Emmy awards are not just for daytime soap operas, late-night talk shows or prime-time dramas. Every year, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) hosts its Student Production Awards, granting regional Emmys to college and high school students nationwide through NATAS chapters. The competition features various categories for different media, and winners receive recognition through pillars or certificates and sometimes scholarships for their achievements.
This year, the NATAS Ohio Valley Chapter, encompassing Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, awarded “WVU News” and “Mountaineer Playbook” two regional Emmys each. Winners were announced in September.
“WVU News” is a newscast produced by journalism students in the West Virginia University Reed School of Media and Communications, covering trending topics, local issues and events on the University campus and in the Morgantown community.
“Mountaineer Playbook,” a sports magazine-style show launched in 2021 as the capstone course for the School’s Sports and Adventure Media program, delves into the world of WVU athletics, going beyond just highlights and final scores.
For both programs, students operate in a real newsroom environment, serving as reporters, anchors, producers, videographers and digital content creators to provide in-depth, professional-quality reporting on sporting events and current issues impacting the state and beyond.
"WVU News" Spring 2025 Cast.
“WVU News” Episode 4, produced by then-junior Sports and Adventure Media major Harley Cochran during the Spring 2025 semester, won the regional Emmy for Newscast or News Report. The broadcast covered several pieces of legislation that were under consideration by the West Virginia Legislature and increasing premiums in the state's public employee health insurance program, as well as feature stories on how international students adapt to life in Morgantown with help from the HomeStart Closet program, and a look back on WVU President Gordon Gee’s career.
The “WVU News” special edition episode “Beyond the Beltway: Appalachia and Trump’s First 100 Days,” also produced by Cochran, won a regional Emmy for Magazine Program. The nearly 30-minute newscast covered how federal budget cuts and Trump’s tariffs, which were meant to boost manufacturing jobs in the U.S., led to layoffs for two major employers in north-central West Virginia, as well as the removal of DEI programs that support Black history and culture and how those cuts impact higher education research.
Teaching Associate Professor of Journalism Ashton Marra, Teaching Instructor of Sports and Adventure Media Anjelica Trinone and Associate Dean of Student Success and Enrollment Gina Martino Dahlia were the advisors for the “WVU News” winning episodes.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our students and our broadcast program,” Marra said. “Winning two regional Emmys is not only a remarkable achievement, but also a testament to the excellence, creativity, and dedication our students bring to the newsroom every day. Their success reflects the strength of our program and the bright future of the next generation of storytellers.”
Harley Cochran.
“I am so grateful for the recognition this award brings to the hard work we accomplished throughout the semester with WVU News,” Cochran said about the two awards. “Our professors, Ashton Marra and Anjelica Trinone, pushed us to produce the best show possible and it is because of them that my classmates and I strived for such excellence.”
Cochran said the win is a testament to her growth at WVU, and the now-senior looks forward to gaining even more experience before she graduates.
View her acceptance speech for Newscast or News Report and her speech for Magazine Program.
“Mountaineer Playbook” Episode 4, produced by then-senior Sports and Adventure Media major Sam Nichols, won a regional Emmy for Sports Story/Segment, Sports Program or Live Sporting Event. The episode included coverage of the WVU baseball team as it climbed the national rankings, WVU’s club basketball team and its dedication to representing the school at a high level and a special feature on the pride, tradition and responsibility that come with donning the iconic buckskins as the Mountaineer mascot.
“Mountaineer Playbook” anchor Tanner Mountz, who was a senior Sports and Adventure Media major at the time, was one of two college students awarded a regional Emmy for Talent – News or Sports.
Shott Teaching Assistant Professor of Sports and Adventure Media Chuck Scatterday and Trinone were the advisors for the “Mountaineer Playbook” winning entries.
"Mountaineer Playbook" Spring 2025 cast.
“Winning our first two regional Emmys for ‘Mountaineer Playbook’ is an incredible honor,” said Scatterday. “More than anything, this recognition reflects the hard work, creativity and commitment of our students. I’m so proud to see their talent and dedication celebrated on such a prestigious stage—it’s a true testament to the excellence of our broadcast program.”
Sam Nichols.
“I really treated ‘Mountaineer Playbook’ as a job more so than a class,” said Nichols, who graduated in May. “As producer, I was heavily involved with every aspect of creating the show, from managing team communications, giving feedback to my fellow classmates, stacking and scripting the show and then ultimately running the show from the studio booth during our show's taping.
“I use those skills every day in my new job as the Multimedia Specialist for WVU's School of Nursing,” he said. “‘Mountaineer Playbook’ was the last step in my path towards graduation, but in a different sense, it was the first step of my professional career.”
View Nichols' acceptance speech for Sports Story/Segment, Sports Program or Live Sporting Event.
“Getting to say I’m an Emmy winner at just 22 years old is such a surreal feeling,” Mountz said about his win. “The part I am most proud of is our ‘Mountaineer Playbook’ class winning the capstone’s first ever Emmy Award.”
Tanner Mountz.
He said it was the goal of the Spring 2025 “Mountaineer Playbook” cast and crew to win the program’s first Emmy. “To see all of our hard work throughout the semester help us achieve our goal was so fulfilling.”
Mountz also thanked Trinone and Scatterday for pushing him to be the best anchor he could be. “Without them, I would not have gotten such a great jump on my career with an anchor/reporter position at WTOV9. I will be forever grateful for what the WVU Reed School, ‘Mountaineer Playbook’ and West Virginia University gave me during the best four years of my life.”
View Mountz's acceptance speech for Talent – News or Sports.
Over its tenure, “WVU News” has been nominated for nine regional Emmys and has been awarded five. It was a national Emmy top-three finalist in both 2012 and 2017 and received an Emmy first place national win in 2015. This year marks the first regional Emmy win for “Mountaineer Playbook.”
Since 2015, “WVU News” has received more than 100 national, international and regional juried awards.
“WVU News” and “Mountaineer Playbook” episodes are produced biweekly. Viewers can watch on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, the City of Morgantown’s Public Access Channel and on HD Media's website. You can also watch current and past episodes online at journalism.wvu.edu and on YouTube @WVUReedSchool.