WEIU-TV received its fourth Emmy nomination in about four years for its broadcast coverage of the closing of the Graywood Foundation. 

On April 11, 2011, WEIU-TV News Watch broadcast a sweep of stories on the closing of Graywood, a former group home for the developmentally disabled, dedicating at least half of their 30-minute show to the coverage. 

The Illinois Department of Human services revoked Graywood’s contract because the facility did not meet basic standards of care, and two murders occurred in three years.

Vicki Zeal, a WEIU alumna, said working on this broadcast was a great experience. 

“It was a lot of work and planning,” Zeal said. “It was different than what you do everyday at WEIU.”

WEIU was nominated in the College/ University Student Production category of news for the Mid-America Emmy with another nomination from “Scoring for Slaten, KOMU” from Columbia, Mo.

Kelly Runyon, the news director for WEIU, said it is a new experience every time they get nominated. 

 “It doesn’t ever get old because it is a statement of the wonderful work the students do here,” Runyon said. “There is always a turnover of students too, so quite typically it is a different batch of students who come in and continue to produce award-winning work.”

Zeal said they had to make sure they covered all of their bases, and pieces did not share all the same information.

“The night before we were all in the newsroom, reading each others stuff and editing,” Zeal said. “It was good teamwork.”

Janice Collins, a journalism professor, said WEIU got a great chance to cover this hard-news piece, which was picked up by national news organizations.

“Graywood had everything,” Collins said. “It had the emotion, the human aspect, economy, policy, budget, politics, characteristics of a hard-hitting story.”

Collins said the group that covered the Graywood closing worked together and focused on five different stories instead of making them fit into one.

The newscast covered the background of the Graywood Foundation, criminal occurrences, individual people and how families were affected.

Zeal emphasized that it was a group effort.

“The best part about it was everyone working together on their pieces,” Zeal said. “Each piece was separate, but they read like a giant story.”

Runyon said they even had a crew travel to Springfield to talk with the mother of Paul McCann, a developmentally disabled person who was beaten to death in a Graywood facility on Jan. 19, 2011.

Zeal said she remembered the affect the story had on the community.

“The reaction we got from people about it, that we covered it better than anyone in the community from top to bottom,” Zeal said. “We gave it more than a minute and a half of the show, which no one else in the market had done.”

Zeal said she hopes students and community members will realize that WEIU is more than just a student organization.

The Emmy winners will be announced on Sept. 22 in the Midland Theater in Kansas City, Mo.

Zeal said when they covered the Graywood closing, they were not thinking about being nominated for an Emmy.

“That’s not why we do it, but it’s always good to get your work recognized,” Zeal said.

Runyon said this piece was great piece for them to send in.

 “I saw a lot of the young journalists transform into professional journalists,” Runyon said.

Samantha McDaniel can

 be reached at 581-2812

 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.