From today's (4/11/04) Tuscaloosa News:

Local TV station WVUA 7 wins 9 broadcast awards

From staff reports
April 11, 2004

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Television station WVUA 7 won nine awards, including Most Outstanding News Operation in its class, in the 2003 Alabama Associated Press Broadcasters Association contest.

Also in the contest, WVUA's Gary Harris was named Best Sports Anchor for the fourth consecutive year.

Other winners at the station were:
Best Reporter: Brock Parker.
Best Weather Anchor: Wes Wyatt.
Best Documentary: Lynn Brooks, Philip Coleman, Michael Nix, Jerome Davis, Scott Spence, Tony Humphries, Jill Thompson and Sarah Black for “Making Sense of the Tax Plan.”
Best Spot News Story: Yas Richardson and Jerome Davis for “Tornado.”

Best Feature Story: Kristy Guy and Jerome Davis for “Choir.”
Best Sports Feature: John Huddleston for “Fan.”
Victor Irving Best Staff Photography: Jerome Davis, Clayton Zook and John Huddleston.

WVUA 7 News Director Lynn Brooks said the station does four live newscasts a day with a handful of staff members, including just one full-time reporter and one full-time photographer.

“That's why being named Most Outstanding News Operation is quite a feat,” Brooks said. “This shows our overall news product, from breaking news coverage to severe weather to local sports coverage, is better than any station our size in Alabama.”

The contest among television stations was divided into three classes based on the populations of the areas they serve.

WVUA 7 competed in Class AAA of the contest, but the station's nine awards were the most among all classes.

Class AA stations include those in Huntsville and Montgomery. Class A stations are in Birmingham and Mobile.

WAFF in Huntsville and ABC 33/40 in Birmingham were named Most Outstanding News Operations in Class AA and AAA, respectively.

A panel of broadcasters in Kentucky judged the entries. The awards were announced during the recent Alabama AP Broadcasters Association's annual convention in Orange Beach.

WVUA 7 is one of only two commercial stations in the country owned by a university. Purchased in June 2001 by the University of Alabama, the station is a major selling point for the Capstone's broadcast news program, Brooks said.

“We're very demanding when it comes to our student workers, but it pays off. Right now we have former interns working everywhere from Tampa, Fla., to Huntsville,” she said.