm a die hard Sinclair hater, but until I see the ratings changes and less of the cookie cutter model. WSYX would flourished under better owners. With Sinclair buying all these stations it just a matter of time until they have to sell some. Even some of their profitable ones too.

[Samantha 2878]

None of Sinclair's other Ohio stations show up in this awards list.

[DirtyHarry 720]

 

None of Sinclair's other Ohio stations show up in this awards list.

 

WSYX also won quite a few awards last year. Just one in 2012

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/about-us/wews-wins-at-the-2013-ohio-associated-press-awards-ceremony

[TennTV1983 758]

 

None of Sinclair's other Ohio stations show up in this awards list.

 

Probably because WSYX/WTTE are run much better than some of the other stations Sinclair owns in that state. Just a theory.

[DirtyHarry 720]

 

Probably because WSYX/WTTE are run much better than some of the other stations Sinclair owns in that state. Just a theory.

 

Well as Breaking News can tell you, Channel 6 has always been the bottom dweller in the ratings except for a certain time in the 1980's when ABC was dominant and they were Number 2. They had so much trouble competing that at one point they went to an (practically) "all chick" news format (I forget if that was under Sinclair or River City). They have been slowly building up from that to where they are respectable.

 

I think this shows you a couple of things:

 

1. Don't judge Sinclair on its product in cities where they only have a Fox/CW/MyTV outlet. Most of those stations don't rake in as much in advertising dollars to justify a full blown news operation.

 

2. I think if you look at some of the other stations in their portfolio, they have quite a few respectable news operations in their mix such as WBFF, KGAN, WICD/WICS, WGME, WLOS, WEAR, KUTV, WKRC, WCHS, KATU, KOMO, etc. But those are all markets where they have a "Big 3" affiliation.

 

KDNL is the obvious mistake here.

 

3. I've said this before - I think this goes to show the benefits to "sidecars". WSYX was always a laggard. With the additional revenue streams from three stations, they have the money to invest in their product and they have done so.

[TennTV1983 758]

I think this shows you a couple of things:

 

1. Don't judge Sinclair on its product in cities where they only have a Fox/CW/MyTV outlet. Most of those stations don't rake in as much in advertising dollars to justify a full blown news operation.

Case in point, Nashville where Sinclair owns the Fox (WZTV) and MNTV (WUXP) affiliates outright, while operating the CW (WNAB) affiliate through an outsourcing agreement. WZTV only airs a morning newscast as well as a 9:00 & 10:00 newscasts on weeknights (no early evening or midday newscasts whatsoever), while WUXP only does brief weather updates on a nightly basis.

 

2. I think if you look at some of the other stations in their portfolio, they have quite a few respectable news operations in their mix such as WBFF, KGAN, WAND, WICD/WICS, WGME, WLOS, WEAR, KUTV, WKRC, WCHS, KATU, KOMO, etc. But those are all markets where they have a "Big 3" affiliation.

 

KDNL is the obvious mistake here.

No disputing that, even when it comes to the legacy Sinclair stations like WBFF and WEAR. Surprisingly, KUTV has become the market leader in the middle of Mormon country, unseating the juggernaut KSL after many years of dominance.

 

As far as the KDNL situation goes, everyone agrees that's the one thing Sinclair wishes they could've done a mulligan on, but when you have to compete against three or four well-established news operations in that same market, especially for an upstart operation, the task of establishing a competitive news-watching audience is that much more daunting.

 

3. I've said this before - I think this goes to show the benefits to "sidecars". WSYX was always a laggard. With the additional revenue streams from three stations, they have the money to invest in their product and they have done so.

It's fine as far as duopolies are concerned, just not when one station group has essentially cornered an entire media market using such sidecars and shared agreements (i.e., Youngstown, OH).