The Global News family is celebrating big wins at the annual Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) National and Network Awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall News Excellence in Network Television.
It’s a historic win for Global News and its flagship news program, Global National.
The show earned the 2013 Overall Excellence Award for Network Radio and Television, a category that has been dominated by U.S. networks for decades. No other Canadian network has earned that recognition in the award’s 42-year history.
“This is one of the biggest awards in TV news worldwide,” said Troy Reeb, Senior Vice President of Global News & Station Operations for Shaw Media – Global’s parent company.
“The submission of Global National material included coverage of everything from the Johnson’s Landing slide to Hurricane Sandy; from the Elliot Lake mall collapse to the Costa Concordia sinking; and from US election day to the Dieppe Raid anniversary. At 60 minutes long, it showcased the work of not just every member of the Global National team, but the collective efforts of our stations across the country.”
As many as 85 staff around the world worked on the Global National broadcasts, anchored by award-winning Canadian journalist Dawna Friesen.
Hundreds more make up the Global News broadcast and online news team.
Global National debuted just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, in the dozen years since, the team has covered some of the biggest stories of our generation.
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“The award will be presented in New York this fall, and confirms what we at Shaw have always believed: That your work stands among the very best in the world,” Reeb told the entire Global News team following Wednesday’s announcement. “No matter what your role in Global News, take a bow.”
The award will be presented in New York on Oct. 14.
Local news bureaus celebrate accolades
Global Toronto added two national RTDNA awards for their series ‘Gardiner Expressway – Trouble overhead,’ which revealed thousands of documents detailing the state of the aging Gardiner Expressway and the significant safety concerns associated with the highway.
“It’s very rewarding to see how a journalistic hunch by one of our online producers became an enterprising, multi-platform storytelling opportunity that included web articles, interactive graphics and a series of broadcast stories, all of which demanded accountability,” said Ron Waksman, Senior Director of Online and Current Affairs. “I can promise you we’re not done with this story yet.”
IN DEPTH: GARDINER EXPRESSWAY – TROUBLE OVERHEAD
Back in April Global Toronto won four RTDNA Edward R. Murrow and three RTDNA Central Region, including Best Newscast for coverage of the Danzig St. shooting, Best use of sound/video for a profile of tightrope walker Jay Cochrane that avoided using any narration and allowed Cochrane’s stunts tell their own story, and Best writing for Dave Gerry’s profile on Toronto-based artist “whistling” Eduardo Gaya.
Watch: Global Toronto accepts RTDNA awards
Global Edmonton won a RTDNA national award for Best Newscast (Large Market) for the “Code Red” series, produced by Vassy Kapelos, Morris Gamblin, Jason Trout and Craig Jarron.
Watch: Global Edmonton receives RTDNA award
“Code Red” featured an in-depth look at Alberta’s emergency response system, and included revealing interviews with paramedics coming forward to discuss the state of Alberta Health Services-run ambulance service.
The series also included an in-studio interview with Health Minister Fred Horne during the News Hour.
The stories received enormous response from viewers across the province and lead to AHS examining its overall procedures.
Global Winnipeg was also honoured with an RTDNA award for best online coverage for their reporting of the Speedway fire in October 2012.
On Saturday, Brent Williamson, the news director for Global Winnipeg, accepted the award.
“This Edward R. Murrow award recognizes the amazing work of our journalists on the night of the Speedway International fire,” said Williamson. “Complimenting this award winning team is unrivalled technology like our helicopter – Skyview1, HD live trucks and live streaming video on Globalnews.ca. We are extremely proud to be the only news organization in the province to ever win this prestigious award for online journalism!”
Watch: Brent Williamson accepts Edward R. Murrow award for best online coverage
Global News BC won an RTDNA award for outstanding hard news reporting for their coverage of the Port Mann Bridge “ice bombs” that damaged hundreds of cars and injured several people in December.
Engineers solved the problem by installing custom-designed cable sweepers and applying ice-repellent coatings to prevent ice buildup.
The award winning story aired on the News Hour, anchored by Chris Gailus, on December 19 and featured reporting from Geoff Hastings and Randene Neill.
Watch: Global News BC wins Edward R. Murrow award
Global News would like to congratulate all of this year’s RTDNA Edward R. Morrow Award winners.
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