When people think of Boston, they think snow, not tornadoes. Tornadoes are extremely rare in the Boston area. In fact, no tornado has hit the town of Revere, Mass., just five miles northeast of downtown Boston, since records began being kept in 1950. But last July, a destructive tornado tore up Revere and Chelsea, with […]
When people think of Boston, they think snow, not tornadoes.
Tornadoes are extremely rare in the Boston area. In fact, no tornado has hit the town of Revere, Mass., just five miles northeast of downtown Boston, since records began being kept in 1950.
But last July, a destructive tornado tore up Revere and Chelsea, with winds of 120 mph. It sat on the town for four minutes along a path two miles long and 3/8th of a mile wide.
It’s a miracle no one was seriously injured. It was later determined to be an F-2 tornado.
And for its coverage of the tornado and aftermath on its 11 o’clock newscast that night, WCVB earned the National Edward R. Murrow Award for large market newscast.
When a breaking news event like a tornado happens, especially one so rare, it reveals the character of a news operation.
Breaking news like this elbows its way, unannounced and unapologetic, into the newsroom and demands attention.
Personnel need to be directed, logistics figured out, resources allocated quickly, sometimes blindly.
So the inference to me is that if WCVB performed well-enough to win a national Murrow for this day’s coverage of a rare event, what must its coverage be like most nights?
“This national Murrow award is a testament to the extraordinary talent and hard work of our NewsCenter 5 team,” said Andrew Vrees, WCVB’s news director.
“It is the highest form of praise to be recognized in such a way by our peers and I am very proud of our entire team.”
Click here to see a WCVB story detailing the path of the tornado.
Below is the promo about the award and below that is WCVB’s submission of its 11 o’clock newscast with its tornado coverage.
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