Ch. 10 wins national honors for news excellence

CRANSTON – The news team at NBC 10 WJAR television has won national honors for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism, in the Television: Small Market class, winning the 2008 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.
It is the only local television station to receive this award on a national level.
The Murrow Awards – named for pioneering broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow – honor outstanding achievements in electronic journalism. They have been presented by the Radio and Television News Directors Association each year since 1971.
“We are privileged as a team to receive national recognition from our peers,” said Betty-Jo Cugini, vice president of NBC 10 News. “This prestigious award is a testament to the commitment we have to our viewers to be ‘The Team You Trust’.”
In April, Channel 10 was awarded this year’s New England regional award for overall excellence in its class. (READ MORE) It then contended with the winners from other regions for national honors.
“To earn an Overall Excellence award,” the RTNDA said in a statement, “a station or network must consistently demonstrate depth and scope in its coverage.”
In all, 54 news organizations will receive 77 national Murrow Awards this year. Besides overall excellence, they are given in categories including spot news coverage, continuing coverage and investigative reporting.
The winning entries were selected from among 3,459 submissions by several hundred news organizations.
“We couldn’t be prouder to be honored with the distinguished National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence,” Lisa Churchville, president and general manager of NBC 10, said in a statement late yesterday. “It is a team effort, and we will continue to work hard to be Southeastern New England’s favorite news source.
The winners of the 2008 National Edward R. Murrow Awards will be honored Oct. 13 at the RTNDA’s 2008 Awards Dinner in New York City.
WJAR-TV/DT Channel 10 – an NBC affiliate and the most-watched television station in the Providence-New Bedford market – is a property of Media General Inc. (NYSE: MEG), a Richmond, Va.-based television and newspaper company. For additional information, visit www.mediageneral.com or www.TurnTo10.com.
The Radio and Television News Directors Association is the world’s largest professional organization for electronic journalism, representing local and network news professionals in more than 30 countries. For more information about the RTNDA or its Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in electronic journalism, visit www.rtnda.org.