Winners of 2016 Illinois APBA broadcast contest announced

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - Winners were announced in the 2016 Illinois APBA Broadcast contest on Saturday in Urbana.

Thirty-four broadcasters submitted 261 entries in the contest, which featured news, sports and investigative reporting as well as features, documentaries and newswriting from 2016.

The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.

The following are the winners in the 2016 Illinois APBA Broadcast contest.

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Winners list in Radio I/Metro Radio:

Best Spot News: 1, WBBM-AM, Chicago, “The Rally That Never Was”; 2, Tony Arnold, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “Bolingbrook Fundraiser Met With Boos, Tubas.”

Best Sports Report: 1, Rick Gregg, WBBM-AM, Chicago, “The Ballad of James Shields”; 2, Sam Panayotovich, WGN-AM, Chicago, “Childhood Dream Comes True For Pitcher Adam Panayotovich.”

Best Light Feature: 1, Ron Brown, Rivet News Radio, Chicago, “Chicago Honors ’The Duke of Earl’’’; 2, Natalie Moore, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “One Block, Zero Shootings: How One Mom Is Building Community In Englewood.”

Best Hard News Feature: 1, Patrick Smith, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “Father And Son Join Rising Number Of Forced Evictions”; 2, Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “Trading Parental Custody For Mental Health Care.”

Best Series or Documentary: 1, Lisa Fielding, WBBM-AM, Chicago, “Generation Heroin”; 2, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “Caught In The Middle.”

Best Investigative Report: 1, Chip Mitchell, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “Stop And Frisk.”

Best Use of Sound: 1, Monica Eng, WBEZ-FM, Chicago, “The Union Stock Yards Through the Eyes of an Eighth Grader”; 2, Mark Carman and Dan Long, WGN-AM, Chicago, “The Beat Predicts the Cubs’ Overcoming Their 3-1 World Series Deficit.”

Best Digital Presence: 1, WBEZ-FM, Chicago.

Best Newswriter: 1, Miles Bryan, WBEZ-FM, Chicago; 2, Michele Fiore, WBBM-AM, Chicago.

Best Reporter: 1, Patrick Smith, WBEZ-FM, Chicago; 2, Lisa Fielding, WBBM-AM, Chicago.

Best Newscast: 1, Cisco Cotto and Staff, WBBM-AM, Chicago; 2, John Dempsey and Jennifer Keiper, WLS-AM, Chicago.

Outstanding News Operation: WBBM-AM, Chicago.

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Winners list in Radio II/Local Radio:

Best Spot News: 1, Will Stevenson and Dave Dahl, WTAX-AM, Springfield, “North Dirksen Warehouse Fire”; 2, Emily Boyer, WIUM-FM, Macomb, “Restaurant Not Closed Despite Failing Inspection.”

Best Sports Report: 1, Brad Palmer, WSIU-FM, Carbondale, “Southern Illinoisans Give Polo a Try”; 2, Rich Egger, WIUM-FM, Macomb, “Stand By Me.”

Best Light Feature: 1, Susan Stephens, WNIJ-FM, DeKalb, “A Humble Chore Could Change Lives”; 2, Jim Meadows, WILL-AM, Urbana, “The Professor Who Made Movies Talk.”

Best Hard News Feature: 1, Brian Mackey, WUIS-FM, Springfield, “Does Trump Threaten Criminal Justice Reform?”; 2, Rich Egger, WIUM-FM, Macomb, “Economic Pain of WIU Layoffs.”

Best Series or Documentary: 1, Jenna Dooley, WNIJ-FM, DeKalb, “To The Brink And Back”; 2, Michelle O’Neill, WVIK-FM, Rock Island, “The Connection Between Oral Care & Health Care.”

Best Investigative Report: 1, Judith Valente, WGLT-FM, Normal, “How’s The Water?”

Best Use of Sound: 1, Rich Egger, WIUM-FM, Macomb, “Chainsaw Artists Creating a Buzz”; 2, Judith Valente, WGLT-FM, Normal, “Peoria Presbyterian Church Gets Jazzy.”

Best Digital Presence: 1, WTAX-AM, Springfield; 2, WVIK-FM, Rock Island.

Best Newswriter: 1, Susan Stephens, WNIJ-FM, DeKalb; 2, Rick Koshko, WCMY-AM, Ottawa.

