The Voters Choice awards exceeded my wildest expectations. Despite not being able to celebrate in -person, the WRAL team truly made this event just as special.
WRAL-TV Anchor & WRAL.com Voters Choice Awards Co-Host Mikaya Thurmond
WRAL Digital's Shelby Lloyd toasts the start of the livestream for the WRAL Voters' Choice Awards on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
The 6th Annual WRAL Voters Choice Awards announced the 2020 winners on Thursday, January 14, 2021. WRAL-TV Weekend Anchor/Reporter Mikaya Thurmond and WRAL-TV Meteorologist Kat Campbell co-hosted the event for the first time. The fun took place virtually due to pandemic safety concerns, but still gave nominees, winners and voters a chance to gather online to see Triangle businesses recognized and celebrated.
The winners were decided in a months-long process with the nomination period ending October 11, 2020, and the voting ending November 22, 2020, culminating with the announcement of the winners on Thursday, January 14, 2021.
Adapting For a Pandemic
Last year the event took place in the new Union Station in downtown Raleigh with lots of glitter and excitement. But COVID meant not being able to physically gather for the 6th annual VCAs.
While we were bummed that we couldn't continue to grow the in-person event this year, we knew it was more important than ever to showcase local businesses, said WRAL Digital Marketing Director Laura Worthington. It also allowed us to reach an audience beyond the finalists who attend the in-person event, which has just gotten bigger and bigger.
Nearly 600 people registered online for the virtual event which was available on WRAL.com, the WRAL news app and WRAL streaming channels.
My favorite part of the entire celebration was seeing posts from our winners and nominees who held watch parties across the Triangle, said Thurmond. So many winners posted the moment we announced their category, and I felt like I was right there celebrating with them. I look forward to next year in-person.
Besides going virtual, the WRAL VCAs included other new facets this year due to COVID. The team added new categories this year to reflect the pandemic, including Best Small Business and Best Takeout.
WRAL Voters' Choice Awards virtual event
Positive Additions
The 2021 ceremony also included a co-host. Thurmond has now hosted the VCAs for four years was joined this year for the first time by her friend and WRAL colleague, Kat Campbell.
Kat Campbell was a wonderful addition to the line-up, said Thurmond. Kat was a bright spot in the show.
Campbell said that hosting duties required a learning curve from her usual weathercasting.
We pre-recorded the show, and I was so excited to see Mikaya in person! said Campbell. Shes a good friend of mine and we havent seen each other much during the pandemic. I had never read from a teleprompter (I ad-lib weather) so I honed in that new skill while recording.
Pre-produced packages from news were also included in the livestream to add variety to the show.
Also new this year, we announced 3 of the winners in advance on the 9 a.m. news on FOX 50, said Worthington. That was really fun to see the live reaction, something we miss from the in-person event, but we also got learn more about the winners.
Putting Together a Virtual Program
Going virtual meant tackling every aspect of the VCAs in a new way.
Due to COVID safety protocols, the WRAL crew recorded the Voters' Choice Awards announcements in Studio A, while WRAL Digital's Laura Worthingon .sat in CBC's breakroom, Cafe 550, watching the production via in-house cable. She communicated with the director and producer via text to run the program.
When we have an in-person event, it's a whole different project with different variables, explained Worthington. We had to shift HighSchoolOT Honors very quickly from an in-person event to TV (FOX 50) and streaming last spring due to the pandemic, so we had some experience changing gears; however, VCAs are different than Honors in multiple ways. The biggest difference is that we have about 50 Honors award categories compared to over 100 in VCAs.
The team put together a program, which was pre-recorded, to release for the watch party on January 14.
With events of any kind, organizers often end up wearing multiple hats. I wrote the script and oversaw graphics, among a variety of other tasks. We were all wearing many hats. WRAL Digital Marketing & Promotions Specialist also played an important role overseeing promotions, helping ensure sponsorships were fulfilled with WRAL Digital Project Manager Jessica Collins. She also was in charge of communication with hundreds of finalists, and she even made special gifts for Mikaya and Kat's dogs.
The video from Studio A, along with graphics, then went to a partner for editing. The team then brought the finalized show back in-house for the livestream.
Worthington described the process, and the challenges, of recording:
Some of the new variables we experienced as we tried to execute the virtual event: contact tracing, additional safety measures, schedule changes, a slew of other major projects to juggle and holiday PTO (just to name a few). But we were in good hands with the director, WRAL-TV News Production Manager James Ford, and producer, WRAL-TV News Producer Kelly Riner. As we recorded in Studio A, I sat in Cafe 550 watching the production via in-house cable. I would text James and Kelly input. It was frustrating at times having to communicate that way, but we got it done. James had the foresight to book additional time in the studio for us in case of breaking news, and we ended up needing it.
As a special thank you, the WRAL Voters' Choice Awards crew had t-shirts
North America Stories
19/05/2026
Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...
19/05/2026
Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...
19/05/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...
19/05/2026
Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...
19/05/2026
Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...
19/05/2026
Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...
19/05/2026
Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...
19/05/2026
Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...
19/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...
19/05/2026
Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...
19/05/2026
CMSI provided workflow, media management, and HDR support for ESPN during coverage of the NCAA Gymnastics Semifinals and Championships. The company supported fi...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
In advance of this year's Sports Emmy Awards, SVG is taking a deep dive into the six production-technologies nominated for this year's George Wensel Tec...
19/05/2026
Featuring a fully IP infrastructure, Supershooter 11 is intended for large-scale events. Enabling remote and distributed workflows, Supershooter 65 joins the RE...
19/05/2026
By Jessica Herndon
The line wrapped around the building outside Denver's La...
19/05/2026
When all companies in the market are allowed to compete under the same set of ru...
19/05/2026
Battle-proven technology withstands electronic warfare threats across air, maritime surface and subsea domains....
19/05/2026
WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems provide high-precision targeting across domains, including counter-UAS applications...
19/05/2026
Champaign, IL - March 16, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufa...
19/05/2026
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. April 16, 2026 - Cobalt Digital today announced a partnership ...
19/05/2026
Las Vegas - April 18, 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufactur...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS April 18, 2026 - Advanced HDR by Technicolor and Cobalt Digital are ...
19/05/2026
LAS VEGAS - May 4, 2026 - Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiativ...
19/05/2026
London - 11 May 2026 Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production oper...
19/05/2026
Clear-Com supported Musikal Perahu Kertas, a large-scale musical theater production in Indonesia adapted from the acclaimed novel by Dee Lestari, through the d...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...
19/05/2026
PlayBox Technology today announced the launch of Celebro Play, a browser-based media orchestration platform designed specifically for broadcast facilities and p...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
19/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for RAFA, the Documentary Series A...
19/05/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Consumer Products Footprint with Strategic Con...
19/05/2026
Matt Derella Expands Leadership Across LinkedIn Ads and Microsoft Advertising Published on May 19, 2026 Categories: Company News
LinkedIn Corporate Commun...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
The Voters Choice awards exceeded my wildest expectations. Despite not being able to celebrate in -person, the WRAL team truly made this event just as special. 
