Hosted by AP Radio’s Julie Walker and shot by VJ Ted Shaffrey, the all-formats team broadcast an 11.5-hour live program on YouTube outside the courthouse, where cameras were banned inside due to it being a federal case.
On-air guests for the program, which was produced by Nico Maounis of AP360 and directed by output producer Derek Karikari, included reporters Larry Neumeister and Mike Sisak, music writer Maria Sherman, and a former prosecutor who explained the judge’s decision.
Every time Walker spoke, there was a spike in viewers as people searched for updates. Outside the court, photographer Richard Drew, video journalists Joe Frederick and David Martin, and freelance photographer Eduardo Munoz documented Combs’ children and mother coming and going.
Inside, Neumeister and Sisak, along with reporter Jennifer Peltz and news intern Liseberth Guillaume, contributed to both the live blog, edited by Mike Warren, and the main story, written by Dave Collins and edited by Drew Callister. Freelance artist Liz Williams made sketches of Combs.
When the judge delivered the sentence, Walker announced the news on the AP livestream in real time, as reporters relayed the information from inside the courthouse and fed posts to the blog. Sisak dashed from the courthouse pressroom to the live position for a video debrief.
Despite a marching band playing yards away during Walker’s interview with Neumeister, forcing them to ad-lib, and Shaffrey’s discovery at 5:30 a.m. that police had ripped up the marked camera position overnight, the team’s performance was a success.
Judges lauded the digital-first approach to the coverage. For their innovative spirit to offer live coverage, the Diddy Combs team wins Best of the Week — Second Winner.
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