This year, WHRO Public Media won 15 Telly Awards, 11 Virginia Association of Broadcasters Awards, five Emmy Awards, two American Advertising Awards, two Public Media Journalist Association Awards, two American Advertising Awards, two Public Media Awards—for educational resources for the community and marketing and communications, The Norfolk Sister City 2022 Global Diplomacy Award, and WHRO was selected as the Director's Community Leadership Award by the Norfolk FBI for our contributions to increase awareness about important programs, such as civil rights and public corruption campaigns. WHRO was also named once again as a Top Workplace in Hampton Roads by Inside Business!
Additionally, WHRO is very proud of two large-scale initiatives that were launched this year: the expansion of the WHRO Newsroom and the acquisition and rebranding of WFOS-Time Machine Radio. We have continued to ramp up local news coverage in the region with the acquisition of the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism (VCIJ), a nonprofit newsroom focused on enterprise and investigative reporting. This new venture, the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, marks a further expansion of our broadcaster's initiative to bolster independent journalism. WHRO launched its newsroom in 2020 and now has a staff of eight reporters, with two more onboarding before the new year, and a passionate, innovative news director, Mechelle Hankerson, who is leading the way. We are dedicated to the Hampton Roads community and local news coverage, and we look forward to watching the WHRO newsroom continue to flourish for years to come.
Have you experienced Time Machine Radio yet? For most of us, it only takes a few notes of a certain song to instantly transport us to another time. Jerry Carter and Paul Shugrue, hosts of WFOS-Time Machine Radio, our newest oldies station, said they hope to provide listeners with the same experience each time listeners tune in—a ticket to past events and memories. It is the ultimate station for the '50s, '60s & '70s - Rock, Soul, R&B, broadcasted locally on 88.7 FM Chesapeake, 99.3 FM Virginia Beach, 90.3-2 HD WHRO FM. The station can be streamed online at any time. You'll find a bit of the station's history as well as some fun old photos by visiting timemachineradio.org
As we head into the holidays, we have some seasonal programs lined up for this month. On WHRO TV 15 as well as our radio stations, you can enjoy poignant holiday stories, seasonal music, and uplifting programs like Ella Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas, with Vanessa Williams, O Holy Night: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir, and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. You can read about these upcoming shows throughout this guide.
'Tis the season to support what you love! I hope you will join us and consider including WHRO in your holiday gift giving this year. Our holiday television and radio membership drives are also taking place in early December. Your additional contribution will help us continue to produce the engaging and educational programming you enjoy. Thank you in advance for your continued support. And from our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
Bert Schmidt President and Chief Executive Officer