RICHMOND, Va. -- WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond, Virginia, was named Outstanding News Operation of the Virginias at the Associated Press Broadcasters Awards (VAPB) on Saturday.
The station earned 16 VAPB Awards — including 10 first-place wins for the 2025 coverage year. That is the most of any television station in Virginia.
Judges evaluated nearly 600 entries from 37 news organizations in Virginia and West Virginia to determine the first and second-place winners in multiple categories. First-place winners were announced during a luncheon at the Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Conference Center in Harrisonburg on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Kurt Williams, longtime anchor of WTKR-TV in Norfolk, was honored with this year’s Associated Press Robert Gallimore Distinguished Service Award. Williams started his career in radio while a student at Georgia State University and later worked at WXIA-TV and WDEF-TV. He joined WTKR in 1987.
The West Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Paul Swann, who began his radio broadcasting career 37 years ago at WMUL-FM, the campus station of Marshall University. He is the host of the sports talk program, “The Drive with Paul Swann,” on Kindred Communications’ WRVC-AM in Huntington.
The VAPB also awarded a $1000 scholarship to Alexa Bonilla, a senior journalism major at James Madison University. Bonilla serves as news director of the campus station, Breeze TV.
The list below includes winners from WTVR CBS 6:
Outstanding News Operation of the Virginias:
First Place — Sheryl Barnhouse and Stephen Hayes, WTVR CBS 6 News
Outstanding Sports Operation of the Virginias:
First Place — Lane Casadonte and Sean Robertson, CBS 6 Sports
Excellence in Public Service Through Journalism:
Second Place — Jordan Rastberger, GeNienne Samuels and Curtis Akers, “100k Meals”
Best Website:
First Place — WTVR.com
Best Team News Coverage:
First Place — WTVR CBS 6 News, “Richmond Water Crisis”
Best Continuing News:
Second Place — Tyler Layne and Melissa Hipolit, “The Richmond Water Crisis”
Best Daily News Report (Single Shift):
First Place — Joi Fultz and Joe Valdez, WTVR-TV, Richmond, VA, “Jammin George”
Best Documentary or In-Depth:
First Place — Brandy Brown, David Stotts and Jon Burkett, “Reopen the Case: The Obvious Suspect”
Best Feature Photography:
First Place — Curtis Akers and Greg McQuade, “Hubert’s Homecoming: We Never Knew Where He Was”
Second Place — Enza Marcy and Greg McQuade, “Paolo Garbanzo: The American Jester Juggling Across Europe”
Best Investigative Reporting:
Second Place — Melissa Hipolit, “A Nightmare in the NICU”
Best Old Dominion Heritage:
First Place — Joe Valdez and Greg McQuade, "Bacon’s Castle”
Best Serious Feature:
Second Place — Mike Bergazzi, Curtis Akers and Jon Burkett, “Lindsey’s Sign”
Best Specialty Reporting:
Second Place — Rob Cardwell, "Building Better Minds”
Best Sports Feature:
First Place — Curtis Akers and Lane Casadonte, “The Season: Clover Hill Cavaliers"
Beyond the Roster
After a challenging season, Clover Hill Cavaliers look to the future
Best News Promo:
First Place — David Stotts and Brandy Brown, “Reopen the Case: The Obvious Suspect”
Best Station Promo:
First Place — David Stotts and Matt Sloan, “Giving You a Voice: Listening”
The South's First Television Station earned back-to-back Outstanding News Operation of the Virginias awards in 2022 and 2023.
Every day CBS 6 is giving a voice to the stories happening in your community. If you have a story idea, email our team at NewsTips@wtvr.com or click here to submit a tip.
