Elon alumni win Midsouth Emmy Awards

Like any good reporter, Nick Ochsner ’11 provides proper attribution.

Two days after the 31st Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony, where he took home two accolades, Ochsner was asked how it felt to be recognized by his journalistic peers and he replied with a quote.

“My longtime mentor and Elon professor, Rich Landesberg, always reminds us ‘don’t do work for awards but always do award-winning work.’ I try to subscribe to that with every story I do and it’s an honor to be recognized by my peers,” said the investigative reporter with WBTV, Charlotte’s CBS affiliate.

Ochsner wasn’t the only Elon University graduate honored at the Midsouth ceremony held on Jan. 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. Samantha Miller ’10, a producer at WTVF, NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, won for best morning newscast.

Teaming with WBTV producer and photographer Corey Schmidt, Ochsner was honored for his “Coal Ash Contamination” report and “Campus Sex Assault Investigation Series.” They were recognized in the Investigative Report and Serious Feature News Series categories, respectively.

Both the report and series tackled issues impacting WBTV’s viewership, specifically concerns regarding the handling of toxic coal ash and its impact on the community’s water supply and how police and school administrators handle sexual assault reports. The “Campus Sex Assault Investigation Series” was initially based around an investigation into a specific incident at a private university in Charlotte.

​“These stories exposed problems that would not have come to light had we not spent time and resources investigating,” Ochsner said. “I know I’m doing my best work when we are shining a light on an issue and helping people who would otherwise be in the dark.”

The two Emmy Awards are the first of Ochsner’s young career. Also of note, Ochsner’s wife, WBTV’s Sarah-Blake Morgan, was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy in the Multimedia Journalist category.

The Nashville/Midland chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences encompasses the states of North Carolina (except Asheville) and Tennessee, and the television market of Huntsville, Alabama.