RTDNA Awards More National Edward R. Murrow Awards to Gray Media than Any Other Media Organization

     ATLANTA, Aug. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) awarded nine National Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism to eight Gray Media stations and Gray’s national investigative unit, InvestigateTV.  This year, Gray earned more National Murrow Awards than any other broadcast television network, cable television network, or local television group. 

     The 2026 National Murrow Award winners from Gray Media include:

• WANF in Atlanta, Georgia, received the prestigious national award for Overall Excellence in the Large Market category. Atlanta News First earned the honor by transcending routine coverage to actively protect and serve its community, providing immediate, life-saving alerts during the CDC shooting and the tragic loss of a local officer, delivering early warnings for severe weather, conducting investigations that exposed systemic corruption and changed state laws, and returning professional sports to free local television.
• WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee, earned a national award in the Podcast category for “Episode Three: Secret Under the Stairs.”  Ten years after three people were brutally murdered on Main Street in Pembroke, Kentucky, the podcast by WSMV4 Investigates reveals never-before-heard interviews and details of the race to find the murderer.
• WVUE in New Orleans, Louisiana, earned recognition in the Large Market category for its News Series, “Addicted on Duty.”  The investigation changed New Orleans Police Department policy by exposing video of an officer smoking methamphetamine on duty, forcing the department to close a loophole that allowed officers accused of dangerous misconduct to continue collecting pay.
• KWCH in Wichita, Kansas, earned a national award for its Newscast, “January 30, 2025 - Day after Flight 5342 Plane Crash,” in the Small Market category.  The newscast captured the deep impact of Flight 5342 on Wichita the day after the crash, as the community mourned several of its own.
• WOWT in Omaha, Nebraska, earned the Sports Reporting award for “WOWT An Eye for Hitting” in the Small Market category.  The story highlights how, for more than 40 years, Omaha's best baseball and softball players have gone to see ‘The Blind Guy’ Mark Wetzel, whose ability to teach the art of hitting is a sight to behold, while delivering a powerful lesson on facing life's curveballs.
• KWTX in Waco, Texas, earned the Feature Reporting award for “Master Knife-maker Bill Smith Makes the Knives the Old-fashioned Way” in the Small Market category.  The feature profiles retired art teacher Bill Smith, now in his early 80s, who handcrafts knives in Salado, Texas, and teaches the trade to veterans to help them find peace of mind.
• WMBF in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, won a national award for Excellence in Video with “DCI Comes to Myrtle Beach” in the Small Market category.  The team shot, edited, and aired the fast-paced package within an eight-hour window using multiple cameras, capturing the rehearsals and interviews of Drum Corps International, a professional-level traveling drum and bugle corps made up of high school and college students.
• KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska, earned the News Series award for “Destination Adak” in the Small Market category.  The team traveled nearly 1,200 miles to capture the haunting beauty of Adak, Alaska, exploring how its deserted World War II ruins leave the island ‘stuck in time,’ while its pristine wilderness welcomes outdoor adventurers seeking endless exploration.
• InvestigateTV won a National Award for Hard News with its investigative report,  “Ghost Plates.”  The reporting exposed a nationwide “ghost plate” scheme leaving innocent drivers billed thousands of dollars for tolls and tickets they never incurred, uncovering that outdated databases used by toll agencies were wrongly linking surrendered license plates to their former owners.  The investigation directly resolved one family’s $3,350 debt and prompted New York’s MTA to flag the fraudulent plate in their system.

     Earlier this year, 41 of Gray’s local television stations earned a combined 93 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism from the RTDNA.

     “At Gray, our mission is to deliver exceptional, high-impact journalism that informs, protects, and strengthens the communities we serve,” said Gray Chief Executive Officer Hilton H. Howell Jr.  “These nine National Murrow Awards, including the prestigious Overall Excellence honor for WANF, represent the very best of broadcasting.  We are very proud of our dedicated journalists who work tirelessly to bring this vital coverage to light.”

     “Receiving a National Murrow Award is one of the highest honors in journalism, and it reflects the deep trust our stations build with their audiences every day,” said Gray Chief Operating Officer Sandy Breland.  “These teams have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence, and we congratulate all of our winners on this well-deserved recognition.”

     The RTDNA will officially honor this year’s national winners at the annual Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on October 12, 2026, at Gotham Hall in New York City.

About Gray Media:

          Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. We serve 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 101 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station in average all-day ratings across the 116 of such markets that were measured by Nielsen in 2025. We also own the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 46 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Our additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.

Gray Contact:

Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333

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