Newspro: The Awards Season

The Awards Season
Calls are starting to go out for entries for the most coveted awards in the news business—the RTNDA’s Murrows, the George Foster Peabodys, the Society of Professional Journalists Awards, the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ honors, Emmys of all stripes... On Page 15 and On Page 19

• Commitment a Key to Success
  Each year when the awards are handed out, some of the same names pop up on the lists and some of the same journalists, news directors and general managers head to the stage to accept the honors. Among the regulars are a number of stations owned by Belo Corp. and Hearst-Argyle, along with two Indianapolis stations—WTHR-TV, owned by Dispatch, and WISH-TV, a LIN TV station—and Seattle’s KOMO-TV, owned by Fisher Communications... On Page 16 and On Page 17
• WTHR-TV Going Back for More
  The trophy cases are bulging at the news department of NBC affiliate WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, the result not only of the station’s quality of work but of the effort that news executives put into entering awards competitions... On Page 18 and On Page 25
• Web Becoming Bigger Factor
  And the Emmy Award goes to … Minyanville.com. The profile of the little-known financial infotainment Web site was instantly elevated when staffers picked up their golden trophy at the recent Business and Financial Emmy Awards in New York, in the category of New Approaches to Business and Financial Reporting... On Page 20
• Video Gives Print Media New Game
  Talk about respect. That’s what the Detroit Free Press got when it won the News and Documentary Emmy for “40 Years of ‘Respect,’” its video news feature on the history of Aretha Franklin’s iconic song and what it means to the people of Detroit... On Page 21
• Thinking Outside the Newsroom
  If you’re out there wondering whether you’re going to have a job in 2009, whether you’re going to be able to continue as a news professional in these tough economic times, it might be time to market yourself in a whole new way. There are non-news organizations such as museums, foundations and think tanks that might be a viable option for reporters... On Page 22
• Pulitzers to Allow Web-Only Entries
  The Pulitzer Prizes in journalism are expanding to incorporate awards for news organizations that publish online only. The board of the venerable awards organization, which made the announcement last week, also said it will accept entries made up entirely of online content for all 14 of its journalism categories... On Page 22
• Reflection a Survival Skill in Tough Times
  As the crisis in the economy intensifies, broadcast journalists and other media professionals are feeling the squeeze. There have been layoffs and buyouts, early retirements and even the shuttering of once-stalwart media outlets... On Page 23
• Education a Hedge Against Recession
  When the going gets tough, the tough find new ways to succeed. For news professionals facing an economy in recession, with media outlets shrinking their workforce even as they try to expand their reach with the Web, it’s up to the individual to find new employment options... On Page 24 and On Page 25