Growth and Development Reporting

First Place: Staff, KING, Seattle.

The KING staff won first place with "Taxing Traffic," which the judges described as "a thorough, in-depth examination of ballot measures designed to fix Washington State's massive traffic mess."

"The judges found the reports creative, objective, well written and clearly presented, with a critical eye toward claims being made on both sides."

Judged by Tony Pipitone, investigative reporter, and Tim Arnheim, executive producers/special projects, both of WKMG; Lawan Williams, consumer producer, and Jodie Fleischer, reporter, and Debbie Levy, morning show producer, all of WFTV; and Tim Brown, videographer, WESH, all of Orlando. 2 entries.

Immigration and Minority Affairs Reporting

First Place: Zoua Pa-Naoblia Vang and John Collins, KSEE, Fresno.

Second Place: Kim Edwards, J.W. August, Amy Murphy and Rett Lawrence, KGTV, San Diego.

Third Place: Ben Saboonchian, Bill Skok and Peter Gamba, KIRO, Seattle.

Vang and Collins won first place with "Trail of Tears."

"This was deeply personal, incredibly informative and very moving," the judge wrote. "The interviews with family members validated the whole premise –

that the Hmong had to fight for their lives to get to a new life. Zoua Vang never made this about her … it was about her people … it was great TV."

Second place went to the KGTV team for "Slavery."

"Kim Edwards’ narration of a difficult subject had exactly the right tone," the judge wrote. "What makes it even more powerful is that no solutions are provided because there aren’t any. It was a powerful expose on a kind of immigrant abuse that people who don’t live in border states might find hard to believe."

Saboonchian, Skok and Gamba took third place with "In the Line of Duty."

"On the basis of production alone this is a winner," the judge wrote. "There have been hundreds of documentaries about local police departments, but the people profiled and the storytelling set it apart."

Judged by Tim Malloy, senior reporter, WPTV, West Palm Beach, Fla. 8 entries.

Environment and Natural Resources Reporting

First Place: Tim Jensen, KING, Seattle.

Second Place: Tim Jensen, KING, Seattle.

Third Place: Scott Miller and Tyrone Maxie, KING, Seattle.

Jensen earned first place with "Ghost Nets."

"The mood of this piece perfectly matched the subject matter," the judges wrote. "The story engrossed the watcher: one man doing what he can to save wildlife from meeting its fate in old fishing nets. One could truly understand his struggle and, more importantly, why he is doing it and why we should all take notice. The writing, photography and editing worked so well together. One of those stories that you will think about long after turning off the television."

Second place also went to Jensen, for "Heli-Logging."

"The opening shot of this piece is breathtaking and sets the scene wonderfully," the judges wrote. "What I really liked about this story: it showed that both commercial and environmental interests can co-exist, without detriment to either. That's an important concept. And it got that message across without being preachy. Very balanced."

Miller and Maxie grabbed third place with "Salmon Farming."

"Scott Miller and his team do a great job getting the viewer involved in the story," the judge wrote. "rom start to finish, Miller guides you through the issue in an understandable way, working in different viewpoints and story points so smoothly you can't tell when one starts and one ends. At the end, you feel you know everything you need to know about the issue but don't feel like you've spent more than two minutes in front of the set. Amazing television."

Judged by John Dobken, news anchor, and Tom Latek, assignment manager, both of WTVQ, Lexington, Ky. 18 entries.

Spot News Reporting

First Place: Staff, KIRO, Seattle.

Second Place: Staff, KING, Seattle.

Third Place: Dan Weinbaum and Carey Olsen, KRQE, Albuquerque.

The KIRO staff earned first place with "Serial Sniper: Northwest Connection."

"This was first rate coverage," the judges wrote. "It was clear, concise, with reporters in all the right places. Graphics throughout coverage added a lot to the viewers undestanding of where people were and what was being covered. Strong field reporting under pressure made this entry a winner."

Second place went to the KING staff for "Sniper Search."

"Nice exclusive on a national story," the judge wrote. "It was obvious this team was first rate in getting video and information that no one else had."

Weinbaum and Olsen grabbed third place with "The Valley Fire."

"Excellent use of natural sound to help take the viewer to the action, "the judges wrote. "Extremely well shot, with sound popping out to highlight the intensity of the situation."

