FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Maria Lamarca Anderson, Community Relations Manager
206.728.7777/mlanderson@kirotv.com

SEATTLE--KIRO 7 Eyewitness News received the National Edward R. Murrow Award for “Overall Excellence.” This distinguished honor recognizes KIRO 7’s outstanding achievements in 2008 and is the second time in six years the station has received this national award.

The judges based their decision on a variety of major news stories and extensive reports that aired throughout the year. They included breaking news coverage of a shooting in Downtown Seattle; up-to-the-minute team coverage of severe weather; continuing coverage of a deadly rampage in Skagit County; Secrets of Our Weather, a documentary exploring the intricacies of Northwest weather hosted by KIRO 7 chief meteorologist Rebecca Stevenson; Puget Sound in Peril, a series on environmental issues facing Puget Sound; in-depth consumer reports into home construction; and comprehensive investigations into safety matters.

According to the judges, "KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reflects the highest standards of credible, engrossing journalism through reasoned and relevant story selection; aggressive, inventive reporting; and rich, vibrant production values. Their news team is engaging and street smart while reporting and presenting urgent and emphatic stories, without ever stooping to inflammatory rhetoric or alarmist inflection. They should be held as a mature model for major market, broadcast news."

“This is truly an honor for our newsroom and our station,” says Todd Mokhtari, KIRO 7 News Director and Web Manager. “It shows our commitment to our community and our viewers. We have a staff dedicated to covering local news and this award shows the depth of our staff’s skills.”

The Radio-Television News Directors Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.

This top honor joins other prestigious awards the station received earlier in the year. In March, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News was recognized by the Press Club with National Headliner awards for “Best Newscast” and “Coverage of a Live Breaking News Event.” In May, KIRO 7 was presented with Regional Emmy awards for “Overall Excellence, “Best Morning/Daytime Newscast,” “Best Evening Newscast,” and excellence in “Breaking News/Continuing Coverage” on kirotv.com and “Audio.” The station also received Regional Murrow awards for “Best Newscast” and “Best Videography.”

“This National Murrow is especially meaningful because it recognizes the excellence that exists throughout the newsroom and the entire building,” says Eric Lerner, KIRO 7 Vice President and General Manager. “Our team is committed to delivering the major news, weather and traffic every day and exploring issues that affect our viewers’ lives.”

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KIRO 7 is a Cox Media Group station and CBS affiliate serving Western Washington.

About Cox Media Group Cox Media Group, Inc. is a broadcasting, publishing and digital media subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises. It includes the broadcast stations of Cox Television and Cox Radio; publishing titles of Cox Newspapers; and the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps.