2024 EIB Award Winners

Below are the recipients who demonstrated exceptional vision and transformative performance this year.

DALE B. MILLER DISTINGUISHED BROADCASTER AWARD

  • Bob Spencer - Bluefield, WV

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Best Community Outreach

  • Large Market: WSAZ TV: Joseph Payton, Jay Melvin - "Fired Up Friday: Turning Up The Heat"
  • Small Market: WVNS TV: David Mott, Valerie Sullivan - "Veterans Voices"

Best Locally Produced Television Show

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: WOWK News Team - "Tragedy to Triumph"
  • Small Market: WVNS TV: Autumn Collins - "Tragedy In The Tunnel"

Best Coverage of Breaking News

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: Amanda Barren - "Regal Apartment Fire"
  • Small Market: WOAY TV: WOAY News Team - "Severe Wildfire Outbreak"

Best Light Feature News Report

  • Large Market: WSAZ TV: Jim Treacy - "Teen Racer"
  • Small Market: WVVA TV: Robert Castillo & Jessica Nuzzo - "Blind ATV Mechanic"

Best Serious Feature News Report

  • Large Market: WCHS TV: Leslie Rubin, Larry Clark, Matt Durant - "The Exhumation That Ended A Cold Case Mystery"
  • Small Market: WTAP TV: Alexa Griffey - "North Star Advocacy Center"

Best Investigative News Story

  • Large Market: WSAZ TV: Curtis Johnson, Kristen Bentley - "False Security"
  • Small Market: WDTV TV: John Blashke - "Hazelton Prison Investigation"

Best AM Newscast

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: WOWK News Team
  • Small Market: WTAP TV: Emily Biles, Alexa Griffey, Henry Groff

Best PM Newscast

  • Large Market: WSAZ TV: Dustin Weekley
  • Small Market: WVVA TV: WVVA News Team

Best Sports Anchor

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: Cassidy Wood
  • Small Market: WBOY TV: Daniel Woods

Best Weathercaster

  • Large Market: WCHS TV: Brandon Lawson
  • Small Market: WTAP TV: Henry Grof

Best Anchor

  • Large Market: WSAZ TV: Taylor Eaton
  • Small Market: WTAP TV: Phyllis Smith

Best General Assignment Reporting

  • Large Market: WCHS TV: Leslie Rubin - "The Story of Serial Rapist Charles Woods"
  • Small Market: WVVA TV: Robert Castillo – Mark Hughes - "Sweet Springs Improvements"

Best Reporter

  • Large Market: WCHS TV: Anna Saunders
  • Small Market: WVNS TV: Rivers Upchurch

Best MMJ

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: Rachel Pellegrino
  • Small Market: WVNS TV: Rivers Upchurch

Best News Photographer

  • Large Market: WOWK TV: Elbert Mosley
  • Small Market: WVNS TV: Larry Marrs

Best Use of Digital Media

  • WVNS TV: Brandon Eanes, Seth McVey, Danielle Sandler - "Postcards Home"

Best Television Creative

  • WDTV TV: Jason Dobbins - "Cantoni’s Pizza Trick or Treat"

Best Station Promo

  • WBOY TV: Emily Lanham - "Afternoon News Information Block"

Television Emerging Journalist

  • WOWK TV: Rachel Pellegrino

Television Station of the Year

  • WOWK TV - Huntington/Charleston, WV

RADIO CATEGORIES

Country Station of the Year

  • Ranked: WVMD FM
  • Unranked: WHKX FM

Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) Station of the Year

  • Ranked: WQZK FM
  • Unranked: WVAQ FM

AC/Oldies Station of the Year

  • Ranked: WDYK – FM
  • Unranked: WVAF FM

Rock Station of the Year

  • Ranked: WDZN - FM
  • Unranked: WRZZ- FM

Best News/Talk/Sports Station of the Year

  • Ranked: WEPM
  • Unranked: 580 WCHS

Best Newscast

  • Ranked: WEPM: Daniel Woods - "PNN Afternoon News"
  • Unranked: WAJR: Mike Noting - "1 p.m. Newscast"

Best Breaking News

  • Ranked: WEPM: Luke Wiggs - "Breaking 10-20-23"
  • Unranked: 580 WCHS: WCHS Newsroom - "Regal Apartment Fire"

Best Hard News Feature

  • Ranked: WEPM: Marsha Chwalik - "Berkeley County Sheriff Nathan Harmon Resigns Under Scrutiny"
  • Unranked: 580 WCHS: Carrie Hodousek - "West Virginia Haze"

Best Radio News Feature - Soft News

  • Ranked: WICL: Bob Steel - "Salute 2 Troops"
  • Unranked: 580 WCHS: Carrie Hodousek - "Anna’s Army"

Best Sportscast

  • Ranked: WEPM: Luke Wiggs - "Sports 12-4"
  • Unranked: WRVC: Paul Swann - "Bengals Rewind"

Best Play-by-Play

  • Ranked: WMOV-AM: Heath Bloxton - "Wirt vs Ravenswood"
  • Unranked: WKMZ: Travis Jones - "Bridgeport Indians"

Best Talk Show

  • Ranked: WJYP-AM: Chris Colagrosso - "Nuts & Bolts"
  • Unranked: WVRC-AM: Paul Swann - "The Drive with Paul Swann"

Best Morning Show

  • Ranked: WKQZ-FM: Amy Ryan - "Amy's Morning Binge"
  • Unranked: WJLS-FM: Will Shumate - "Big Dawg Morning Show with Cowboy Will"

Best On-Air Radio Personality

  • Ranked: WQZK FM: Logan Scott
  • Unranked: WHKX: Brock Mathews

Best Use of Digital Media

  • WVRC Media: Jenn Robba, Patrick Rineheart - "WVRC Media Solutions"

Best Radio Promotion/Event Coverage

  • WSTG-FM: John Eller - "Men’s Health Awareness"

Best Radio Creative

  • WMTD: Joey Jarvis, Shane Boone - "Summer’s County ARH"

Radio Rookie Professional of the Year

  • WEPM: Daniel Woods

Radio Station of the Year

  • WEPM - Martinsburg, WV

NETWORK CATEGORIES

Network Sportscast

  • MetroNews Sports: Kyle Wiggs

Network Sports Play-By-Play

  • MetroNews - MetroNews Super Six Radio

Network Long-Form Program

  • WOWK TV & WV Nexstar Network - "Inside West Virginia Politics" – Year In Review

Network Talk Show

  • MetroNews - Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval

Network Newscast

  • MetroNews: Chris Lawrence