Six Media General TV Stations Earn 15 Regional Murrow Awards

RICHMOND, Va., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Media General, Inc. (NYSE: MEG), a local broadcast television and digital media company, announced today that six of its television stations have won 15 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for outstanding achievements in electronic journalism. In three of the five multi-state regions in which Media General stations compete, three won the prestigious Overall Excellence award:  WVTM in Birmingham, Ala., WJAR in Providence, R.I., and WSAV in Savannah, Ga. WSAV received the Overall Excellence honor for the fifth time in six years.  Media General stations won multiple awards in all five regions.

"Local news is Media General's franchise. Every day, our news teams make a positive impact on the communities they serve through tenacious reporting and compelling storytelling," said George L. Mahoney, president and chief executive officer. "I am proud to see them recognized for their commitment to outstanding journalism."

"I congratulate our six stations who have been recognized with regional Edward R. Murrow awards for providing excellent local news reporting to our communities," said Donna M. Reed, Media General's vice president-content. "Our news teams' focus on journalistic excellence was showcased in the moving stories they covered so well."

The Radio Television Digital News Association presented the following 2013 Edward R. Murrow regional awards to Media General television stations:

Region 8 (Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia)

Small Market: WJHL, Tri-Cities, TN/VA

• Investigative Reporting: "Bad Bob's Barbeque," which proved that employees of a local restaurant were owed back wages.

Large Market: WNCN, Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

• Newscast: "Poison in the Water in Wake Forest," which exposed contaminated water in a Wake Forest, N.C., community.

Region 9 (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi)

Large Market: WVTM, Birmingham, Ala.

• Overall Excellence
• Breaking News: "Clay Tornados," which covered the aftermath of deadly tornados that ripped through Clay-Chalkville, Ala. 
• Investigative Reporting: "The Acker Report," which investigated why a local teacher was still in the classroom after prior accusations of abuse. 

Region 10 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Small Market: WJAR, Providence, R.I.-New Bedford, MA

• Overall Excellence
• Continuing Coverage: "38 Studios," which broke the story of the financial problems at former Major League pitcher Curt Schilling's video game company, lured to Rhode Island by lawmakers with a $75 million loan guarantee. 
• Investigative Reporting: "School Fire Inspections," which showed that Providence public schools had gone years, sometimes a decade, without proper fire inspections. 

Region 12 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia)

Small Market: WSLS, Roanoke-Lynchburg, Va.

• Newscast: WSLS 10 News at 6 on May 1, 2012.
• Continuing Coverage: "Derecho," which covered a fast-moving line of dangerous thunderstorms racing through the viewing area, causing widespread property damage and power outages.  

Region 13 (Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)

Small Market: WSAV, Savannah, Ga.

• Overall Excellence
• Newscast: News 3 at 6 p.m., which covered a visit by President and Michelle Obama to Fort Stewart.
• Investigative Reporting: "Forced Bundling," which unearthed unethical insurance company practices that tried to force bundling of policies through threats of dropping all coverage.
• News Documentary: "WSAV Celebrates Black History," which included special broadcasts, news stories and a series of live newscasts.
• Use of Sound/Video: "Police Memorial," which featured moving images from the 2012 Police Memorial ceremony in Savannah.

The Murrow Awards, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, reward the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the electronic news profession. Radio, television and online news managers from markets across the country judged the entries from 13 regions across the United States and from international entrants from across the globe. RTNDA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Murrow Awards since 1971. Regional award winners automatically compete for the national Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Links to all the winning reports can be found on the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) website at www.rtnda.org.

About Media General  Media General is a leading provider of news, information and entertainment across 18 network-affiliated broadcast television stations and their associated digital media and mobile platforms. The company's stations serve consumers and advertisers in strong local markets, primarily in the Southeast. Media General's network affiliates include eight NBC stations, eight CBS stations, one ABC station and one CW station. One-third of the company's stations operate in the Top 50 markets in the United States. Media General's stations reach more than one-third of TV households in the Southeast and more than 8 percent of U.S. TV households. Media General entered the television business in 1955 when it launched WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida, as an NBC affiliate. Today, WFLA is the company's largest TV station, operating in the 14th largest DMA in the United States.

Contact Media General Additional information about Media General is available on its web site www.mediageneral.com or by contacting Liz Cleal, Communications Manager, at (804) 887-5049 or lcleal@mediageneral.com.

SOURCE Media General, Inc.