Ex-KSHB anchor claims Emmy

Laurie Roberts now knows what it feels like to be Cagney and/or Lacey: First she's taken off the air, then she wins an Emmy. Roberts, who was fired by KSHB, Channel 41, in August, was named Best Anchorperson last weekend at the annual St. Louis/Mid-America Region Emmy awards at a gala banquet in St. Louis. Channel 41 collected more Emmys (eight) than any other Kansas City station, marking the third year in a row that the 5-year-old news operation has made a strong showing. During that time the fourth-place newscast has gone through one news director, plenty of on-screen talent and even more behind-the-scenes turmoil. But with KSHB taking home more Emmys than KMBC, Channel 9 - in fact, more trophies than all other Kansas City stations combined - its competitors will have to admit that KSHB's scrappy news staff is building a tradition of excellence, not just winning through flukes of judging. Since the St. Louis area Emmys expanded to include Kansas City and markets in five other states in 1989, the St. Louis contingent has walked away with most of the hardware, and this year was no exception. But KMBC and KSHB won some of the night's most-cherished awards, none more delicious than Roberts winning for Best Anchor in absentia. A Channel 41 employee accepted the prize for Roberts, according to people attending. (Cheer up, Laurie - "Cagney & Lacey" was put back on the air after winning its Emmy.) KMBC took home the night's biggest prize for large-market newscast, beating out the St. Louis stations. And its much-honored newscast that aired the day of last year's West Bottoms fire added the Best Spot-News Emmy to its list of awards. KSHB won for a news series reported by Elizabeth Alex, photographed by James Massey and produced by Kim Kruger. Only Alex is still with the station; Massey jumped to Channel 9, and Kruger was let go during a budget crisis. Sally Moore's KSHB series on expired baby formula sold by area supermarkets won for investigative reporting (Massey, again, was the photographer). The prize Channel 41 may have been proudest to win was for journalistic enterprise. Alex's controversial series on environmental problems around the old Amoco refinery in Sugar Creek stirred up emotions but also riveted viewers and judges (Tom Christiansen, producer; Massey, photographer). Two of the three photography awards went to KMBC's Jason Rhodes and, yes, Massey (then of KSHB). Channel 9's news staff, led by its photographers, won Best Special for "A Day at the K," an unnarrated videologue of a typical Royals game at Kauffman Stadium. KMBC's Curt Rierson was honored for editing. KSHB's promotions staff took home three well-deserved Emmys. Those clever "Windy the Weather Dog" ads won for on-air promotion (Richard Eller, executive producer; Jeffrey Anderson, producer). Dave Simmons won the promotion producer's award, and the half-hour "Kansas City Crossroads" special on the 18th and Vine District won for documentary (Eller, Simmons and photographer and editor Doug Raines). KCPT, Channel 19's "Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations" was once again honored for performing arts (Randy Mason, Mike Murphy, producers; Don Mayberger, photographer). WDAF, Channel 4, and KCTV, Channel 5, which submitted relatively few entries to the competition, won no Emmys. Both stations cited budgetary constraints. To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit www.tvbarn.com