National Murrow Award Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

So, We Picked Up Our National Murrow Awards…

West Virginia Public Broadcasting brought home two National Edward R. Murrow Awards this week for demonstrating the spirit of excellence that famed journalist Murrow set as a standard for the profession of electronic journalism.

Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, education reporter Liz McCormick and production team member Janet Kunicki picked up the awards at the ceremony in New York City Wednesday.

Trey Kay, right, is presented a National Murrow Award for the News Documentary category in a ceremony in New York City Wednesday.

WVPB staffers Janet Kunicki, left, and Liz McCormick, right, attend the National Murrow Awards Gala in New York City Wednesday.

WVPB competes in the Small Market Radio Division, Region 8, which includes West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. WVPB’s two national Murrow Award winners include:

News Documentary, Grandfamilies of the Opioid Crisis, by Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, with assistance from Samantha Gattsek. In this episode, we explore how chemical addictions and the opioid crisis have divided millions of U.S. families. Addicted parents can abandon responsibilities for their children, and when a grandparent steps in, it creates a new kind of family structure some call a grandfamily, a generational divide.

Excellence in Video, Despite Increasing Demand, Some W.Va. Apple Farmers Struggle, by Roxy Todd, producer of Inside Appalachia, with reporting assistance from Education reporter Liz McCormick and video production expertise from Janet Kunicki, John Hale and Daniel Walker. Inside Appalachia looks at the apple industry in West Virginia as the cider industry experiences a surge. Some people think it’s an economic development opportunity the state is overlooking.

Grandfamilies of the Opioid Crisis

WVPB’s Us & Them introduces us to an unusual cultural divide, one that exists within families. It’s a generation split that comes when chemical addiction prevents parents from raising their children. Millions of U.S. households have become “grandfamilies,” a new kind of family structure. This generational Us & Them divide, puts pressure on aging adults and spotlights underlying financial issues that cause a strain between parents and their adult children.

West Virginia and other Appalachian states are at the epicenter of this trend and West Virginia has created a unique support program called “Healthy Grandfamilies.” It’s a training program designed to support grandparents when they become caregivers the second time around. This episode originally aired in February 2020 and was recently honored with journalism’s national Edward R. Murrow award.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the CRC Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio every fourth Thursday at 8 p.m., or listen to the encore presentation on the following Saturday at 3 p.m.

WVPB Earns 2 National Edward R. Murrow Awards

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has earned two National Edward R. Murrow Awards for demonstrating the spirit of excellence that famed journalist Murrow set as a standard for the profession of electronic journalism.

Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, won in the Excellence in Innovation and News Documentary categories for Grandfamilies of the Opioid Crisis.

Roxy Todd, producer of Inside Appalachia, won the Excellence in Video category with support from Education reporter Liz McCormick and members of the Video Production team — Janet Kunicki, John Hale and Daniel Walker. They won for Despite Increasing Demand, Some W.Va. Apple Farmers Struggle.

Chuck Roberts, executive director of WVPB, said he is thrilled for the winners. “It is so great that our people have been recognized for their hard work,” Roberts said. “The folks in the newsroom and our video production department are some of the most talented people you could ever meet. Sharing the stories of the people of West Virginia and Appalachia is more than a job to them, it’s their passion. These national Edward R. Murrow Awards are the result of that passion. I am so proud to work with these people every day.”

Andrea Billups, news director of WVPB, says this group of reporters makes her proud. “We are thrilled to earn these national honors, which acknowledge our excellent reporters and our resolute commitment to the mission of public radio and strong journalism. Media in our country has been under fire from many different angles, but we are resolute in doing the kind of work that gives voice to those who have none — and is a watchdog of those who need one. We share these awards with the many people across our state and region who continue to support public radio and media, and understand its value in a challenging era,” Billups said.

WVPB’s two national Murrow Award winners include:

Excellence in Video, Despite Increasing Demand, Some W.Va. Apple Farmers Struggle, by Roxy Todd, producer of Inside Appalachia, with reporting assistance from Education reporter Liz McCormick and video production expertise from Janet Kunicki, John Hale and Daniel Walker. Inside Appalachia looks at the apple industry in West Virginia as the cider industry experiences a surge. Some people think it’s an economic development opportunity the state is overlooking.

News Documentary, Grandfamilies of the Opioid Crisis, by Trey Kay, host of Us & Them, with assistance from Samantha Gattsek. In this episode, we explore how chemical addictions and the opioid crisis have divided millions of U.S. families. Addicted parents can abandon responsibilities for their children, and when a grandparent steps in, it creates a new kind of family structure some call a grandfamily, a generational divide.