WTOP, WBAL Earns Murrow Awards
• Hubbard Radio’s mighty WTOP/Washington was honored with six Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards on Tuesday, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). The Edward R. Murrow Awards annually recognize outstanding achievements in electronic journalism on the regional and national level.
The WTOP news team was recognized in the “Overall Excellence” category for the ninth time in the past 11 years for its coverage of the D.C. region on WTOP and WTOP.com. WTOP also received recognition in the “Best Newscast” category for coverage of the July 2019 severe floods in the DC region.
Individual accolades were also received by the following WTOP reporters: 1) Feature Report: Mike Murillo, “Answering the Call” — a touching piece on organ donation between two police officers; 2) Hard News Report: Megan Cloherty & Dave Dildine, “Rock Creek Rescue” — the amazing story of Dildine saving someone’s life during a 2019 snow storm; 3) Podcast: Megan Cloherty & Jack Moore, “22 Hours: An American Nightmare” — the full story behind the D.C. mansion murders; 4) Excellence in Social Media: Tiffany Arnold and WTOP Staff.
“Our mission is to deliver the top news of the day and tell stories about the world around us in a way that resonates with our audience,” said Julia Ziegler, WTOP’s Director of News and Programming. “It’s humbling when that work is recognized by our peers.” WTOP now advances to the national round of the competition where it will compete against regional winners from across the country. So far in 2020 alone, WTOP has won 17 major journalism awards from multiple organizations.
• And in nearby Baltimore, Hearst Radio’s WBAL (NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5) also earned recognition from the RTDNA, taking home a pair of Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.
WBAL was honored in the category of “Breaking News” coverage for its work following the raid on the home of former Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh in April 2019 — it’s the station’s second consecutive Regional Murrow Award in this category. WBAL was also recognized in the category of “Excellence in Writing” for Josh Spiegel‘s commentary features. Spiegel is also the co-host and news anchor for the Justin, Scott & Spiegel morning show across the hall on WIYY (98 Rock). This marks the fourth time Spiegel’s commentaries have been recognized in this category. Both entries are now eligible for consideration for National Murrow Awards. The winners will be announced in June.
“WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5’s long standing commitment to news is approaching 95 years and we continue to take great pride in our news organizations’ stellar work,” said Cary Pahigian, President/GM of WBAL and WIYY. “WBAL Radio’s 24/7 coverage is supported by a talented and brilliant team of journalists.”
