The 2019 Alabama Press Association Media Awards were announced this month, and Lagniappe was recognized in several categories.
In the Weekly Division C category — the state’s largest weekly newspapers — Lagniappe took two first-place editorial categories. Staff Re- porter Jason Johnson’s “Local schools competing in Alabama’s inaugural esports season” was judged Best Sports Feature Story. Freelance writer Lynn Oldshue took first place in the Best Feature Story Coverage category with “From Hell to Hope,” a series on domestic violence.
Baldwin Bureau Chief Gabriel Tynes placed second in Best News Feature Story Coverage with “Alabama Power maintains hazardous coal ash pond despite threat of failure.” And Johnson’s story “MPD officer killed, suspect in custody” won second place in the Best Spot News category. Johnson also took second place in the Best In- Depth News Coverage category with “Fake police shootout in Creola.”
In the Advertising contest, Lagniappe took first and second place in Division C’s Best Single Ad 1⁄2 page and under, color, with “Make a Wish” and “Cream and Sugar,” respectively. Lagniappe Arts Director Laura Mattei won first place for Best One-Time Special Section — Newsprint or Glossy with “Wish Book,” Lagniappe’s annual Christmas shopping guide. And “USA Hospital” took second place for Best Advertising Campaign.
Congratulations to our Lagniappe staffers who worked so hard all year and were recognized!
QTIP BACK ON THE COAST
Glenn “Qtip” Johnson has made his return to the Gulf Coast as the newly named operations manager for Cumulus Media’s Pensacola group.
Johnson joins his wife, Cherish Lombard, back in the Mobile area where both began media careers that swept them off to Nashville a few years ago. Lombard returned to the Azalea City in April to join WKRG-TV as an anchor and reporter. Johnson had stayed behind briefly, but announced his resignation as executive producer for “The Ty Bentil Show” shortly after.
His new gig reunites the Mobile area’s media power couple, and Johnson will oversee a cache of stations such as NASH 102.7 (Country), Jet 100.7 (Classic Rock), Soft Rock 94.1, Magic 106.1 (Urban) and news-talk based WCOA 1370 AM.
Johnson spent a decade using the on-air handle “Qtip” in work with WABB-FM, and then on WABD-FM when Cumulus purchased the Top 40 station from Dittman Broadcasting. He was hired by Cumulus Nashville in 2015 as an executive producer of “America’s Morning Show.”
Despite all the accomplishments, Johnson’s finest moment may have been portraying the under- water “baby” in Lagniappe’s 2012 Nappie cover homage to Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album cover. I have no doubt he’d agree with that assessment.
WPMI — AT&T/ DIRECTV NEGOTIATIONS
This kind of thing isn’t all that unusual, but it’s still annoying. Because the companies weren’t able to come to a contract agreement, local AT&T/Di- recTV subscribers are no longer getting WPMI-TV and UTV 44 without the aid of “rabbit ears” as of late last week.
But WPMI General Manager Bobby Totsch says that shouldn’t be an issue much longer.
“We are in negotiations and don’t expect a long delay. This happens occasionally and both sides are anxious to get a deal done,” he said. “As always we are still available on every other system or over the air with a simple antenna. Everyone understands the value that local stations bring to the customer and we want both NBC 15 and UTV 44 back up as quickly as possible.”
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