2021 Golden Press Card: Television

Here are the winners in the Television categories. The entries were judged by the Greater Cincinnati SPJ Professional Chapter.

BEST ANCHOR (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Casey Wheeless Anchor
Entry Credit: Casey Wheeless
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Conversational and personable on air whether in studio or in the field. I enjoyed watching you!

Second Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Harry Sullivan Anchor
Entry Credit: Harry Sullivan
Links: See entry

BEST NEWSCAST (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Cocke County Flooding
Entry Credit: WVLT Staff
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Strong use of the meteorologists in the field and strong use of drone live pictures.

DEADLINE/BREAKING NEWS REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Cocke County Flooding
Entry Credit: WVLT Staff
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Really strong use of drone live – and of your meteorologists in the field.

DOCUMENTARY/PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: The Body Farm
Entry Credit: Leslie Ackerson, John North
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Amazing and surprising story incredibly well told. Very thorough and sensitively produced.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WJHL
Entry Title: Honoring Black History
Entry Credit: Abigail Wolfenberger, Chris Greer
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Very impressive work here. Obvious effort and passion for the project. Interesting story told well through the eyes of those who lived it.

FEATURE REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: You’re Not Alone
Entry Credit: Casey Wheeless, Pat Middendorf
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Very touching story. Well-shot. Well produced. Any viewer can relate to this family’s desire to adopt and change lives. Deserves first place for sure.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Appalachian Unsolved: The mass murderer’s daughter
Entry Credit: John North, Shannon Smith
Links: See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Amazing journey to find our your father is a murderer. Nicely done with terrific interviews with the daughter and the woman she reached out to to solve the mystery.

GENERAL REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: I-40 Shootout: The fugitive, the case and 12 seconds of gunfire that changed everything
Entry Credit: John North, John Becker, Cole Sullivan
Links: See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Incredible video, powerful interviews. Really compelling reporting and storytelling.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Surviving a Quadruple Murder
Entry Credit: Elizabeth Kuebel
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: A sensitive get told with compassion.

PANDEMIC REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Long COVID Survivor Battles Obstacles
Entry Credit: Don Dare, Brian Engelstad, David Wignall
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: This is a prime example of what television news can do through personalization. The station’s decision to follow this woman’s journey after COVID-19 reveals the intense and scary health effects and how she was left alone to pay astronomical medical bills. While context would have been helpful, the decision to focus on her journey served both an educational purpose, as well as a very real example of the power of dedicated journalism. The reporter’s dogged pursuit of this case certainly played a role in the decision to finally pay her bills.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Mom Quits Job to Homeschool Kids
Entry Credit: Ashley Bohle
Links: See entry

SERIES/PACKAGE/PROJECT WRITING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Disabled Grandmother Face Eviction
Entry Credit: Don Dare, David Wignall
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: This is what great television reporters do best: Tell the story in a clear, meaningful and human-centered way and follow-up to show people that it matters.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Mornings On The Move
Entry Credit: Casey Wheeless, Harry Sullivan
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: This is just plain FUN! EXCELLENT personality-driven franchise with two very engaging personalities. Thanks for letting me/us go on the ride!

SPORTS REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Road to rookie season: Tee Higgins’ football career comes full circle
Entry Credit: Kellyanne Stitts
Links: youtube.com/watch?v=oUW8X1pZBVY
Judge Comments: Well done. Very thorough. Good work tracing the high school to college to pro pipeline. Nice tie to Hot Wheel cars. Good comments from Higgins, his mom and the Bengals Coach Zac Taylor.