Judged by Carolyn Mungo, reporter, and Gregg Hamilton, photographer, both of KHOU in Houston. 13 entries.

Consumer Reporting

First Place (tie): Wayne Havrelly and Shawn Hoder, KIRO, Seattle.

First Place (tie): Bebe Emerman and Shawn Hoder, KIRO, Seattle.

Second Place: Ross McLaughlin, Shawn Hoder and Lara Underhill, KIRO, Seattle.

Third Place: Chris Halsne, Bill Benson and Peter Gamba, KIRO, Seattle.

Havrelly and Hoder earned one first place award with "Cornered Contractor."

"The judges liked this story because it impacted a lot of people but also pointed out a flaw in state law," the judges wrote. "Way to hold the authorities accountable! The reporting was very thorough, tracing the contractor's history all the way to another state.  The group interview with victims was a great touch."

Emermand Hoder won the other first place award with "Out of Business."

"The image of the store’s victim sitting on the floor was priceless!" the judges wrote. "Nicely done. The judges were also impressed with the vast number of documents obtained about the business. And, once again, we learned about a loophole in state law. We won't be shopping in Washington state any time soon!"

Second place went to McLaughlin, Hoder and Underhill for "Glade Plug-ins."

"What a novelty to discover a potentially hazardous product before the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls it! That was our favorite thing about this story. It was in-depth and fair and definitely of interest to viewers."

Halsne, Benson and Gamba grabbed third place with "Disposable Cameras."

"This is one of those pocketbook issues that makes people mad!" the judges wrote. "The judges thought the piece was well-rounded. We really liked the live demonstrations of how to tell if you've bought a used camera."

Judged by Elisabeth Leamy, senior investigative reporter/consumer, Fox 5 WTTG, and Murray Schweitzer, consumer and investigative producer, WRC, News 4, both of Washington, D.C. 16 entries.

Investigative Reporting

First Place: Tony Kovaleski, Jeff Harris, Kurt Silver and Jason Foster, KMGH, Denver.

Second Place: Brian Maass and Carisa Scott, KCNC, Denver.

Third Place: Susannah Frame, Tyrone Maxie and Kellie Cheadie, KING, Seattle.

The KMGH team took first place with "$100 million taxpayer-funded firetrap."

"This story has it all!" one judge wrote. "Good video, great natural sound, awesome whistleblowers! Pictures matched the story, and the standups were great. Great title that actually delivered the goods! This was a big deal story. Way to go!"

Second place went to Maass and Scott for "Protecting Your Safety?"

"Classic gotcha!" one judge wrote. "As awful as life was after 9/11, this investigation hit chord because airport security really changed for us all. Good undercover, great graphics! I loved the use of the clock."

"Very well told and documented," another judge wrote. "Easy to understand."

Frame, Maxie and Cheadie garnered third place with "Fugitive Aid."

"Great story that can be done in many cities, " one judge wrote. "Good database matching. Nice touch to show another city that has fixed the problem."

"Good records match, exposed an alarming loophole in the system and showed how it was solved in Massachusetts," another judge wrote.

Judged by Chris Cantergiani, investigative producer; Erin Frederickson, photographer; Dave Darling, photographer/editor; and Ron Keller, former newscast producer and current creative services producer; all of WSB in Atlanta, plus Myra Cuevas, a WSB trainee who's a journalist for Spain's EFE news agency). 17 entries.

Feature Reporting, Same Day

First Place: John Sharify and Tim Griffis, KOMO, Seattle.

Second Place: Chris Legeros, KIRO, Seattle.

Third Place: Jim Carreno and Mike Stephens, KPNX, Phoenix, and The Arizona Republic.

Sharify and Griffis won first place with "Bus Route #60."

"The reporter and editor used natural sound throughout the story," the judges wrote. "Lots of quick edits made you feel as if you were on that bus. Great editing. The angles used by the photographer were very creative and again took us the viewers to the bus. The reporter crafted his telling of the story with the quick sound bites in a very effective manner."

Second place went to Legeros for "Ostrich Rescue."

