PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The WJHG staff took home top honors from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. The team was honored with 21 awards at a ceremony in Orlando on Saturday.
The honors include 15 first place awards, 5 finalist awards and the prestigious President’s award presented to News Director Donna Bell.
The FABJ awards honor excellence in broadcast journalism across the Sunshine State. WJHG competed with other stations in similar sized markets.
A complete list of the honors can be found below.
Winners:
PRESIDENT’S AWARD: News Director Donna Bell
WEATHERCASTER: Chief Meteorologist Ryan Michaels
WEBSITE/DIGITAL: WJHG.com and Digital Platforms, WJHG News Team, Alexis Lewis and Mia Hernandez
NEWS ANCHORS: Donna Bell and Jessica Foster
REPORTER: Isabella Benjumea
PODCAST|SERIES: Chapter Chat, Jessica Foster and Jay Granberg
DIGITAL BASED REPORTING: Gulf World: Beneath the Surface, Isabella Benjumea and WJHG News Team
SPECIALS|HARD FEATURE: Breast Cancer Awareness Special, Donna Bell, Jessica Foster and WJHG News Team
GENERAL ASSIGNMENT: Breast Cancer Tattoos, Leticia Vaselli
NATURAL STORYTELLING/“NAT PKG”: Singing Weatherman, Emmaleigh Clegg and Emmett Rice
WEATHER REPORTING|SINGLE: Holmes County Tornado, Austin Maida
WEATHER REPORTING|SERIES: Mexico Beach Tornado, WJHG News Team
TRANSPORTATION REPORTING: Small Business Shutdown by Highway Expansion, Isabella Benjumea and J.T. Lynch
FEATURE|CULTURAL/HISTORICAL: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage, Isabella Benjumea and Leticia Vaselli
SERIES/FRANCHISE REPORTING|LIGHT: 850 Good News, Emmeline Ivy
SERIES/FRANCHISE REPORTING|HARD: Flesh Eating Bacteria Survivors Speak, Isabella Benjumea
Finalists:
BREAKING NEWS|STATION: FSU Active Shooter, WJHG News Team
TEAM COVERAGE: Historic Snow in the Sunshine State, WJHG News Team
FEATURE|HARD NEWS: Waiting for Justice, J.T. Lynch
CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING|SINGLE: Oyster Season Comeback, Isabella Benjumea
CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING|SERIES: No Warning Signs in Dangerous Waters, Isabella Benjumea
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