Shilts Named TV POY, Shea is Video EOY; KARE-TV, WYFF-TV & KCCI-TV Win Stations Of The Year
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 9, 2007) – Andy Shilts of KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, MN, has been named the new Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year, and Joshua Shea of KCNC-TV in Denver, CO, is the new Video Editor of the Year, in the final day of judging in the National Press Photographers Association’s Best Of Photojournalism 2007 competition.
In the final rounds the panel of judges also picked KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN, as the Station of the Year (Large markets); WYFF-TV in Greenville, SC, as the Station of the Year (Medium markets); and KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA, as the Station of the Year (Small markets). Judging was done at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, FL.
KARE-TV is repeating their first place finish. They also won the top Station of the Year title in last year’s Best Of Photojournalism 2006 competition
The Best Of Photojournalism 2007 competition is sponsored again this year by Canon and Avid.
(The winning videos can be viewed here on the Poynter Institute's Web site. Results in TV category judging from Thursday and Friday are here.)
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In the Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year category, Everett McEwan of KGWN-TV in Denver, CO, was the runner up. Finalists in the category were Doug Burgess of WFAA-TV in Dallas; Stan Heist of WBFF-TV in Baltimore; Anne Herbst of KUSA-TV in Denver; Thomas McDonald of KDVR-TV in Denver; Ken Mostek of KUSA-TV in Denver; and Corky Scholl of KUSA-TV in Denver.
In the Video Editor of the Year category, Matthew Rafferty of WJW-TV in Cleveland, OH, was the runner-up, and Benjamin West of KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, MN, was a finalist. (See sidebar on Shea).
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The judges labored long and hard over their selection for the Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year title. The category was originally judged on Monday and a winner was picked, but today as the judges wrapped up the final TV categories they were second guessing themselves and wanted to reconsider the category. After going back through it again the results stayed the same: first place, runner-up, and finalists remained unchanged.
"The judges know how important it is to choose the right Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year," contest co-chair Merry Murray said this afternoon. "By going back for one more look on Friday, they just confirmed their original decisions and changed nothing. Andy's tape was full of good, solid storytelling from beginning to end."
“Of the 42 entries submitted, two stood out from the rest,” judge Joel Eagle said. “Both entrants showed great anticipation and gifted eyes. However it was the overall execution that distinguished the winner from the rest of the field. This person’s shooting, the natural moments they captured in addition to some great characters and built in surprises, made this a memorable entry.”
“The winner’s use of rich, lush, and textured visuals created a series of wonderful stories,” judge Jay Korff said. “The photojournalist made the mundane memorable. The winner clearly possesses a gift at telling well-paced, beautifully-shot stories.”
“The winner told good stories. They all weren’t ‘out of the park,’ but in every part of his tape the story was the star, and the photography was excellent,” judge Mark Morache said. “This photographer connected with each story personally, and lets us experience what they did, so we could feel the soul of the ‘Harmonicat,’ the wonder of the high school band when their bus caught fire, or the heart of Motown Adams singing at the YMCA. The runner-up amazed us with his eye and hard work, but using the same machine-gun technique on every story hurt his tape.”
Shilts is a Wisconsin native who attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and majored in broadcast journalism before getting his start in the industry at WREX-TV in Rockford, Illinois. In 2004 he moved to Wisconsin's WKOW-TV in Madison, and then on to the Twin Cities and KMSP-TV in March, 2005. He's known for enjoying the challenges that come with general assignment work, and for taking non-visual stories and turning them into entertaining and informative pieces. He's a regional and national award winner, including a 2006 regional Emmy Award.
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“The winning [Editor of the Year] entry displayed good natural sound, shot selection, and pacing throughout. The editing was tight, clean and felt seamless,” judge Michael Humphries said. “While some entries were decidedly ‘flashier’ than this one, this editor made great storytelling choices that did not draw attention to themselves.
‘A New Home,’ a story about the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's return from Iraq, is an outstanding example of a general news piece, with great nats [natural sound] and sequences throughout the story. ‘Girl Scout Cookies,’ a more quiet ‘companion piece’ to ‘A New Home’ that deals with a returning Marine veteran's visit with a Brownie troop, is another great story with excellently-cut interplay as the Marine talks with his young supporters. Both of these stories typify the quality of work done by this editor.”
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In the Station of the Year competition in the Large Markets category, the judges came down to a contest between four Minneapolis and Denver stations. KMSP-TV in Minneapolis was the runner-up to the eventual winner (KARE-TV), and the other finalists were KUSA-TV and KWGN-TV in Denver.
“The winning staff proved that television news, when done right, can inform, entertain, and touch us, all at the same time,” Korff said. “This group of photographers created a collection of brave and beautiful stories so memorable that they’ll stay with you like an old friend.”
“When we got to the winning tape, we watched 30 minutes of great television that was a treat to our eyes and – to be honest, and just a little corny – our hearts as well,” Morache said. “Over and over, the stories resonated with life and emotion. It wasn’t just great photography, but great photography that made you feel something.
“In case anyone is wondering, we had the discussion about the reporters with the words of gold. Any photographer would be lucky just once in their lives to work with someone who wrote to and with video like Boyd Huppert and Joe Fryer. Does a great reporter inspire photographers to bring their ‘A’ game? Does great photography and natural sound inspire reporters? Yes and yes! This is a team of photographers who have honed their craft, then turned it into art.”
“Picking the winner wasn’t difficult,” Eagle said. “The first place tape contained the most memorable, well-told and shot stories. Picking the runner-up was more of a challenge. Two stations, both just a notch below the winner, did very high quality work, but it was the overall emotional impact that made the decision.”
“The SOY-winning tape came along and slapped us upside the head,” judge Regina McCombs said. “We’ve seen a lot of good work, but nothing jumped out at us the way this entry did. We laughed, we cried, we felt like we needed a cigarette when it was over.”
In the Medium markets category, WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, PA, was the runner-up Station of the Year and the only other finalist in the category.
“After the winning entry and the runner-up, there was a steep drop off,” Eagle said. “The overall quality that you would expect to see on a SOY entry tape was missing in this category.”
“The winning entry showcased quality shooting and solid storytelling,” Korff said, “but on the whole, this category was disappointing. In fact, the top station in Small market would have clearly beaten the top two selections in this category.”
“Many stories [in this category] could have been better if they cut to the chase a little sooner, and not meandered with long, flowerly beginnings,” Morache said.
In the Small markets category, KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA, was not only the category’s winner but the station was also the only finalist picked. No other awards were given.
“The first place winner stood head-and-shoulders above the other entries,” McCombs said, “so with only five [entries] in this category we opted not to name a runner-up.”
“The winning station’s entries showcased the kind of poise, pacing, and depth traditionally seen at the top stations in the country,” Korff said. “The team of photojournalists clearly outclassed the competition, and richly deserves this honor. Any news operation of any size would benefit from watching this entry.”
“This may be Small market, but the work of this staff holds up in any market,” Eagle said. “Smart, well-crafted stories that evoked emotion. Bravo!”
Morache said, “What a nice surprise! Ten stories that were well told, by photographers who were always thinking. … The two-part story ‘Martha’ is a story I’ll remember forever.”
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