Jensen Photographer Of The Year, Montano Editor Of The Year; KARE-TV, WYFF-TV, KTUU-TV Win Station Of The Year Honors

 

 

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (March 7, 2008) - Scott Jensen of KTUU-TV in Anchorage, AK, has been named the new Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year, and Shawn Montano of KCNC-TV in Denver, CO, is the new Video Editor of the Year.

It's the second time both Jensen and Montano have earned their respective top honors.

The panel of judges today also announced 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 KTUU-TV in Anchorage, AK, as the Station of the Year (Small markets).

It's a "three-peat" victory for KARE-TV who also won the Station of the Year (Large Market) title in 2006 and 2007, and a repeat victory for WYFF-TV who last year won the Station of the Year (Medium Market) title as well.

Montano's KCNC-TV in Denver was also the home of last year's Video Editor of the Year, Joshua Shea, who won the title in March 2007.

The awards were announced today at the end of the final day of judging the Television Photography and Editing categories in the National Press Photographers Association’s 2008 Best Of Photojournalism contest. Judging was done at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, FL.

The runner-up Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year is Jonathan Malat of KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN. The other finalists for the top photographer's title were Everett McEwen of KWGN-TV in Denver; Arturo Quezada of KMEX-TV in Los Angeles; Corky Scholl of KUSA-TV in Denver; Noah Skinner of KDVR-TV in Denver; and Jon Smith of WTVQ-TV in Lexington, KY, and WSAZ-TV in Huntington, WV.

Matthew Rafferty of WJW-TV in Cleveland, OH, was the runner-up Video Editor of the Year in this year's contest. It's the third year in a row Rafferty has finished in this spot; he was also the runner-up for the top title in 2006 and 2007. Rafferty was the 2003 NPPA Cutting Edge Editor of the Year, and has won 11 Emmy Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and an Alfred I. duPont Award for his editing.

Judges spent nine hours deciding the Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year category, the last three hours just debating the top spots. "The separation between the winner and the runner-up was razor thin," judge Tim Griffis said. "We repeatedly looked at parts of both entries. The runner-up had some of the most over-the-top, wonderful stories we saw that day. But from beginning to end, the winner had the most consistent entry."

"I would be honored to work with any of the finalists in this group," judge Preston Rudie said. Judge Nellie Stinson said, "I felt that the winning photographer had to deal with more obstacles when covering all of his stories ... stories that were well rounded, full of natural sound, and solid storytelling."

Jensen was NPPA's Ernie Crisp Television News Photographer of the Year in 2003, and a finalist for the title in 2002. He was Region 5 Photographer of the Year in 2001 and 2002, and Region 11 Photographer of the Year runner-up in 1998 and 1999. He's worked at KTUU-TV twice: first starting in 1996 through 1999, and then again from 2005 through today. In the meantime he worked for KARE-TV in Minneapolis from 1999 through 2003, and for Northwest Cable News in Portland, OR, until 2004.

Jensen's photography contributed to KARE-TV's package that won the Station of the Year title in 2000. In 2006, KTUU-TV was honored as the Station of the Year (Small Market). Jensen's work has won more than 100 awards, including four Edward R. Murrow awards and five Emmy Awards.

Montano, who is also the director of NPPA's annual Cutting Edge video editing workshop, first won NPPA's Video Editor of the Year title in 2001. During his career he's also won three Emmy Awards, a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, 2 Colorado Broadcasters Association honors, and numerous NPPA national editing awards.

"Shawn Montano was the clear winner," judge Lori Allred said. "For the most part, the reason his stuff stood out is that he went back to the basics. He did a good job with pacing, eye movement, natural sound, and creating memorable moments. His editing did not get in the way of the story."

In the Station of the Year (Large Market) category, the runner-up was KUSA-TV in Denver, CO.

In the Station of the Year (Medium Market) category, the runner-up was WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids, MI. WHTM-TV of Harrisburg, PA, was a finalist in the category.

In the Station of the Year (Small Market) category, the runner-up was KCCI-TV in Des Moines, IA. News12 Connecticut of Norwalk, CT, was a finalist in the competition.

Winners in the individual Photography and Editing categories are detailed here, and the winning videos are online here.

Web Video winners are online here.

 

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Judges for the television and photography categories of NPPA's 2008 Best Of Photojournalism this year were veteran freelancer Tim Griffis, who has worked for network and corporate clients as well as being on the NPPA Flying Short Course faculty; Bob Gould, formerly of WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids, MI, who now teaches broadcasting at Michigan State University; and Emmy Award-winner Jeff Roberts of KMBC-TV in Kansas City, who is also a still photojournalist who shoots for newspapers and magazines.

Additional judges included Emmy Award-winner and Murrow Award-winner Preston Rudie of WTSP-TV in Tampa Bay; WHP-TV chief photographer Nellie Stinson from Harrisburg, PA; Emmy Award-winner Ram Guzman, who is KTVT-TV's chief editor in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, as well as serving as NPPA's Best Of Photojournalism TV Editing chair; writer, producer and director Lori Kay Allred of Denver, CO, who creates content for HGTV and Fine Living Network, who previously worked as chief editor for KPHO-TV5 in Phoenix and at KMGH-TV7 in Denver; and John Hyjek of NBC News in Atlanta, a three-time winner of NPPA's Video Editor of the Year award and a three-time Emmy Award winner.

The contest was coordinated for the fourth year by Merry Murray of KSNW-TV in Wichita, KS, who has been an NPPA volunteer for more than 15 years and served on NPPA's board of directors as Region 7's associate director.

For more information on NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism contest please contact Thomas Kenniff at contests@nppa.org.

The Best Of Photojournalism is sponsored by Canon, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and the National Press Photographers Association.

 

Read earlier coverage of the television categories being judged

 

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