Best Reporter: 1, Jim Meadows, WILL-AM, Urbana; 2, Emily Boyer, WIUM-FM, Macomb.

Best Newscast: 1, Dave Dahl and Will Stevenson, WTAX-AM, Springfield; 2, Rick Koshko and Emily Reardon, WCMY-AM, Ottawa.

Outstanding News Operation: Will Stevenson and Staff, WTAX-AM, Springfield.

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Winners list in TVI/Metro TV:

Best Spot News: 1, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, “Fire On Flight 383”; 2, WLS-TV, Chicago, “Police Shooting Video Released.”

Best Sports Report: 1, Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV, Chicago, “Three More Outs”; 2, Mike Bush and Tom Stasiak, KSDK-TV, St. Louis, “Buck’s Challenge.”

Best Light Feature: 1, Jeremy Ross and Scott Wilson, WBBM-TV, Chicago, “He Doesn’t Own, He Leashes”; 2, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, “Here’s Your Stolen Car!”

Best Hard News Feature: 1, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, “A Problem Teacher”; 2, WLS-TV, Chicago, “The Life And Legacy of Laquan McDonald.”

Best Series or Documentary: 1, WFLD-TV, Chicago, “Dying For the High”; 2, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, “Deadly Pursuit ’ Persecuciones Mortales.”

Best Investigative Report: 1, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, “Code of Silence”; 2, WLS-TV, Chicago, “Betrayal of Trust.”

Best Digital Presence: 1, WLS-TV, Chicago; 2, WMAQ-TV, Chicago.

Best Newswriter: 1, Mike Bush, KSDK-TV, St. Louis; 2, Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV, Chicago.

Best Reporter: 1, Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV, Chicago; 2, Regina Waldroup, WMAQ-TV, Chicago.

Best Newscast: 1, WMAQ-TV, Chicago; 2, WLS-TV, Chicago.

Outstanding News Operation: WLS-TV, Chicago.

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Winners list in TVII/Local TV:

Best Spot News: 1, WREX-TV, Rockford, “Twin Tragedies: Two Teenagers Murdered in Rockford”; 2, Christina Hepner, Anthony Panicucci and Stephanie Mattan , WQAD-TV, Moline, “Cows On The Loose.”

Best Sports Report: 1, Joey Donia, KWQC-TV, Davenport, “Rio, Ready for the Olympics”; 2, Greg Armstrong, WQAD-TV, Moline, “Baseball Brothers.”

Best Light Feature: 1, Mike Ortiz, KWQC-TV, Davenport, “The Ambassador of Gaines St.”; 2, Gary Metivier and Matt Reed, KWQC-TV, Davenport, “Dex the Superfan.”

Best Hard News Feature: 1, Chris Minor and Jenny Hipskind, WQAD-TV, Moline, “Wedding Dress Lost And Found”; 2, James Stratton and Mike Ortiz, KWQC-TV, Davenport, “Miracle From McCabe’s.”

Best Series or Documentary: 1, Kristin Crowley and Reuben Jones, WREX-TV, Rockford, “An In-Depth Look at Rockford’s Violent Crime Problem”; 2, Steve Nichols, WAND-TV, Decatur, “Illinois Made, Illinois Proud.”

Best Investigative Report: 1, Kristin Crowley and Reuben Jones, WREX-TV, Rockford, “An In-Depth Look at Rockford’s Violent Crime Problem”; 2, Kristin Crowley, WREX-TV, Rockford, “New Scam Devastates Local Business.”

Best Videography: 1, Fran Riley and Randy Biery, KWQC-TV, Davenport, “Full Service Gas Station”; 2, Andy McKay, WQAD-TV, Moline, “Hard Not To Smile.”

Best Digital Presence: 1, WQAD-TV, Moline; 2, WREX-TV, Rockford.

Best Newswriter: 1, Gary Metivier, KWQC-TV, Davenport; 2, Kristin Crowley, WREX-TV, Rockford.

Best Reporter: 1, Whitney Martin, WIFR-TV, Rockford; 2, Doug Wolfe, WAND-TV, Decatur.

Best Newscast: 1, WGEM-TV, Quincy; 2, WREX-TV, Rockford.

Outstanding News Operation: WREX-TV, Rockford.