Global National’s Dawna Friesen won the award for best news anchor at the annual Gemini Industry Gala at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre on Tuesday night.
“I take this one for the team, for Global National,” Friesen said. “We are not the biggest, but we are the best.”
Friesen, who joined Global News last fall, thanked all the people who work on the newscast, especially the reporters who “are out there every day working their butts off.”
“We’re a very small team," she told GlobalNews.ca. "It's astonishing what we manage to put out there every day."
Kenton Boston, senior director of Global National and station manager of Global BC was delighted with the victory. “Dawna has a long history of great storytelling and reporting, and we are very pleased that she is now leading Global News and the Global National news team," he said.
Global success
Global BC took the award for "best local newscast, large market" for News Hour, its flagship supper-hour broadcast.
Ian Haysom, Global's regional director of news for BC and Saskatchewan, was thrilled. “This is a great success for us. It shows that Global has made a big commitment to news. It’s an affirmation of that. It’s also great that we’re based in Vancouver. It shows that we really connect with the community there.”
"To win the Geminis for both best news anchor and best [local] newscast in Canada is proof that Global News has taken its rightful place among the world's leading news organizations," said Troy Reeb, head of Global News.
"This is a tribute to the leadership of Dawna Friesen, the incredibly talented team at Global BC, and the hard work of our teams around the world every day.
"Earlier this year, Global Toronto also won 'best newscast' honours as part of a record haul for Global at the RTDNA Awards. Shaw Media is looking forward to building on this track record of success with plans to aggressively expand Global News programming, both on air and online, over the coming year."
Bigger Picture
Global's current affairs show, 16x9 The Bigger Picture, won for "best lifestyle/practical information segment."
“16x9 is always trying to innovate and provide viewers with fresh, interesting stories that could impact their lives and it’s extremely gratifying to have the industry recognize the achievements of our current affairs team," said Mike Omelus, eastern regional director of Global News.
Global News, a division of Shaw Media, received 11 nominations overall.
Global National had four nominations, while 16:9 The Bigger Picture received three. Global BC and Global Toronto had two each.
Global BC's Chris Gailus and Global Toronto's Leslie Roberts each received nominations in the “best news anchor” category.
Shaw Media's specialty network History Television celebrated several other awards:
• Storming Juno Interactive won for 'best cross-platform project non-fiction.'
• Graeme Coleman won 'best original music for a lifestyle/practical information or reality program or series' for Ice Pilots NWT: Arnie Calls It
• Sean Cable and Todd Craddock won 'best original music for a lifestyle/practical information or reality program or series' for Ice Pilots NWT: Under Pressure
• Nazi Hunters won for 'best direction in documentary series'
• Nazi Hunters: Herbert Cukurs won for 'best history documentary program.'
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