Media Buzz | News/views about local media

Times wins big at Texas APME

The El Paso Times won several awards at this past weekend's Texas Associated Press Managing Editors contest in College Station, including the coveted Newspaper of the Year Award in its circulation category (30,000 to 124,999 daily papers printed).

The Newspaper of the Year award recognizes overall excellence in reporting, writing, photography and design in all sections of the newspaper.

On top of the paper-wide award, Times staffers won 14 individual awards. Here's a list:

• Brett Bloomquist, first place, sports feature writing.
• Vanessa Monsisvais, first place, spot news photography.
• Mark Lambie, first place, photojournalism.
• Monica Krausse, headline writing.
• Ramon Renteria, second place, feature writing.
• Stephanie Sanchez, second place, feature series writing
• Bill Knight, second place, sports column writing.
• Joe Muench, second place, editorial writing.
• Pablo Villa and Jay Koester, third place, best blog.
• Sports staff, honorable mention, spot sports writing.
• Renteria, honorable mention, general column writing.
• Vic Kolenc, honorable mention, business reporting.
• Villa, honorable mention, news page design.
• Villa, honorable mention, Star Designer of the Year award.

Alicia Caldwell, the Associated Press reporter in El Paso, won second place in the AP Writer of the Year award.

Pedro Villagrana gone from KINT

KINT-TV Channel 26 reporter Pedro Villagrana is no longer working at the Univision affiliate, officials at the No.1 rated station confirmed today. Officials would not comment on the unscheduled departure of their longest-serving reporter, but did say his last day with the station was Friday.

Pedro was somewhat of an institution at Channel 26. He was part of the station's original line up when it launched its newscast in 1985. He was a fixture at City Council meetings and at one point served as a board member of the El Paso Press Club.

No word yet on what's next for Villagrana, but he could fit in the reported newscast launch that the El Paso Telemundo station, KTDO-TV Channel 48, has allegedly been planning.

Herrera to leave KDBC/KTSM

Ramon Herrera, the workhorse reporter for KDBC-TV Channel 4 and KTSM Channel 9, is leaving El Paso on March 24. He has accepted an anchor/reporter job in Wilmington, N.C.

Herrera will begin work at WWAY-TV, the ABC affiliate in Wilmington in mid April.

"I'm happy," said the El Paso native and Montwood High School graduate. "It's an opportunity to get back on the anchor desk and get more experience."

Herrera had worked at KDBC since February 2009, soon after he graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos. He was one of two KDBC reporters who kept their jobs when KTSM took over management of KDBC late last year. Since then, he has been a fixture on both channels.

In Wilmington, Herrera will join his former KDBC news director Scott Pickey. The Wilmington market is smaller than El Paso, by the way. Wilmington is market 133. El Paso is 98.

Herrera is also leaving his spot as a board member of the El Paso Press Club.

Local stations do well at TAPB

KVIA-TV Channel 7, KFOX-TV Channel 14 and KINT-TV Channel 26 did well at this year's Texas Associated Press Broadcasters awards.

Here's a rundown of the local winners:

BEST NEWSCAST
•First place: KVIA's 10 p.m., Jonathan Eaves and Ozzie Carrillo producers.
•Honorable mention: KINT's 5 p.m.

BEST SPOT STORY BY AN INDIVIDUAL
•First place: KVIA's Ken Molestina and Miguel Mendez for "Apartment Explosion."
•Honorable mention: KVIA's Marissa Monroy and David Moreno for "Chaparral Fire."

BEST FEATURE, SERIOUS
•Second place: KVIA's Marissa Monroy and Tom Scott for "Tortugas Pilgrimage."

BEST FEATURE, LIGHT
•First place: KVIA's Gerardo Najera for "Capoeira."

BEST PHOTOJOURNALISM
•Second place: KFOX.

BEST PHOTOJOURNALISM BY AN INDIVIDUAL
•Second place: KFOX's Rudy Reyes.
•Honorable mention: KVIA's Miguel Mendez.

BEST SPORTS STORY
•Second place: KVIA's Paul Cicala for "Venue in Jeopardy of Closing: Ruidoso Downs."

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY/SPECIAL
•First place: KFOX's Rudy Reyes for "Biggs Fly Girls."

BEST SERIES
•Second place: KINT's Arturo Alba and Oscar Almaraz for "Pandillas en El Paso."

BEST REPORTER
•Honorable mention: KFOX's Daniel Novick.

BEST GENERAL ASSIGNMENT
•First place: KVIA's Abe Lubetkin and Tom Scott for "Empty Air."

BEST WEB SITE
•First place: KFOX.
•Honorable mention: KVIA.

BEST FEATURE EDITING
•Honorable mention: KFOX's Rudy Reyes for "See With Your Eyes."

BEST MORNING NEWSCAST
•Second place: KVIA, Adrian Ochoa and Denise Olivas, producers.

Congrats to all the winners!

Media v. EPPD, Part Deux

It wasn't quite Darrengate, but the good people at KTSM-TV Channel 9/KDBC-TV Channel 4 had their own running with the El Paso Police Department last week.

Hollis Grizzard, the manager for both stations, was on his way home on Thurday when he drove by the site of an accident involving a car and a pedestrian near the corner of Sunland Park Drive and Mesa Street. As most journalists would do, he pulled over and started reporting. He used his cell phone's video recorder to catch paramedics work on the boy who had suffered from non-life threatening injuries.

A police officer with the name tag of J. Chavez, came over and ordered Grizzard to leave, first and then question him about why he was shooting a minor. I should mention here that the site of traffic accidents are not private if they're in the public right of way, and that anyone — from the general public to members of the media — has the right to take pictures and shoot video if they so desire. Of course, they can't interfere with the work of law enforcement or emergency personnel, and they have to obey traffic rules.

Grizzard, it seems, was doing everything he is entitled to do, although he did admit to standing on a private driveway for "3 seconds."

A police spokesman said an investigation has been started.

To see Channel 9's news story on this incident click here.

Bowie and Austin game to be shown by KVIA

If you're an Oso Orgulloso de la Bowie or a Proud Austin Panther, you're in luck.

KVIA-TV Channel 7 announced today that it will broadcast both schools' regional tournament games on its Stormtrack 24-7 channel. That's Channel 7.3 on digital television, Channel 367 on Time Warner Cable and Channel 204 on Comcast Cable.The game will also be streamed live on kvia.com.

Coverage will start at 4:30 p.m. Friday and sports reporter Paul Cicala will provide play-by-play commentary.

KTSM and KDBC simulcast

Nope. You were not seeing double last night during the 10 p.m. news. Both KTSM-TV Channel 9 and KDBC-TV Channel 4 showed the same newscast in the evening that of course focused on election results from Tuesday's primaries.

Although both Channel 4 and Channel 9 are produced in the same building by the same company, each station has different anchors and a distinct look.

On Tuesday, though, to make full use of its lot of journalists, both stations ran the same newscast. That meant that Channel 4 anchor Nichole Ayoub was out and about reporting on the field. She was seen interviewing Veronica Escobar at her victory party.

The anchor for the simulcast was Channel 9 anchor Ben Swann.