DETROIT, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) announced Thursday the regional winners of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award. WDIV-Local 4 is the proud recipient of two awards in the highly competitive Region 7.
The station won for its Breaking News coverage of the historic Michigan flooding and in the News Documentary category for Care and Hope: Proud Detroit Exports.
"We are honored to be recognized in these two categories. Localism is the hallmark of our station. Local TV coverage was so important to disseminate safety and recovery information during the devastating flood. Water reached heights of 14 feet on certain roadways forcing some drivers to abandon their cars and our coverage on-air and online was how many people got important safety information," said Marla Drutz, vice-president and general manager.
Care & Hope: Proud Detroit Exports followed a young Kenyan orphan named Enoch as he meets the strangers from Detroit, receives life-saving surgery and bids them a heartwarming goodbye. It provided a glimpse into the challenges and obstacles of trying to provide medical care in extremely impoverished conditions.
"Our own Dr. Frank McGeorge and seasoned executive producer, Ro Coppola, traveled with Detroit doctors to Kenya to shoot this documentary. We believe that if stories matter to Metro Detroiters, they matter to us," said news director, Kim Voet.
"I'm so proud of our news team who work every day to provide valuable and compelling content to the people of our community," said Drutz.
The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name.
About WDIV-Local 4
WDIV-Local 4 is honored to be recognized as Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. Local 4 News is currently the #1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market, and Local 4 News at 11 p.m. is the highest-rated newscast of all NBC affiliates in the top 12 markets nationwide. Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is the leading breaking news and weather website in Michigan.
About Graham Media Group
Graham Media Group (www.GrahamMedia.com), a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), owns five local TV stations—each in a top-50 market and all recognized as news leaders—reaching 6.3% of U.S. television households: KPRC–Houston and WDIV–Detroit (NBC); KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando (CBS); and WJXT–Jacksonville (independent). The stations also broadcast digital channels focused on classic television and operate market-leading websites, mobile sites and mobile apps that deliver breaking news, weather and community news, reaching millions of users across each platform. Graham Media Group owns SocialNewsDesk, a leading provider of social media software solutions used in more than 600 newsrooms worldwide.
SOURCE WDIV-Local 4
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