Benjamin Katko

From a young age, Ben knew he wanted to be on television and build a career as a journalist. After graduating from Norwin High School in 2005, Katko went on to study journalism at the P.I. Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia University, graduating in 2009. It didn’t take long for Katko’s journalism career to get started when he got to WVU; two days after moving onto campus in 2005, he began an internship with WVU Television Productions where he spent long hours logging videotape of sporting events before advancing to other roles. His internship would include shooting highlights of major football and basketball events and leading a team that produced and executed in-arena shows during basketball games. During the summer of 2008, Katko worked as an intern with KDKA’s Sports and Special Programming Department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At KDKA, Katko’s internship would expand to include a paid summer job as a staff member on the Nightly Sports call show. He also worked as an audio technician and producer, giving him a broader understanding of the different elements of television news and production.

After graduating from WVU in 2009, Katko has built a career as a reporter, anchor, and producer, telling stories at stations in Bridgeport, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Savannah, Georgia. Over the course of his career, he’s covered stories including visits from Presidents and government dignitaries, protests for police reform, huge sporting events, and stories from the people that make their communities unique. In his current role, he is a main anchor on the morning news show at his current station, WSAV (NBC) in Savannah, where he is part of the longest-tenured team in the Savannah morning market.

On top of that, Katko takes great pride in serving as a mentor to fellow journalists and makes it a priority to do so. Over the years, he’s been honored with an Emmy nomination, an Edward R. Murrow award for his storytelling, and a number of other smaller honors.

Separate from his work as a journalist, Katko enjoys helping lead his Savannah church as a deacon, where he volunteers and helps expand and lead the church into the next generation. Katko is also an avid powerlifter and weightlifter and trains regularly in his spare time to compete around the Southeastern United States.

In 2011, Katko married the love of his life, Belinda. They have one son named Henry born in 2016. Katko credits much of his success in his life to their love and support.

Katko also wants to thank his parents, Gary and Lori, brother Nick, and sister-in-law Katie for their love and support as well. Katko would also like to thank everyone involved in today’s event for their careful consideration of his nomination and selection to this prestigious honor.