News Releases

RTDNA Celebrates Journalism Excellence, Embraces New Era in Association’s History

CONTACT:  Stacey Staniak, staceys@rtdna.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 13, 2009

RTNDA Celebrates Journalism Excellence, Embraces New Era in Association’s History

NEW YORK — RTDNA celebrated the best in radio, television and online journalism as it presented Edward R. Murrow Awards to 51 news organizations at a black tie dinner in New York Monday night. The event also marked the debut of the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Stacey Woelfel, news director at KOMU-TV in Columbia, MO, and chairman of the association announced the name change in remarks at the start of the ceremony.

"As I stand before you as the first chairman of RTDNA, there’s a lot to be excited about," he said.  "As we embrace our digital future and navigate this uncharted course together, you can be sure that RTDNA will still do what it does best—protect journalists and allow them to provide unencumbered coverage, offer training in the best practices for all electronic and digital journalists, and—the reason we’re all here tonight—recognize excellence within the field of journalism."

RTDNA honored coverage of the war and its impact on home and family, including an award for Continuing Coverage to NBC Nightly News, accepted by chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel. In his remarks, Engel said his team followed one platoon on the front lines in Afghanistan. He said the soldiers came back very different people or not at all. The impact of the war was the subject of several Murrow winning stories. Charlie Kaye dedicated the CBS Radio News award for Overall Excellence to Cami McCormick who was injured covering news in Afghanistan.

Nick News won the network television News Documentary award – the first for Nickelodeon – for a show about what happens when a parent leaves home to serve in the armed forces. Linda Ellerbee, the executive producer for Nick News excitedly took the stage when accepting the award and joked in her speech that she could finally embrace news directors after being critical of them for so long.

NBC News won the Overall Excellence award for network television. Other Overall Excellence awards went to KIRO-TV, Seattle (large-market television); KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA (small-market television); CBS News Radio (network radio); WTOP-FM, Washington, (large-market radio); and WJBC-AM, Bloomington, IL (small-market radio).

In accepting the network’s overall excellence award, NBC News President Steve Capus said, "I believe we are seeing today some of the finest work in the honorable field of broadcast journalism that has ever been produced."  For Capus' full remarks, click here.

Four news organizations received RTNDA/UNITY Awards for their commitment to achieve diversity in the newsroom through developing news content that reflects the changing face of America. Those stations include Wisconsin Public Radio (large-market radio); NPR (network/syndication/program service radio); MSNBC (network/syndication/program service television) and KMOV-TV (large-market television).

RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the electronic news profession.

RTDNA honors outstanding achievements in the coverage of diversity with the RTDNA/UNITY Award. The award is part of the covenant the association has adopted with UNITY: Journalists of Color, to achieve diversity in the newsroom through developing news content and editorial staffs that reflect the changing face of communities.

RTDNA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTDNA represents local and network news professionals in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries.