TV AWARDS: WPGH came out a winner at the Associated Press broadcasting awards, presented Saturday in Harrisburg.
The station's 10 p.m. news was named best regularly scheduled newscast in the state, beating out the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, whose 6 p.m. news placed second. WPXI's 5 p.m. news placed third.
Overall WPGH took home seven awards, WPXI won six, and WTAE garnered four.
WPXI's Alan Jennings took second place in enterprise/individual reporting for his investigation of the Armstrong tunnel shooting (Tim Holoman, photographer).
WTAE's Wendy Bell won third place in the same category for a loan scam story (Ralph Bell [no relation to Wendy], photographer; Michael Lazorko, editor).
WTAE's Michelle Wright and Ted Koppy won first place for spot news coverage of a summer storm (Mindy Currie, producer; Bob Watt, director).
WPGH's Cyndy McGrath won second place in the same category for a story on a runaway bear (Steve Banfield, photographer).
WPXI's news staff took third in spot news for coverage of a manhunt.
WPXI's "Dateline Pittsburgh: Mission of Mercy" placed third among public affairs programs and third for news photography (Dr. Mike Rosen, reporter; Holoman, photographer/editor; Carrie Moniot, producer).
WPXI's Andy Gastmeyer took first place for a feature on binge drinking (Scott Dobson, photographer).
WPGH's Katie Sesny won second place in the same category for a story on a women's Ultimate Frisbee team (Paul Ruggieri, photographer).
WTAE's Andrew Stockey and Pat Parris won first place for best sportscast (Derek Smith and Kevin Smith, producers). Stockey also won third place for a sports feature on Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy (Kevin Kane, photographer; Kevin Smith, producer; Lazorko, editor).
WPGH's Greg Toland placed first and second for sports features on Steelers player Levon Kirkland (Ruggieri, photographer) and underwater hockey (Kirk Manson, photographer).
WPGH meteorologist Matt Morano received the award for best regularly scheduled weathercast in the state.
WPGH's "Steelers Extra" was named best regularly scheduled news or sports talk program (Alby Oxenreiter and Toland, reporters; Brad Inman, producer).
C.S. KEYS SURFACES: Former KDKA and WPXI weathercaster C.S. Keys began work Monday at KUSI, an independent station in San Diego (market No. 25; Pittsburgh is the 20th largest market in the country). Keys is KUSI's morning weathercaster.
His contract with WPXI was not renewed after he was charged with simple assault for allegedly beating up a woman in his Ross home. The charge was later reduced to disorderly conduct, to which Keys pleaded guilty and received a year's probation.
