W.Va. broadcasters take home AP awards

(Source: The Associated Press via the Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

Lifetime Achievement: Kennie Bass, WCHS-TV.

West Virginia Associated Press Broadcast Journalist of the Year: Television: Teresa Higginbotham, WCHS-TV; Radio: Adam Cavalier, WMUL.

Bob Aaron Membership Cooperation Award: Television: Bob Aaron, WCHS-TV; Radio: Greg Collard, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Outstanding News Operation: Large-market television: First place, WCHS-TV; Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV, Honorable mention, WDTV-TV; Radio: First place, WRNR, Honorable mention, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast: Large-market television: First place, WCHS-TV; Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV, Honorable mention, WDTV-TV; Radio: First place, WMUL, Honorable mention, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Outstanding Sports Operation: Large-market television: First place, WCHS-TV; Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV, Honorable mention, WDTV-TV; Radio: First place, WEPM, Honorable mention, WMUL.

Best Regularly Scheduled Sportscast: Large-market television: First place, WCHS-TV; Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV, Honorable mention, WDTV-TV; Radio: First place, WMUL, Honorable mention, WRNR.

Outstanding Weather Operation (TV Only): Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV.

Best Regularly Scheduled Weathercast (TV Only): Large-market television: First place, WCHS-TV; Small-market television: First place, WTOV-TV.

Best Breaking News Coverage: Television: First place, WTOV-TV; Radio: First place, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Honorable mention, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Continuing Coverage: Television: First place, WCHS-TV, Honorable mention, WCHS-TV; Radio: First place, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and WMUL (tie).

Best Documentary: Television: First place, WCHS-TV; Radio: First place, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Enterprise Reporting: Television: First place, WSAZ-TV, Honorable mention, WVAH-TV; Radio: First place, West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Honorable mention, WMUL.

Best Investigative Reporting: First place, WCHS-TV; Honorable mention, WTOV-TV.

Best Reporter: Television: First place, Jake Glance, WCHS-TV; Honorable mention, Michael Wooten, WSAZ-TV, and Amanda Barren, WSAZ-TV (tie); Radio: First place, Adam Cavalier, WMUL, Honorable mention, Anna Sale, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Anchor or Anchor Team: Television: First place, Jessica Ralston, WSAZ-TV; Radio: First place, Beth Vorhees, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Honorable mention, Kimberly Burcham and Matt Gajtka, WMUL.

Best Weathercaster: First place, Todd Borek, WSAZ-TV.

Best Sportscaster: Radio: First place, Paul Swann, WVHU; Honorable mention, Matt Miller, WRNR.

Best Photographer: First place, Jon Smith, WSAZ-TV, Honorable mention, Jim Reed, WCHS-TV.

Best Breaking News Photography: First place, WTOV-TV.

Best Producer (TV only): First place, Teresa Higginbotham, WCHS-TV; Honorable mention, Joann Reynolds, WVAH-TV.

Best Public Service Program: Television: First place, WCHS-TV; Radio: First place, WMUL.

Best Feature:Television: First place, WTAP-TV. Honorable mention, WTAP-TV and WCHS-TV (tie); Radio: First place, West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Honorable mention, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Sports Special: Television: First place, WCHS-TV, Honorable mention, WDTV-TV; Radio: First place, WMUL. Honorable mention, WRNR.

Best Sports Play-by-Play (Radio only): First place, WVHU; Honorable mention, WRNR.

Best Sports Talk Show (Radio only): First place, WRNR; Honorable mention, WVHU.

Best Interview (Radio only): First place, WVHU; Honorable mention, WMUL.

Best Talk Show (Radio only): First place, WRNR; Honorable mention, WMUL.

Best Host (Radio only): First place, Beth Vorhees, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Best Presentation of News on the Web: First place, WTOV-TV; Honorable mention, WCHS-TV.

WCHS-TV (8) anchor Kennie Bass has received a lifetime achievement award from the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

Bass, who has worked at the Charleston ABC-TV affiliate since 1997, began his career while in high school at the former WKAZ radio. A graduate of Marshall University, Bass has also worked as an on-air personality and reporter at Charleston’s WXIT and WJYP-FM and Huntington’s WGNT and WAMX-FM.

WCHS reporter Teresa Higginbotham was honored as TV journalist of the year, while Adam Cavalier, a reporter for Marshall’s WMUL-FM (88.1), was named radio journalist of the year.

Steubenville’s WTOV-TV (9) was named “outstanding news operation” of the year among small-market TV stations, while WCHS was honored as the outstanding large-market TV news station.

Martinsburg news-talker WRNR (740) was named outstanding news radio station of the year, while West Virginia Public Broadcasting received an honorable mention in the same category.

WCHS-TV and WMUL also received awards for the best regularly scheduled newscasts.

A complete list of award winners is available after the jump.