WTVY featured as “News Leader” in Broadcasting & Cable
(WTVY) — (excerpt from article)
Amidst all the noise about the TV industry, and where it's going, local news-and the journalists who deliver it-remain the steadfast cores of broadcasting. Keen on building deep-seated viewer trust, the country's top performing news talent have long played a range of community roles-neighbor, advocate, informer and analyst. All of which has become even more evident, and more critical, as an increasingly unwieldy world has pushed localism to the forefront.
In the last year, local broadcasters from Chicago, New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla., to Dothan Ala., have been there-keeping viewers safe from destructive storms, guiding them through a brutal election season and reporting on the devastating shootings that rocked communities. In our annual spotlight on winning journalists around the country B&C highlights some of the most popular, and effective, local broadcasters on-air today, based on the wins and reputations they have in their markets.
STATION: WTVY
MARKET: Dothan, Ala. (DMA No. 173)OWNER/AFFILIATION: Gray Television/CBS
PROGRAM/TIME: WTVY evening news at 6 p.m.
ANCHOR TEAM: Devon Sellers and Reginald Jones
TRACK RECORD: For the past 10 years, the top rated 6 p.m. newscast has averaged a 20 rating and 40 share in Nielsen numbers.
THEIR YEAR IN NEWS: WTVY pinpointed tornadoes several times live on-air before the National Weather Service, and live streams are broadcast on Facebook during severe weather warnings; heavy live sports coverage of events including [ed: Future] Masters Golf Tournament and Dothan Hoops Classic, as well as the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and Peach Bowl in Atlanta; a telethon raised $33,000 for 150 families rebuilding after flooding in December 2015.
WHY IT WORKS: "Throughout the years, WTVY was not merely in the community, but a vital part of it," said Jones. In the last year alone, for instance, the station partnered with the Red Cross of Eastern Alabama in raising thousands for flood victims, and during 2016, WTVY held two blood banks, a pet food drive and its annual holiday food drive. The Alabama Broadcasters Association awarded Sellers, Jones' co-anchor, for her "60 Minute Miracle," in which she gave someone $1,000 to pass on to a stranger in need within an hour of receiving it themselves "Over the decades people have come to depend on WTVY for their local news, weather and sports," Jones said. "By being actively involved, the station has earned viewers' trust."
