AWARDS

2011 WSAV Wins 7 Murrows

WSAV-TV earns seven regional Edward R. Murrow awards.  The NBC television affiliate for Savannah was recognized by the Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Thursday for outstanding journalism in seven categories, tied for the most among all small market television stations in the nation.  WSAV received Murrow Awards for; Best Newscast for coverage of President Obama’s visit to Savannah in March 2010; BestTelevision Website, WSAV.com ; Continuing Coverage for its work on the appeal process of Troy Davis, convicted of killing a Savannah Police Officer more than twenty years ago;  Television Writing for Holly Bounds;  Use of Video for Photojournalist Jim Jensen’s Army Ranger’s Memorial Garden Ceremony; Sports Reporting for Ken Slats investigation into a recruiting scandal at Savannah State University; Documentary for Georgia’s Black History Journey by Kim Gusby and Jerry Perlman.

WSAV News Director Kevin Brennan says “We’re very fortunate to have talented journalists who individually and collectively bring dedication and quality to their work on a daily basis.”  Brennan specifically referred to Holly Bounds, who has earned a regional Murrow Award for Best Writing two years in a row and Jim Jensen, who has been honored with the regional Murrow for Use of Video three out of the last five years.  “However, with awards like Best Television Website, Continuing Coverage and Best Newscast --  the entire team can celebrate the role they played in our success” he went on to say.   

“I could not be more excited and proud of the WSAV news team.  Under Kevin Brennan’s leadership WSAV has received regional Murrow Awards for BEST Newscast three out of the last four years, Best Website five out of the last ten years, and Continuing Coverage two out of the last four years” station General Manager Deb Thompson said. “The most rewarding aspect is that it validates the effort that the people of News 3 make everyday… that our peers recognize the excellence we deliver to the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry” she continued. 

WSAV will automatically become eligible for the national awards competition, which will be judged in early June. The national Edward R. Murrow Awards will be presented in October at the RTDNA Awards Dinner in New York.

RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network news professionals in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries. RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievement in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Radio and television news managers from markets across the country judged the entries in March.

WSAV-TV went on the air in 1956 and is owned by the Media General Broadcast Group.  Media General is a multimedia company operating leading newspapers, television stations and online enterprises primarily in the Southeastern United States.  The company’s publishing assets include three metropolitan newspapers, The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Winston-Salem Journal; 22 daily community newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina; and more than 150 weekly newspapers and other publications.  The company’s broadcasting assets include 23 network-affiliated television stations that reach more than 32 percent of the television households in the Southeast and nearly 9.5 percent of those in the United States.  The company’s interactive media assets include more than 75 online enterprises that are associated with its newspapers and television stations. 

2011 Georgia AP Awards

1st Place:

Spot News Video—Andrew Davis

Staff Coverage—Pres. Obama Visit

Sportscast—Ken Slats

Photojournalism—Jim Jensen

Specialized Reporting—Alice Massimi—Military Reporting

Web-Based Reporting—Staff—Troy Davis Murder Appeals


Honorable Mention:

General Reporting—Alice Massimi/Drew Hunt

Sports Feature—Russ Riesinger

Sportscast—Ken Slats

Best Newscast--News 3 at 6—Producer Mary Hashemi

See more of WSAV's Awards click here.

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WSAV HISTORY

WSAV radio first went on the air in 1939. From the beginning, WSAV was an NBC radio affiliate carrying the programs of Bob Hope and many others in the "Golden Years" of radio broadcasting.

WSAV brought NBC news coverage of the attack on Pearl Harbor to Savannah, and the relatively new WSAV news team followed war efforts at home as Savannah and the surrounding communities, along with the rest of the nation, geared up for World War II.

In 1947, WSAV radio upgraded its broadcast facilities and became a 5000-watt station broadcasting on a regional channel, sending news and information about Savannah to the entire southeast coast of the United States. Television came to Savannah in the fifties and WSAV-TV went on the air in 1956, initially broadcasting from the radio station facility atop a bank building on Broughton Street in downtown Savannah.

The flashing WSAV sign was a landmark on Broughton Street for many years. Television grew very quickly and in 1960, WSAV radio and television moved into a brand new facility on "World Famous Victory Drive". A new broadcasting tower was built at the Victory drive site and WSAV-TV reached out to many of the surrounding counties in Georgia and South Carolina, giving thousands of viewers their first chance to see television.

In the 50's and 60's WSAV radio and television was home to many popular broadcast personalities.

On radio, Burl Womack hosted the 'Breakfast with Burl' show and dominated morning radio for years.

On television, Captain Sandy was the weatherman and he worked with a couple of puppet sidekicks: Wilbur the Weather Bird and Arthur the Thermometer.

In 1976, another new tower was built and the WSAV television signal reached out even further. Just a few months later, the stations were sold and separated with WSAV radio eventually becoming WBMQ. WSAV television remained in the Victory Drive studio location and expanded with the news department moving into a former insurance office next door.

In the mid nineties WSAV television changed hands several times. Media General now owns the station. Since the station was purchased by Media General there has been an extended period of upgrading and refitting. Technically and in physical plant appearance, WSAV television is in the best shape it has ever been.

WSAV-TV
1430 East Victory Drive
Savannah, GA 31404

Phone: 912-651-0300
Fax: 912-651-0304
Email:  mail@wsav.com

News Department
Phone: 912-651-0307
Email:  news@wsav.com

General Manager:
Debbi Thompson

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