[CHARLESTON, WV] — The winners of the 2025 Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters (VAPB) Awards were announced on March 28 at the Awards Luncheon and Annual Membership Meeting at Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Conference Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) Newsroom won 12 awards this year.
Thirty-seven news organizations in Virginia and West Virginia submitted 598 entries into the contest, which featured news and sports stories from 2025.
The WVPB Newsroom received three first place awards and nine second place awards.
“The West Virginia Public Broadcasting News team is small but mighty,” said WVPB Director of Broadcast Journalism, Eric Douglas. “We keep our community informed but also tell stories that you probably won’t hear on the commercial stations. The sheer fact that we dominate the Mountain State Heritage category speaks to the types of in-depth, behind-the-scenes reporting we do every day.”
The VAPB is an independent association comprised of local members of The Associated Press, a not-for-profit news cooperative that represents thousands of newspapers and broadcast stations across the United States.
Photo Credit: Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
2025 Virginias AP Broadcasters Awards:
Combined Division (TV/RADIO):
Best Podcast-Audio:
- First, Trey Kay and Samantha Gattsek, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Us & Them: Housing Options Are Few and Far Between in Appalachia”
Radio:
Best Spot News:
- Second, Jack Walker, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Middleway Bottling Plant Rejected Unanimously by Planning Commission.”
Best Documentary or In-Depth:
- Second, Curtis Tate, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “These Coal Plants Lose Money.”
Best Light Feature:
- Second, Jack Walker, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Berkeley County Resident’s Gadget Geocaches Put Local Tourism on the Map.”
Best Serious Feature:
- Second, Maria Young, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Multi-million Dollar Aid Program Brings Hope to Mercer County.”
Best Use of Sound:
- Second, Eric Douglas, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Biplane Provides Different Perspective on New River Gorge.”
Best QA (One-on-One) Interview:
- First, Eric Douglas, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Terry Gross Talks Public Radio With WVPB”
- Second, Bill Lynch, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “The Modern Mountain Cookbook.”
Best Multi-Platform Story:
- Second, Jack Walker, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Expiring Spay, Neuter Fund Troubles Shelters, but Lawmakers Move to Make State Aid Permanent.”
Best Website:
- Second, Liz McCormick, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “West Virginia Public Broadcasting.”
Best Mountain State Heritage:
- First, Bill Lynch, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “The Homewrecker Returns to Hillbilly Hotdogs”
- Second, Trey Kay and Amy Eddings, WVPB-FM, Charleston, WV, “Us & Them: Daniel Johnston — The Troubled Life and Artistic Genius of West Virginia Music Hall of Fame Inductee.”
About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amanda Rogers
Marketing Manager
304-556-4911
arogers@wvpublic.org