The Virginia Association of Broadcasters has given the VAB’s J. Jerry Freeman Engineering Award to Denise Mastrullo, the assistant chief engineer at WAVY-TV 10 and WVBT Fox 43.
Mastruillo received the award on June 22 during an awards ceremony at the end of the groups 87th Annual Summer Convention, which took place in Virginia Beach between June 20 and 22.
The Virginia Association of Broadcasters gives the award to those who have made an outstanding contribution to broadcasting and who have shown technical knowledge, dedication, dependability and leadership in broadcast engineering affairs.
As the assistant chief engineer at WAVY-TV 10 and WVBT Fox 43, Mastrullo plays a pivotal role in supporting the chief engineer and Broadcast Engineering Department.
After receiving a BA in Communications from Virginia Tech in 1982 she joined WAVY-TV as a video tape operator. She steadily progressed in the Engineering Department, serving as an audio operator, master control operator, and broadcast/it engineer before assuming her duties as assistant chief in 2020. In all her roles, she was the first female in the station’s history to hold those positions.
While working at Channel 10 she also went back to school, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Tidewater Community College in 1990 with an Associate Degree in Applied Science-Electronics, and graduating with honors from Old Dominion University in 1994 with a BS in Engineering Technology-Electrical Engineering.
Throughout this extensive 42-year career at WAVY-TV, Denise has both witnessed and helped shape the dynamic evolution of Channel 10 and Fox 43 as an integral part of its engineering team, adeptly navigating through technological advancements such as the transition from analog to digital and the increasing importance of IT in the industry, the group said.
Given her ability to grow with and contribute to the evolving broadcast landscape, Denise has been recognized with numerous accolades including being selected as a member of the VAB’s Best of the Best Leadership Program, receiving the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) Harold E. Ennes Scholarship award, and earning WAVY-TV’s Employee of the Year as well as its Circle of Excellence honors.
Denise has been a member of the SBE since 1986 and previously served as secretary and vice president for Chapter 54. In the eighties and early nineties, she also served as treasurer and president of the local chapter of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT), now known as the Alliance for Women in Media.
Outside of work, Denise enjoys a variety of interests including working out, golfing, playing the guitar, and reading. She currently resides in Virginia Beach with her husband, Mike. Their son, Joseph, is a graduate of UVA’s College of Engineering and works as a Business Analyst in Richmond.
