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2019 RTDNAC/AP Award Winners

Winners were announced Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, at the RTDNAC/AP annual luncheon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Click on a tab below to view winners for a specific division.

TV I

AP Awards

Continuing Coverage
– First Place: WSOC – District 9 Investigation – Joe Bruno, Mike Stolp, Corey Gensler, Kim Holt, Melissa Martin
– Second Place: WYFF – WYFF News 4 Investigates: Rape Kits – Matt Moore, Amanda Crawford, Jarrett McDaris, Kevin Moran, Bruce Barkley

Daytime Newscast (North Carolina)
– First Place: WBTV – Hurricane Florence Makes Landfall – John Carter, Christine Sperow, Kristen Miranda, Al Conklin, Molly Kelleher
– Second Place: WSOC – Eyewitness News at 6 a.m.

Daytime Newscast (South Carolina)
– First Place: WHNS – The Morning News: Officer-Involved Shooting at Hospital
– Second Place: WYFF – WYFF News 4 at 4 p.m. – Tiffanie Wise, Jennifer Mihalic, Anna Dobbins, Bruce Barkley, Lee Brown

Evening Newscast (North Carolina)
– First Place: WTVD – Durham Gas Explosion – Nicole Hare-Hill, Steve Daniels, Josh Chapin, Joel Brown, Cory Knapp
– Second Place: WJZY – Terror at UNC-Charlotte – Derek Miloff, Victoria Loveless

Evening Newscast (South Carolina)
– First Place: WLTX – Columbia Deadly Housing Investigation
– Second Place: WIS-TV – WIS News at 6:00: Tragedy at Allen Benedict Court

First Amendment Award
– First Place: WYFF – Chronicle: WYFF News 4 Investigates – Lee Brown, Jennifer Mihalic, John Hendon, Matt Moore
– Second Place: WBTV – Burger King Shooting Body Cam Video – Nick Ochsner, David Hodges, Corey Schmidt, Kim Saxon
– Second Place: WSOC – District 9 Investigation – Joe Bruno, Mike Stolp, Corey Gensler, Kim Holt, Mike Oliveira

Multimedia Package
No winners

Outstanding News Operation (North Carolina)
– First Place: WSOC – Cedric Thomas, Mike Oliveira
– Second Place: WBTV

Outstanding News Operation (South Carolina)
– First Place: WYFF – Bruce Barkley, Lee Brown, Jennifer Mihalic, Anne Newman, Anna Dobbins
– Second Place: WLTX

Podcast
– First Place: WNCN – 32 Degrees – Russ Bowen, Dave Hattman, Carey Gough, Patrick Zarcone
– Second Place: WRAL – 75 Hours – Shelly Leslie, Jay Jennings, Javier Leiva

Public Affairs
– First Place: WSOC – Charlotte’s Hidden Crisis – Kim Holt, Erica Bryant, Scott Wickersham, Pritchard Strong, Cedric Thomas
– Second Place: WRAL – Close Before You Doze

RTDNAC Awards

Best Newscast
– First Place: WIS-TV – WIS News at 6:00 – Hurricane Florence Aftermath
– Second Place: WCNC – WCNC 11 p.m. Newscast (Feb. 19, 2019) – Zach Vavricka, Carleen Bragg, Fred Shropshire, Brad Panovich, Rachel Brown
– Second Place: WYFF – WYFF News 4 at 4 p.m. – Tiffanie Wise, Jennifer Mihalic, Anna Dobbins, Bruce Barkley, Lee Brown

Breaking News
– First Place: WNCN – Raleigh Officer Shot
– Second Place: WSOC – UNC-Charlotte Tragedy

Consumer/Economic
– First Place: WBTV – WBTV Investigates: Falsifying Financials
– Second Place: WSPA – Grievances Over Grief – Diane Lee, Kevin Patton

Education
– First Place: WJZY – Doctored Degrees – Matthew Grant
– Second Place: WBTV – Credit Recovery – Jamie Boll, Jess Dyer, Jordan Sawyers, Dedrick Russell