"The reporter is a great storyteller," the judges wrote. "The writing was terrific and matched the video terrifically. The natural sound use was also a nice touch. Great video, which certainly helped tell this story. What some stations would have turned into a voice-over kicker this reporter definitely took to the next several levels."

Carreno and Stephens grabbed third place with "Jukebox."

"Good natural sound use," the judges wrote. "And it was shot very well. Good elements with the different SOTS. Good writing."

Judged by Kari King, news director, KFDA-TV/DT & KTMO-LP, Amarillo, Texas. 15 entries.

Feature Reporting, No Time Limit

First Place: John Sharify, Scott Hopson, Doug Pigsley and Darrin Tegman, KOMO, Seattle.

Second Place: Randy Neves and Kurt Austin, KGW, Portland.

Third Place: Peter Rosen, KUTV, West Valley City, Utah.

The KOMO team earned first place with "Gifts of Life."

"This was clearly the best story of the 42 submissions.  The judges watched it several times," the judges wrote. "Not just for judging purposes … we liked it. This type of story can get bogged down for lack of natural sound and over-use of still photos. This one avoided all the pitfalls inherent in an obit. You made us care about someone we don’t know. Thank you."

Second place went to Neves and Austin for "Motor Scooting Mecca."

"Great photography, terrific use of soundbites and a well-written piece," the judges wrote. "This story made me jealous."

Rosen garnered third place with "When Hummingbirds Attack."

"This was a great oddball story where the photographer shot the heck out of it and the reporter turned a potential VO into a fun package," the judges wrote.

Judged by Mike Redding, Carolina traveler, and Sean Lyon, photojournalist, both of WCNC, Charlotte, N.C., and Tonia Bendickson, anchor, WBTV, Charlotte, N.C. 40 entries.

Series Reporting

First Place: John Sharify, Bill Strothman and Darrin Tegman, KOMO, Seattle.

Second Place: Chris Halsne, Bill Benson and Peter Gamba, KIRO, Seattle.

Third Place: Staff, KAET, Tempe, Ariz.

Sharify, Strothman and Tegman won first place with "Riches to Rags."

"Great storytelling, great voiceover," the judge wrote. "This story was able to highlight the homeless situation without being overly dramatic and by telling a real person’s story and generating plenty of public support. It’s a fine piece of work. In addition, the reporter stayed out of the way and let the story tell itself."

Second place went to Halsne, Benson and Gamba for "Children for Sale."

"Very nice job, without exploiting the kids involved," the judge wrote. "We saw what appears to be a very dark side of ‘adoption.’ The story was very clear to unfold the problem, explain the situation and bring some resolution."

The KAET staff grabbed third place with "Prescription Prognosis," three half-hour "Horizon" program specials that used a "Nightline"-like conversation format to educate viewers about the reasons behind the high cost of drugs, the cost saving options available to them and what the government could do about it.

"Great research and strong viewer value," the judge wrote. "What could have been overwhelming information was boiled down, explained and presented very well. The story is told with a number of ‘real people’ facing a very real problem."

Judged by Bob Clausen, anchor, KARK, Little Rock. 12 entries.

Sports Reporting

First Place: Ron Pivo and Alex Lynch, KGW, Portland.

Second Place: Jason Barry and Gannon Hubler, KPHO, Phoenix.

Pivo and Lynch grabbed first place with "Bark in the Park."

"Well shot, well-edited piece – good use of nat sound," the judge wrote. "Piece showed humor and the "human" side of dogs – we thought the piece was edited more effectively than it was written, although the writing was just fine. Photographer/editor took the extra time to make the piece stand out. Doing a story on dogs attending a ballgame lends itself to creativity, but the folks who executed this package really stepped to the plate – not a grand slam here, but a solo job over 450 feet."

Second place went to Barry and Hubler for "Game, Set, Match."

"Very strong shooting and editing here – well constructed," the judge wrote. "Our only problem was with the subject of the story. Certainly there are thousands of 10-year-old tennis players around our country – and while this girl is very good, where's the news value here? All parties who did this piece did a great job taking an average story and making it look great – we're just wondering what the catch was. Nice piece – easy to watch – good job."

Judged by Rick Karle, sports director; Brian Pope, sports producer; Jac Kaufman, sports photographer; Mike Dubberly, sports anchor; and Sheldon Haygood, sports anchor, all of WBRC, Birmingham, Ala. 2 entries.

