2025 Golden Press Card: Television - East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists

Here are the 2025 Golden Press Card winners in the Television category. The entries were judged by the San Diego SPJ Pro Chapter.

CONTINUING COVERAGE (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Edward Kelley, Jan. 6 defendant
Entry Credit: Brittany Bailey, John North, Tim Dale
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Great jail interviews! Accompanying file video and use of graphics were helpful and edited very well. Overall, a fascinating series to watch.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WJHL
Entry Title: The Trial of Megan Boswell
Entry Credit: Anslee Daniel, Jeff Keeling, Murry Lee, WJHL News Team
Links: See entry

BEST DIGITAL CONTENT (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey’s Best Digital Content
Entry Credit: Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Great digital-only extras – info-charts, uploaded letters, etc. It made the digital content stand out from the broadcast work. Nicely done!

Second Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Where Are They Now?
Entry Credit: Matt Hollingsworth
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry

SERIES/PACKAGE/PROJECT WRITING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Unsolved
Entry Credit: Ryan Renfro, Kristen Quon
Links: See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Beautifully shot and produced. Network-level quality. Great job!

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Good News
Entry Credit: Andrew McClung
Links: See entry

BEST PODCAST (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Ask Isaacs
Entry Credit: Lori Tucker, Hope McAlee
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry

Category Comments: Fantastic camera presence. Anchors do an excellent job catching listeners who may be new to a topic up before diving into the nitty-gritty that a podcast listener may be looking for. I think these journalists do a phenomenal job adapting to the medium they’re using and love the personalization while maintaining professional on-camera presence.

SPORTS BEAT REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Motorsports
Entry Credit: Heather Williams
Links: See entry

Category Comments: Representing folks who know very little about motorsports, I enjoyed learning more about the competitors and sport through the reporter’s videos. The reporter does a fantastic job of creating an entry point for viewers to learn about the drivers, connection to community and the sport. In particular, I was impressed by the story about how a retired NASCAR competitor and other drivers helped the community in the aftermath of Helene. It was a fantastic example of combining a breaking news/wide impact issue, human interest, sports and community impact.

PHOTOJOURNALISM – BEST NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Santa Train
Entry Credit: Jason Hutchinson
Links: See entry

Category Comments: A vivid view of a dynamic event.

LOCAL IMPACT OF FEDERAL CHANGES (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Walking Tom’ continues to delight Great Smoky Mountains visitors thanks to coalition keeping park open
Entry Credit: Sarah Oppmann
Links: See entry, See entry

Category Comments: The first place story has a compelling character who gives viewers an entry point into the ramifications of the federal funding cuts. The story demonstrates the importance of maintaining public access to natural spaces and grassroot efforts that can are rising to the current challenges.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: East TN Model Train Company Fears Industry Shutdown Amid Tariff War
Entry Credit: Ella Wales
Links: See entry

SPORTS REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Edwin Spillman, from Nashville, Tennessee
Entry Credit: Brittany Tarwater
Links: See entry

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Noah’s Comeback
Entry Credit: Andrew McClung
Links: See entry

BEST NEWSCAST (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Hurricane Helene: One Year Later
Entry Credit: Naomi Hillmer, Bo Williams, Lori Tucker, Emily Makapagal, Connor Hester, Matt Condon, Ken Weathers
Links: See entry

Second Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Vitello Leaves the Vols
Entry Credit: WVLT News
Links: See entry

DOCUMENTARY/PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: Land Grant Films
Entry Title: The Tennessee Circle Drill
Entry Credit: Seth Reynolds
Links: See entry

Second Place
Contestant Name: Land Grant Films
Entry Title: Hunter
Entry Credit: Jack Hanning
Links: See entry

FEATURE REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: The Dancing SRO
Entry Credit: Sarah Oppmann
Links: See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: Great video. Extremely relatable main subject, along with fantastic soundbites makes this one a winner.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WVLT
Entry Title: Edwin Spillman, from Nashville, Tennessee
Entry Credit: Brittany Tarwater
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Compelling storytelling and beautiful subject.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Johnson City’s $28M settlement with Sean Williams victims
Entry Credit: Caleb Perhne
Links: See entry

