From left, WBHM's Gigi Douban, Janae Pierre, Mary Scott Hodgin, Michael Krall, Andrew Yeager, Sherrel Wheeler Stewart and Miranda Fulmore.Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM won eight first-place Alabama Associated Press Media Editor awards, including the first-place award for Outstanding News Operation, at a ceremony held Saturday, June 1.
Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM is a member-supported service of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
It is refreshing to work in a newsroom where the mission is clear: tell good stories that matter, says WBHM News Director Gigi Douban.
“Our reporters put a lot of time and effort into their journalism, and it shows,” Douban said. “We’re truly honored to have received this special recognition. It’s a testament to the news staff’s tremendous talent, hard work and dedication.”
In addition to Outstanding News Operation, WBHM earned a total of 18 awards including:
- Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast, First Place: Andrew Yeager.
- Best Anchor, First Place: Andrew Yeager.
- Best Specialized Reporter, First Place: Mary Scott Hodgin.
- Best Lifestyle Feature, First Place: Gigi Douban, “Airline Lost Your Luggage? Here’s Where It Lands.”
- Best News Feature, First Place: Gigi Douban, Janae Pierre and Sherrel Wheeler Stewart, “Confusion and Frustration Grow After Police Shooting at Alabama Mall.”
- Best Investigative Reporting, First Place: Mary Scott Hodgin, “Conservation Groups Push for Faster Alerts on Sewage Spills.”
- Best Coverage of a Spot News Story, First Place: “Confusion and Frustration Grow After Police Shooting at Alabama Mall.”
- Best Reporter, Second Place: Andrew Yeager.
- Best Use of Tape, Second Place: Andrew Yeager, “Birmingham Student Puts Braille Skills to the Test.”
- Best Public Affairs or Documentary, Second Place: “The Senior Series.”
- Best News Feature, Second Place: Janae Pierre, “Questions Loom Over Police Killing of Man Believed To Be a Gunman in Alabama Mall.”
- Best Series, Second Place: “The Senior Series.”
- Best Investigative Reporting, Second Place: Gigi Douban, “Why Birmingham-Southern Is Slashing Tuition.”
- Best Use of Tape, Third Place: Mary Scott Hodgin, “Deaf Football Players Find Novel Ways To Communicate.”
- Best Lifestyle Feature Third Place: Andrew Yeager, “How a Small Alabama Town Pioneered the First 9-1-1 Call.”
- Best Coverage of a Scheduled Event, Third Place: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart and Andrew Yeager, “Birmingham Attorney, Coal Executive Found Guilty of Bribing State Lawmaker.”
- Best General Sports, Third Place: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart, “James ‘Jake’ Sanders, Negro League Baseball Star.”
- Best Reporter, Third Place: Mary Scott Hodgin.
“Smart journalists doing superb work — that’s what’s being recognized here, and it is what WBHM’s audience has come to expect,” said General Manager Chuck Holmes. “These awards reflect our deep commitment to our public service mission and a standard of quality journalism that we deliver every day.”
The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.