Perhaps the best summary of 2024 as a news year came not from the players or the pundits, but from a sound made by ABC News Radio’s technology reporter Mike Dobuski, as he hit the accelerator during an exclusive test drive of a 1000-horesepower electric car and felt a rush of adrenaline and uncertainty: GWAAAAWOOHOOOO! It was a hold-on-tight kind of year.
Mike’s report is part of ABC News Radio’s submission for Overall Excellence, highlighting a moment when we were able to stop to admire the view during this rocket ride of a year. But our entry opens with another, chilling, sound: Gunfire in a Pennsylvania field.
Our coverage of the attempt on President Trump’s life was quick on the air and thorough. Multiple special reports chronicled the changing information as it was coming in. Live anchored coverage featured reporting from ABC correspondents who heard the shots and saw Trump go down and then rise, fist in the air. Witnesses described what they saw as the shock was still wearing off. And our political reporters and security experts helped listeners make sense of the chaotic moment and where it might lead.
This is how ABC News Radio tells the stories that matter to our listeners. With impeccable reporting, sharp writing, exclusive information, vivid sound, and expert analysis.
These strengths are highlighted by our continuing coverage of the presidential election. We captured every remarkable moment: the rallies, debates, the conventions, both assassination attempts, and President Biden’s bombshell dropout. Our team of correspondents and campaign-embedded reporters brought listeners along on the trail with color and unrivaled access to insiders close to both candidates. We provided 75 hours of live anchored coverage throughout the cycle, hundreds of breaking news updates, and thousands of pieces of audio to bring every twist and turn of the campaign home not only with immediacy, but with clarity and context.
As the election wound its way through the year, ABC News Radio brought this complete treatment to the other memorable stories along the way: The devastation left in the wake of a hurricane, a bridge collapse in Baltimore, a CEO assassinated in broad daylight, the chaos of war and ruin in Gaza, and the sudden fall of Assad in Syria- with an exclusive look inside one of his most notorious prisons.
There were moments to slow down during this breakneck year. Mike Dobuski’s thrilling car ride was a piece for our “On the Move” special program about the future of transportation. Our Alex Stone stepped back more than 100 years to play old-time baseball for our summertime “Press Play” special, where we also took a colorful look at a group of b-girls in a breaking crew, as well as a surprisingly dangerous horseback riding competition called Eventing. ABC News Radio brings listeners stories from everywhere that can be heard anywhere: On the radio, on a smart speaker, online, or as our hourly ABC News Update podcast.
We added a new show to our podcast lineup. “Radioactive: The Karen Silkwood Mystery” uncovered new audio tapes and resurfaced a key piece of evidence in the 50 year old unsolved murder of a nuclear whistleblower. The bumper from Silkwood’s car has since been re-examined using modern techniques. “Radioactive” joined new seasons of the award-winning “Reclaimed,” “The View: Behind the Table,” and our daily news podcast “Start Here” to form a strong lineup of longform programs. We are equally proud of the class-leading service we provide to our traditional radio affiliates: Two Ways that put ABC correspondents directly on the air with local hosts. It could be a correspondent explaining an issue from Capitol Hill, or one describing what “hot dog water soda” could possibly taste like. Our affiliates appreciate the opportunity to call our people a part of their team. We provided more than 15-thousand of these Two Ways in 2024.
As our entry shows, whether it was from a spin room, a hurricane’s path, a Syrian prison, or behind the wheel of a powerful car- ABC News Radio brought listeners the story with compelling detail, solid journalism, and a contemporary, colorful style. We think you’ll agree, and find ABC News Radio deserving of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence.
Total Runtime: 39:30
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Start Here is the daily ABC News podcast, a half hour that goes well beyond the headlines. This year, Radioactive: The Karen Silkwood Mystery joined our strong stable of longform news, crime and information podcasts, including Reclaimed, The King Road Killings and The View: Behind the Table.
What you see anywhere on ABC was probably on the radio first. Our correspondents regularly provide editorial guidance to the entire news division, and their original reporting appears on all platforms – broadcast, digital and streaming.