Category Comments: This reporter exemplified the doggedness needed to take on government officials when they are dodging interview requests. The reporter asked questions that got to the heart of the community’s concerns and kept them in the loop when the government leaders did not.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Leadership Under Scrutiny
Entry Credit: Brittany Bailey, John North, Tim Dale
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry

GENERAL REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Veteran seeks to restart his life after shooting charges dropped in I-75 road rage incident
Entry Credit: John North, Shea Smith
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: This entry demonstrates the reporter’s understanding of this years long case. The reporter crafted a thorough retelling of the incident and incorporated expert voices.

Category Comments: This entry demonstrates the reporter’s understanding of the years long case. The reporter crafted a thorough retelling of the incident and incorporated expert voices.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: The Warmth of Webb
Entry Credit: Andrew McClung
Links: See entry

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: The Last 12 Hours of Lester Isbill
Entry Credit: John North, Shea Smith
Links: See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: This reporter showed expert use of public records, in-depth reporting and source building. The story is heart-breaking and demonstrates the importance of this continued, persistent reporting.

Category Comments: This reporter showed expert use of public records, in-depth reporting and source building. The story is heartbreaking and demonstrates the importance of this continued, persistent reporting. It’s a strong piece of investigative accountability reporting.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Well-traveled cops and the liabilities they pose
Entry Credit: John North, Robin Wilhoit
Links: See entry

ARTS & CULTURE REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Dirty Guv’nahs reflect on 20 years together
Entry Credit: Brittany Bailey, David Raborn
Links: See entry, See entry
Judge Comments: I appreciated how the reporter weaved in archival footage and connected the band’s history from past to present. It showed the reporter did the work to get to know the band mates and continue coverage over time.

Category Comments: I appreciated how the reporter weaved in archival footage and connected the band’s history from past to present. It showed the reporter did the work to get to know the band mates and continue coverage over time.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Hispanic Heritage Month
Entry Credit: Yannia Nordello, Troy Prater
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: I appreciated how the reporter shared her own connections to the food. She incorporated fantastic video clips of the food and cooking.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: On board the first Washington, D.C. flight from the Tri-Cities
Entry Credit: Caleb Perhne
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: I thought the framing of this story was clever – having the reporter fly the new route. I enjoyed the sig out -From 35,000 feet… This reporting gave viewers all they needed to know about the new plane, route and travel details.

Category Comments: I thought the framing of this story was clever – having the reporter fly the new route. I enjoyed the sig out -From 35,000 feet… This reporting gave viewers all they needed to know about the new plane, route and travel details.

HURRICANE HELENE ONE YEAR LATER (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WJHL
Entry Title: News Channel 11- Hurricane Helene 1 Year Later
Entry Credit: Chris Greer, News Channel 11 News Team
Links: See entry

Category Comments: This was a very tough category to judge. Lots of amazing television coverage of the one-year anniversary. WJHL stood out because its entries were at once comprehensive and creative. WCYB’s entry was not comprehensive as many others but stood out for its excellence in storytelling.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Helene One Year Later: Unicoi County Hospital
Entry Credit: Caleb Perhne, Ryan Renfro
Links: See entry

DEADLINE/BREAKING NEWS REPORTING (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WATE
Entry Title: Monroe County Wildfires
Entry Credit: Connor Hester, Emily Makapagal, Don Hudson, Dominic Webster
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Great coverage and strong work!

Second Place
Contestant Name: WCYB
Entry Title: Megan Boswell found guilty on all 19 charges
Entry Credit: Kailee Harris, Thomas Moore
Links: See entry

BEST ANCHOR (Television)

First Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Katie Inman – The Out & About Anchor
Entry Credit: Katie Inman
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: Lots of versatility and enthusiasm! Strong work.

Second Place
Contestant Name: WBIR
Entry Title: Journalist Brittany Bailey
Entry Credit: Brittany Bailey
Links: See entry
Judge Comments: A VERY close second. She’s clearly an established and confident anchor. Wonderful work.