WEAU earns 17 total awards from WBA, including 4 top honors

MIDDLETON, Wis. (WEAU) - WEAU 13 News received four top honors, including 2021 Social & Digital Media Operation of the Year, at the 2021 Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Awards for Excellence at the Marriott West Madison in Middleton, Wis.

WEAU earned the top award for Best News Writing, Best Use of Social Media and Best Web Story.

Television and radio stations were able to submit material for judging in over two dozen different categories. Stations are sorted into small-, medium- and large-market, with Eau Claire-La Crosse ranked in the small-market category. All told, WEAU had 16 finalist spots, finishing with three 1st-place awards, three 2nd-place finishes, and 10 3rd-place honors. WEAU had 10 finalist entries in news and six finalist entries in digital. WEAU also had multiple finalist entries in Best Web Story.

The 2021 Social & Digital Media Operation of the Year is an award bestowed upon stations based on the results from select social and digital media categories. WEAU had two 1st-place finishes and four 3rd-place honors in 2021.

Longtime WEAU news photographer Duane Wolter accepted the honor on behalf of the WEAU 13 News staff. Primary WEAU 13 News digital team members include Danielle Wagner, who is also an evening news anchor for WEAU, and digital producer Samantha Nitz. However, every anchor, reporter and producer in the news room adds daily content to the website and social media, so the award is all-encompassing of team efforts.

Wisconsin Gray TV stations in Madison, Wausau and Green Bay also received several awards, with two stations picking up major station awards in 2021. WMTV (NBC 15) in Madison once again earned News Operation of the Year for 2021 in medium market, while WSAW in Wausau is once again the Station of the Year in small market.

You can see a full list of awards won by WEAU 13 News below as well as links to the entries. You can see the full list of television and radio award winners from the WBA by visiting the WBA’s website.

Here are WEAU’s awards:

• 2021 Social & Digital Media Station of the Year
• 1st - Best News Writing
• 1st - Best Web Story
• 1st - Best Use of Social Media
• 2nd - Best Live On-Scene Reporting
• 2nd - Best Weather Promotion
• 2nd - Best Public Service Announcement
• 3rd - Best Sportscast
• 3rd - Best Weathercast
• 3rd - Best Continuing Coverage
• 3rd - Best Feature
• 3rd - Best Sports Reporting
• 3rd - Best Coverage of Pandemic Recovery
• 3rd - Best Website
• 3rd - Best Web Story
• 3rd - Best Original Digital Content
• 3rd - Best Online Breaking News Coverage

WEAU earned 19 total honors at the 2020 WBA Awards For Excellence. You can see the recap from last year’s event here.

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