(UPDATED)
Okay, okay…enough with the ranting about fake presidential candidates, weathercasters and global warming.
Media news (of sorts) transpired over the weekend — the annual Upper Midwest Emmy Awards — and I’m here to break up the six-pages of winners into some edible doses for y’all.
Lambert, who finds award-tallying to be beneath his station, will hopefully weigh in later with some truly dignified poop about the nasty pistol-whipping-in-print that C.J. inflicted on crack KSTP I-Teamer Bob McNaney for his Emmy presenting.
First things first. It was a close race, but KMSP edged out WCCO in most Emmys won — Channel 9 nabbed 17; Ch. 4 won 15, including a couple biggies: Best Evening Newscast for its 10 p.m. show and Best Sports Anchor to mainstay Mark Rosen. KARE pulled in third with 11 awards, followed by a tie between KSTP and Fox News North, each with 7. KSTP’s Emmys included one for anchor John Mason, several for its breaking news coverage–on air and online–plus one for perennial winner Jason “On the Road” Davis. Twin Cities Public Television took home three Emmys, two of them to “Almanac.”
Almost half of KARE’s awards went, as they always do, to features from super-reporter Boyd Huppert, who must have a warehouse full of hardware by now (including a national Emmy this year). KSMP investigative journalist Trish Van Pilsum was another multiple award-winner, along with ‘CCO “Good Question” asker Ben Tracy and that segment’s pro shooter, Joe Berglove. Fox Sports Net North’s Anthony LaPanta took home several awards–one for sports play-by-play–as did producers Jeff Byle, Trevor Fleck and John Stroh.
Photojournalism Emmys went to KARE’s Jonathan Malat (sports), KMSP’s Andy Shilts (news) and Phil Thiesse at KSTP (program).
Online — or “advanced media” as it is known to the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences — was a prominent category this year, with awards in 17 categories. Judging from the number of awards it garnered–5–KMSP has gotten the hang of online much better than its competitors. Coming in second in this category with four awards was–watch out–startribune.com, definitely a new face at this shindig.
There were even blogging awards (do you hear that, Lambert?). WCCO’s Jason DeRusha was named best online personality affiliated with a media outlet; Sheletta Brundidge won in the independent online personality category.
(Lambert Adds:) Awards for blogging? Does this mean I should bathe, groom and buy a tie? Maybe next year, huh?
I called Bob McNaney about this latest shot from C.J. The man was not pleased, but knows the C.J. game — react negatively and feel the pain for additional months on end — well enough to leave his on-record response at either, “Who cares what C.J. says?”, or “I’m not giving her the time of day”, take your pick.
I haven’t exactly made a science of this, but apparently the Strib’s most relentless local media watcher — sorry, Neal (Justin) — has been after McNaney for years. But it flared up anew this past winter when McNaney filed several tough pieces on U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose, simultaneous with C.J. defending/lauding the curiously inexperienced and partisan-tainted replacement for Tom Heffelfinger.
A professional assessment here; I regard McNaney as one of the half dozen best TV reporters in town. His stuff is invariably solid. But that’s just my read on the small stuff … i.e. how he does his job. I gather that unlike quite a few other TV types, skittish anchors in particular, McNaney hasn’t played the C.J. game, parceling out “scoops” like protection money to curry favor and avoid her wrath, and those railroad cars full of ink.
Maybe next year we’ll give out awards … unless we win a blogging Emmy, of course.
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