WDSU, Hearst’s NBC affiliate in New Orleans, received the 2021 Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for its breaking news coverage of Hurricane Ida.

The category was Television Breaking News Coverage (Large-Market Station: 1-50 market or Network/Syndication).

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Judges chose the winners from entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2021.

This is the second year in a row that WDSU has been awarded top honors for the Breaking News – Large Market category.

This year, the honor was given to WDSU for its coverage of Hurricane Ida which made landfall in Southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, 2021.

Coverage consisted of multiple reporters throughout the region providing minute-by-minute updates on conditions as the storm made landfall and the damage left behind, and updates from the WDSU weather team.

Together, WDSU offered 79 continuous hours of coverage before, during, and after the hurricane.

Do awards matter in local TV news? Should you promote winning an award?

In most cases, depending on the award, it’s confirmation by an independent jury of peers that your coverage was outstanding.

In this case, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is a non-profit organization which does not charge a fee to the winning news organizations for use of the award.

There are some organizations that do charge a fee for use of their award.

According to the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), there were 30 entries in the same category as WDSU from stations in Chicago, San Francisco, Nashville and more.

So in a promo, you can make a claim and then substantiate it with evidence, the proof being the award.

In WDSU’s promo, the point is made that not only is WDSU the breaking news leader in New Orleans, but in the nation.

Here’s WDSU’s submission that received the award:

Here’s the promo featuring the award:

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