WXYZ-TV Wins Big in Michigan Associated Press Awards Contest

SOUTHFIELD Mich., March 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- WXYZ won eight first place awards in the 2011 AP Broadcasters Association awards, more than any other station in the Detroit market.  Included in the first place awards were the prestigious general excellence award and the highly coveted best newscast award. 

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"WXYZ is proud to receive these awards for journalistic excellence in news coverage," said WXYZ Vice-President and General Manager Ed Fernandez.  "This is a great honor for all those who work hard every day to take action for our viewers.  It's very rewarding to be recognized for these efforts."

The 7 Action News Investigators won in the categories of hard news, continuing coverage, news documentary, and enterprise/investigative reporting, for their on-going reporting of corruption and scandal in local government.  Detroit 2020, WXYZ's decade-long, multi-platform, community outreach initiative was also a winner in the best feature story category, and reporter Bill Spencer took top honors in individual reporting.

WXYZ also earned two honorable mentions in the photojournalism and website categories.

WXYZ won first place awards in the following areas:
General Excellence:  WXYZ-TV
Best Newscast:  WXYZ, 7 Action News, Jennifer Herman
Best Hard News:  WXYZ Detroit, "Mothers Day Murder," Scott Lewis, Randy Lundquist and Sarah Morgan
Best Continuing Coverage: WXYZ, "Wayne County Severance Scandal," Heather Catallo, Ross Jones and Randy Lundquist
Best News Documentary:  WXYZ, "Wayne County Confidential," Tim Kochenderfer, Heather Catallo, and Ross Jones
Best Individual Reporting:  WXYZ, Bill Spencer
Best Feature Story:  WXYZ, "Detroit 2020 Bus Tour," Donella Crawford, John Ciolino, Glenn Bar
Best Enterprise/Investigative Reporting:  WXYZ, "Wayne County: Government Run Amok," Heather Catallo, Randy Lundquist and Ross Jones

WXYZ won honorable mentions in the following areas:
Best Individual Photojournalism:  WXYZ, John Ciolino
Best Website:  WXYZ, www.wxyz.com

The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse, 133-year-old media enterprise with interests in television stations, newspapers and local news and information Web sites. The company's portfolio of locally focused media properties includes: 19 TV stations (10 ABC affiliates, three NBC affiliates, five Azteca America affiliates and one independent); daily and community newspapers in 13 markets, and the Washington, D.C.-based Scripps Media Center, home of the Scripps Howard News Service. For a full listing of Scripps media companies and their associated Web sites, visit http://www.Scripps.com/.

SOURCE WXYZ-TV