Orlando TV, radio stations win broadcast journalism awards – Orlando Sentinel

The Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists has announced its 2021 award winners. Each year the organization — formerly known as the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters — honors professional and collegiate broadcast journalists across the Sunshine State.

For the 2021 competition, more than 40 radio and television stations submitted more than 550 entries featuring content produced in 2020, according to floridanewsawards.org.

In Orlando, several TV and radio stations won awards in the Television I Large Market and Radio Statewide categories. The Central Florida winners are as follows.

• Legacy Award — WKMG-Channel 6′s Tee Taylor
• Overall Station of the Year — WKMG-Channel 6
• Community Service Station of the Year — WESH-Channel 2 for Project Community & Share Your Christmas (Marcie Golgoski, Jacob Wiklund and the WESH 2 News team)
• Best Television Morning Newscast — Spectrum News 13 for “Tornado Touchdown”
• Best Television Evening Newscast — WKMG-Channel 6 for “Returns to Space” (Thomas Mates, Joseph Grenon and Jason Olson)
• Digital Programming — WFTV-Channel 9 for “Introducing the Ocoee Massacre” (Vanessa Echols and Tristan Peterson)
• Continuing Coverage — Spectrum News 13 for “Filing Failures: Florida’s Unemployment Troubles” (Greg Angel and Eugene Buenaventura)
• Team Coverage: WKMG-Channel 6 for “Return to Space”
• Environmental Reporting | Series — Spectrum News 13 for “Watchdog: Rising Waters” (Asher Wildman, Ruben Almeida and Arnie Girard)
• General Assignment | Long — Spectrum News 13 for “Flight of the Pandemic” (Greg Angel and Eugene Buenaventura)
• Consumer, Financial, Economic Reporting — Spectrum News 13 for “Filing Failures: Florida’s Unemployment Fights” (Greg Angel and Eugene Buenaventura)
• Series / Franchise | Light — Spectrum News 13 for “Street Level Orlando”
• Series / Franchise | Hard — Spectrum News 13 for “Watchdog: Cold Case” (Curtis McCloud and Eugene Buenaventura)
• Education Reporting | Single — Spectrum News 13 for “UCF: University Cyberforce” (Cheryn Stone and Michael Wash Jr.)
• Feature Reporting | Hard — WKMG-Channel 6 for “Fighting Crime with Drones” (Mike Holfeld and Robert Breuer)
• Feature Reporting | Light — Spectrum News 13 for “Street Level: U.S. 27″
• Feature Reporting | Cultural & Historical — WKMG-Channel 6 for “Real Talk”
• Weather Reporting | Single — Spectrum News 13 for “Tracking a Tornado” (David Hechard and Bryan Karrick)
• Traffic / Transporting Reporting — WKMG-Channel 6 for “Boomtown: Woman on Bus” (Nadeen Yanes and Jeff Segers)
• Public Affairs / TV Magazine — WESH-Channel 2 for “WESH 2 Chronicle: Wasted – How Your Recycling Gets Trashed”
• Online / Web / Digital — WKMG-Channel 6/clickorlando.com
• Use of Technology — WKMG-Channel 6 for Virtual Space Experience and News 360
• Investigative Reporting | Single — Spectrum News 13 for “Medical Mistreatment” (Stephanie Coueignoux and Eugene Buenaventura)
• Health Reporting | Single — Spectrum News 13 for “Preaching the Vaccine” (Curtis McCloud and Ruben Almeida)
• Health Reporting | Series — WKMG-Channel 6 for “Contact Tracing Investigation” (Louis Bolden and Corie Murray)
• Political, Government, Election Reporting | Single — Spectrum News 13 for “Guardian in Disguise” (Greg Angel and Mike Wash)
• Political, Government, Election Reporting | Series — Spectrum News 13 for “Decision 2020: I4 Tour” (Greg Angel, Eugene Buenaventura, Michael Wash Jr. and Ben Boocker)
• Political, Government, Election Reporting | Station — Spectrum News 13 for “Decision 2020″
• Individual Achievement: Writing — Spectrum News 13′s Julie Gargotta for “Listen, Read, Write, Repeat”
• Individual Achievement: Editor — Spectrum News 13′s Eugene Buenaventura for “Let’s Talk About Effects, Baby”
• Individual Achievement: Photojournalist — Spectrum News 13′s Eugene Buenaventura for “Sugar. Spice. Wide. Medium. Tights”
• Individual Achievement: Multi-Media Journalist — Spectrum News 13′s Rachael Krause
• Individual Achievement: Weathercaster — Spectrum News 13′s Bryan Karrick

• Digital Programming — WMFE-90.7 FM for “Drained: A Podcast About the Massive Plan to Save the Everglades” (Amy Green, Trevor Aaronson and Ryan Ellison)
• Public Affairs — WMFE-90.7 FM for “Return to Flight” (Brendan Byrne, Matthew Peddie and Ryan Ellison)
• Health Reporting | Series — WMFE-90.7 FM for “Convalescent Plasma” (Abe Aboraya)
• Political, Government, Election Reporting | Series — WDBO-107.3 FM for special 2020 election coverage (Tony Marino)
• Individual Achievement: Reporting — WDBO-107.3 FM’s Katrina Scales
• Individual Achievement: Anchor — WDBO-107.3 FM’s Kevin Rafuse

To see the full list of winners, go to floridanewsawards.org/2020-professional-contest-winners.

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