NEW ORLEANS — Anchor Charisse Gibson, Sports Director Doug Mouton and Photographer Adam Copus were big winners Saturday night at the New Orleans Press Club Awards gala as WWL-TV took home 12 first place awards.
Gibson, who has recently won a National Murrow award and Suncoast Emmys for her work including The Talk, a special show and town hall on race relations and tough conversations that black parents have with their sons along with a documentary on a nearly half-century old standoff with the NOPD and the Black Panthers, was named Best On Air Talent.
Doug Mouton was the winner of both Best Sportscast and Best Sports Show, and Photographer Adam Copus won two first place videography awards and the prestigious President’s Award for photography as the best video entry overall.
In all WWL-TV had 32 awards that included first, second and third place finishes.
WWL-TV’s first place finishes were across several categories including television videography, news, promotion, sports, digital and on-air talent.
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The Press Club also gave Lifetime Achievement Awards to Times-Picayune editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman and TV broadcaster Nancy Parker Boyd, who was remembered posthumously with a moving video and an acceptance speech by her husband Glen Boyd.
The first place awards were for the following:
Breaking News Coverage – Nursing home disaster after Hurricane Ida: Erika Ferrando, Derek Waldrip, Michael Bean.
Best On Air Talent – Charisse Gibson
Best Web Site – Tom Planchet, Sam Winstrom, Kevin Dupuy
Best Sports Show – Doug Mouton, 4th Down on Four
Best Sportscast – Doug Mouton
Best Photo Essay – Adam Ney, Louisiana town celebrates Heisman Trophy winner
Best Public Affairs – Devin Bartolotta, Sam Winstrom – Evacuee Desk
Best Station Promotion – Monica Resh, Paul Corcoran
Best Video Editing – Derek Waldrip
Best Breaking News Videography – Adam Copus, Powerless, but not Powerless
Best Video Storytelling – Adam Copus, Asian Hate
Best use of Facebook – Tom Planchet, Sam Winstrom, Kevin Dupuy
President’s Photography Award – Adam Copus
Honored with second and third place awards were:
Russell Drewery – General News Videography
T. J. Pipitone – Feature Videography
Adam Ney – Sports Videography
David Hammer – Breaking News Print Reporting, Investigative TV reporting
Chris McCrory – General News Print Reporting
Tom Planchet – Editorial
Payton Malone – Breaking News Reporting, Best Weathercast
Mike McDaniel – Best General News Reporting
Meg Farris, Derek Waldrip – Health Reporting
David Hammer, T.J. Pipitone – Government Reporting
Tom Planchet, Sam Winstrom, Kevin Dupuy – Best Use of Twitter
Karen Swensen – Best On Air Talent
Ian Kramer – Best Newscast
Torre Josey – Best Planned Event
Jamicah McNeil – Best Station Promotion
Ricardo LeCompte – Best Sports Feature, Best Sports Show, Best Sportscast
Doug Mouton – Best Sports Special