WDIO News receives two Sevareid Awards

WDIO News was honored at the Midwest Journalism Conference on Saturday. The news station received two Eric Sevareid awards at the ceremony in Minneapolis.

The Lift won a first-place award for Lifestyle or Specialty programming. In only its second season, The Lift has become a local favorite, bringing fresh, fun tips from local experts and insiders. Host Baihly Warfield and Producer Megan Graftaas launched the show with the mission statement “Finding good as we explore, learn, and play.”

“Staying true to this mantra is one of the key pieces of the show’s success,” said Graftaas. “In creating this program, we’ve discovered so much good happening in our Northland communities. It’s been such a joy.”

And people of the Northland have taken note.

“From Day One, this community responded and got on board with what we were doing on The Lift,” added Warfield. “There was a clear desire to focus on the positive, and we’re more than happy to meet it,”.

Brandon Weatherz also won an award of merit for his Weatherz School segment: Upwelling on Lake Superior. This particular session explains how a simple shift in wind direction can drastically change the surface temperatures on Lake Superior.

Weatherz School has been a fixture on Good Morning Northland for the past two years, and viewers have embraced an in-depth looks at the weather.

“Northlanders are weather-smart, and they can handle a more scientific look into what they’re experiencing,” said Weatherz. “They’ve indulged my deep dives on topics like upwelling on Lake Superior for this entry, and for that I’m very grateful. I’ve really enjoyed having this outlet to discuss things that just don’t fit in a typical weather segment during a newscast.”

Both WDIO/WIRT-DT awards are in the “Small Market” Division.

The Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association is an organization, chartered in 1949, of radio and television journalists working in the six-state Upper Midwest region including Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The NBNA recognizes the best in journalism in its Eric Sevareid Award program. The Eric Sevareid Awards are named after the long-time journalist and commentator with CBS News.