Global Calgary has won two regional Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Edward R. Murrow awards for a true-crime podcast from reporter Nancy Hixt and a special series honouring the city’s LGBTQ2 community from reporter Jill Croteau.
“Our Walking with Pride series took a look at our city’s LGBTQ community and highlighted the struggles many still face,” Global Calgary news director and station manager Carmela Gentile said.
“Global Calgary continues to focus on serving our audiences with content that celebrates diversity, and this series is just one example of the journalism we are so proud of.”
Both stories will now move on to the national award competition.
Scroll down to learn more about the segments that received the awards, or click here to view a full list of 2020 Edward R. Murrow Award winners.
Walking with Pride
Global Calgary was given an award in the News Series category for a five-part series from Jill Croteau called Walking with Pride, which aired in August 2019 to coincide with Calgary’s week-long Pride Festival.
The series looked at topics like the brave beginnings of Calgary Pride, Calgary’s drag king community and the struggles of a Serbian gay couple seeking refuge in Calgary.
“It’s a humbling honour to be recognized for a series that exemplified raw honestly and bravery,” Croteau said. “I’m grateful to have had the trust of all the wonderful humans featured in this series.
“It’s a privilege to have shared their stories.”
The story of Kelly Cook, the backup babysitter
Global Calgary was given a second award in the Podcast category for Nancy Hixt‘s two Crime Beat podcast episodes examining the disappearance of 15-year-old babysitter Kelly Cook back in 1981.
In the episodes, Hixt took listeners through the abduction and murder of Cook, which leads investigators looked at and why it’s become a cold case.
Hixt also shared never-before-reported details of the case and an interview with the killer’s original target, who had never before spoken to a journalist about what happened.
“I’m so grateful to be honoured with this prestigious award,” Hixt said. “The goal of Crime Beat has always been to shine a light in dark places. This series shared the story of a family who suffered a horrific loss and is still without justice nearly four decades later.
“I want to thank Kelly Cook’s family for trusting me with her story, and we continue to work together to keep her case in the spotlight in hopes one day soon her killer will be caught.”
“We at Curiouscast could not be more proud of host Nancy Hixt and the entire Crime Beat team for their win of the Edward R. Murrow Award,” director of streaming and podcasting Chris Duncombe said.
“The Crime Beat podcast has now built a dedicated audience not just in Canada but all over the world. Every episode of the podcast shines a light in dark places and tells victim stories with the sensitivity and intelligence that only Nancy Hixt can do.
“As Canada’s first podcast to be adapted for television, Crime Beat leads crime coverage in Canada,” Duncombe added.