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.