WGNO Journalists Earned Three Emmy Nominations
Bill Wood and Justin Abshire received recognition for their storytelling work in Louisiana.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Religion — General
Bill Wood and Justin Abshire have secured three nominations for the upcoming Suncoast Emmy Awards. The pair received nods for their reporting in the News Feature and Religion News categories.
Why it matters
These nominations highlight the impact of local storytelling that covers both human-interest features and regional religious narratives. The recognition reflects the professional standard of journalism currently produced in the New Orleans market.
The nominations include honors for the News Feature and Religion News categories. Additionally, Justin Abshire earned an individual nomination in the News Photographer category.
The players
Bill Wood
He is a journalist at WGNO who contributed to the nominated storytelling projects.
Justin Abshire
He is a journalist and photographer at WGNO who earned multiple nominations for his work.
The details
The duo received recognition for their story titled Principal on a Roll, which focuses on a Louisiana principal using a cart, and for At a Crossroads, a story about a preacher distributing handmade crosses. These projects represent a broad range of local subject matter spanning from education to religious faith.
Timeline
The storytelling period for these Emmy nominations occurred throughout 2026.
The Suncoast Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled for December 2026.
Culture Shift
This recognition aligns with the ongoing trend of local newsrooms prioritizing deep-dive feature storytelling to connect with their communities. By focusing on personal narratives in religion and education, these journalists are navigating a shift toward high-quality, long-form broadcast content.
Viewers in the New Orleans area can look forward to seeing the results of these nominations during the December ceremony. The recognition serves as a marker for the type of high-quality local reporting that residents can continue to expect from the station.
The takeaway
Local feature reporting plays a vital role in highlighting the unique religious and educational stories within the state. These nominations remind viewers of the effort behind the scenes to document the human-interest stories that define a region.
Further reading
For additional context on regional religious storytelling, visit the Religion — General section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WGNO - News With A Twist.