Daily General Assignment News Photojournalism

First Place: Kurt Austin, KGW, Portland.

Second Place: Matthew E. Knisely, KNXV, Phoenix.

Third Place: Eric Olson, KING, Seattle.

Austin, the first place winner, "had excellent sequences, laced with nat pops that were seamless," the judges wrote. "Truly great work."

"Our second place choice (Knisely) also showed good storytelling basics, but ended up short in the shot variety area – he used his wide-eye WAY too much," the judges wrote.

"Finally our third place choice (Olson) also showed a knowledge of the basics, but fell short in two important areas," the judges wrote. "Audio disappeared under the reporter track. Some key nuggets of sound to match video were gone. Another weakness (and a weakness that we’ve noticed with all entrants) is the over-use of dissolves. There are far, far too many dissolves in pieces.

"The entrants who stood out from the pack showed a mastery of the basics," the judges wrote. "Shots were varied and purposeful, audio was smooth and peppered with many natural moments and the stories had a clear focus. 

Judged by Edward Fox, photojournalist and National Press Photographers Association Region 3 clip chair, and Nathan West and Jon Stimets, photojournalists, all of WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, Pa. 6 entries.

Sports Photojournalism

First Place: Ley Vaughn and Dave Hall, KVVU, Henderson, Nev.

Second Place: Chris Bollini, KFTY, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Vaughn and Hall earned first place with "Petty Up!"

"Excellent use of natural sound and sound, good quick pace," the judges wrote. "Covered all angles and elements to communicate the Nascar experience."

Second place went to Bollini for "They’re Off."

"Great opening," the judges wrote. "Nice natural sound throughout. Overall, a well-shot and well-edited piece."

Judged by Robert Paniagua, news photojournalist; David deFranchi, video photographer; and John Mubarak,, special projects editor, all of KTRK, Houston. 4 entries.

Videography/Photography

First Place: Ken McCormick, KGW, Portland.

Second Place: Kurt Austin, KGW, Portland.

Third Place: Bill Skok, KIRO, Seattle.

McCormick earned first place with "Cancer Climb."

"Great hustle," the judges wrote. "Nice sequencing, good transitions, solid shots that were nicely composed. Nice surprise, but maybe could’ve been better presented. Overall, excellent work in harsh conditions. Nice nats. I felt like I was there with them. Great variety of shots, great lighting."

Second place went to Austin for "Motor Scooting Mecca."

"Nice sequences, nice nats, nice job of capturing characters," the judges wrote. "Good edit pace. Nice photography. Great shots, great compositions, great sequencing. Loved the POV shots on the scooter. Needed better ending shot."

Skok grabbed third place with "In The Line Of Duty."

"Nice open, tightly edited sequences in open," the judges wrote. "The boxes worked. Great lighting in interviews. The pacing slowed when you got to the actual story and you could feel it (not a good thing). Needed a transition shot from night to day. Very cops style, great production value, great moments. Love how you stuck with one officer."

Judged by Brett Akagi, director of photography, John Drilling, news photojournalist, and Scott Jensen, news photojournalist, all of KARE, Minneapolis-St. Paul. 11 entries.

Video Editing

Category cancelled.

Video Essay/Natural Sound

First Place: Chris Potts, KVVU, Henderson, Nev.

Second Place: Brian Weister, KMGH, Denver.

Third Place (tie): Chris Bollini, KFTY, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Third Place (tie): Ley Vaughn, KVVU, Henderson, Nev.

Potts earned first place with "Drags."

"Energetic, fun to watch, good pacing, music well used," the judges wrote.

Second place went to Weister for "Scorched Earth: Colorado Summer 2002."

"Good emotion, made us feel like we were there," the judges wrote.

Bollini grabbed one third place prize with "Celebrating the Fourth."

"Good pacing, made a re-enactment into a well -told story," the judges wrote.

Vaughn took the other third place prize with "Marta Becket."

"Storytelling was very good," the judges wrote. "Could have slowed down some of the dissolves for better pacing."

Judged by Merry Murray, photojournalist; Chanda Brown, reporter; and Terry Weathers, producer, all of KSNC, Great Bend, Kan. 10 entries.