Entertainment
– First Place: WNCN – Ernie Barnes: “A Black Person Can Be in a Museum!” – Beairshelle Edmé, Dave Hattman, Durrell Johnson, Karl Bethea
– Second Place: WNCN – Shirley Caesar Remembers Aretha Franklin – Zak Dahlheimer, George Umbenhauer

General News
– First Place: WCNC – WCNC Cold Case Carolinas – Michelle Boudin, Ken Shermer
– Second Place: WNCN – Stay UMBL: Local Drivers on Alert – Susanna Black, Michael Winn

General News by Multimedia Journalist
– First Place: WBTV – South Carolina Sex Offender Law – Kristi O’Connor
– Second Place: WJZY – Teen Arrested for Legal CBD

Hard News Feature
– First Place: WLOS – Underneath Asheville – John Le, Matthew Yates
– Second Place: WLOS – A Fitting Tribute – Frank Kracher, Matthew Yates

Health-Medicine
– First Place: WBTV – St. Jude Patient Anna
– Second Place: Spectrum News North Carolina – Rhonda’s Fight – Tara Herrschaft, John Stampf

Investigative
– First Place: WLTX – Columbia Deadly Housing Investigation
– Second Place: WGHP – FOX8 on Your Side: School Water Testing – Melissa Painter, Chris Weaver

Light Feature
– First Place: WSPA – Quilts of Valor – Gordon Dill, Doug Uhrich
– Second Place: WCNC – Daughter in Hospice (May 10, 2019) – Michelle Boudin, Ken Shermer

News Special
– First Place: WSOC – Charlotte’s Hidden Crisis – Kim Holt, Pritchard Strong, Erica Bryant, Scott Wickersham, Cedric Thomas
– Second Place: WCNC – Hurricane Special (June 2019)

News Website
– First Place: WRAL – WRAL.com
– Second Place: WSOC – wsoctv.com

Original Web Reporting
– First Place: WRAL – Sex Assault Survivor Sees Solutions in Student-Athletes – Lauren Brownlow
– Second Place: WTVD – Saving St. Agnes Hospital – Cameron Kirk Clinard, Jim DeLuca

Photography
– First Place: WSPA – Changing with the Tide – Ryan Goodman
– First Place: WYFF – Clemson’s Other Team – Chip Baysden
– Second Place: WLTX – Taking Care of Granddad – Anne McQuary

Political
– First Place: WSOC – District 9 Investigation – Joe Bruno, Mike Stolp, Allison Latos, Corey Gensler, Melissa Martin
– Second Place: WBTV – WBTV Investigates: 9th District Scandal – Nick Ochsner, David Hodges, Corey Schmidt

Series
– First Place: WGHP-TV – Caitlin Can’t Remember – Bob Buckley, Chris Weaver
– Second Place: WGHP-TV – What Happened to Baby Doe? – Natalie Wilson, Matt Jensen, Vinnie Boccanfuso, Derek Stetzler

Special Report
– First Place: WRAL – Hurricane Florence Recovery
– First Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte – Carolina Impact: Generation Under Fire – Amy Burkett, Suzette Rhee, Jeff Sonier, Doug Stacker, Tyler Glenn
– Second Place: WSOC – District 9 Investigation – Joe Bruno, Mike Stolp, Melissa Martin, Allison Latos, Corey Gensler

Sports Reporting
– First Place: WTVI PBS Charlotte – Black Baseball League – Doug Stacker, Jason Terzis
– Second Place: WLOS – Wear ‘Em to the Flip – Stephanie Santostasi, Matthew Yates

Sports Special
– First Place: WLOS – WNC High School Football Kickoff – Stan Pamfillis, Chris Womack, Matt Marshall, Matthew Yates, Josh Luckadoo
– Second Place: WIS-TV – Chasing a Championship – Rick Henry, Joe Gorchow, Russ Congdon, Will Batchelor, Kellie DiVeglia

Use of Social Media
– First Place: WXII
– Second Place: WNCN – Hurricane Florence – Felicia Bolton, Colleen Quigley, Amy Cutler, Jeff Reeves, CBS 17 Storm Team

Use of Technology
– First Place: WGHP – From the Mountains to the Sea – Chad Tucker, David Weatherly

Past Winners