ORLANDO, Fla. — Channel 9 Eyewitness News has won awards in five categories in the 2017 Florida Associated Press Broadcasters contest.
WFTV Channel 9 won best station for breaking news in a major market for its coverage of the Pulse nightclub massacre and its continuing coverage in the days afterward.
Executive producers Jason Balthazar and Autumn Jones won a public affairs documentary award for their production of “Pulse: Stories of Orlando Strong." The hourlong documentary, which was produced days after the terror attack, tells the stories of the victims.
Executive producer Grace Bridges, producer Tom Cook and producer Chantal Lamberth won best television morning newscast in a major market for their roles in producing "Channel 9 Eyewitness News This Morning."
Executive producers April Starinsky and Jason Balthazar won best evening television newscast in a major market.
Sports anchor Christian Bruey won an award for best sports feature in a major market for his report "From the battlefield to the football field," which tells the story of a soldier who returned from the Iraq War to play football for the University of Central Florida.
"We're all proud to receive this recognition by The Associated Press," news director Matt Parcell said. "It honors an exceptional group of journalists who carry on a long tradition of serving our community every day and in every newscast."
Almost 40 broadcast outlets submitted more than 500 entries in the contest, which featured news, sports and weather stories from 2016.