Like every other organization, the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists couldn’t hold an in-person ceremony for its inaugural awards ceremony, so they held a virtual ceremony Saturday evening to announce the winners.
The organization took over this year from the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters, which has held annual awards for television and radio journalists for decades. The group said 37 radio and television stations submitted more than 550 entries in the contest this year, featuring news and sports stories from 2019.
News4Jax/WJXT not only won 10 first place awards and was named finalist in two other categories, The Local Station swept some of the biggest categories.
Overall Station Of The Year - WJXT/NEWS4JAX
Best Evening Newscast - First place - Breaking Newscast: Missing Kids Found - WJXT-TV
General Assignment | Long - First place - Heroes In The Storm - Vic Micolucci, Joe Owens, Jodi Mohrmann - WJXT-TV
Investigative | Single - First place - Accused Contractor Caught At Poker Room - Tarik Minor, Jodi Mohrmann, Eric Wallace - WJXT-TV
Investigative | Series - First place - JTA Bus Security - Kelly Wiley, Joe Owens, Joe Drumm - WJXT-TV
Transportation/Traffic - Finalist - Highway Hazard - Tarik Minor, Jodi Mohrmann, Joe Drumm - WJXT-TV
Feature | Cultural/Historical - First place - Original Gangster - Scott Johnson, Joe Owens, Kathryn Bonfield WJXT-TV
Public Affairs/Documentary/TV Magazine - First place - The Legacy Of Lynyrd Skynyrd - WJXT-TV and Finalist - Igniting The Future: The Stem Education Revolution - Melanie Lawson - WJXT-TV
Weather Reporting | Series - First place - Hurricane Michael: One Year Later - Jennifer Ready, Joe Owens, Jodi Mohrmann - WJXT-TV
Website/Digital- First place - News4Jax.com - WJXT-TV
Digital Programming- First place - Into Thin Air: Haleigh Cummings - Jennifer Waugh, Eric Wallace, Mike Jones - WJXT-TV