VIVIAN GOODMAN NAMED BEST REPORTER IN OHIO

Friday May 26, 2006

WKSU Reporter/Producer Vivian Goodman was recognized as Best Reporter – Large Market by the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters (OAPB) on May 21 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton during the organization’s annual awards ceremony. WKSU Program Director Vincent Duffy was a presenter at the event, which recognizes excellence in broadcast news. The station competed with other commercial and non-commercial radio operations in the largest markets in Ohio, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and the Ohio News Network.

Goodman also shared a second-place OAPB Award with Mark Urycki for their documentary series on aging in America. WKSU Cleveland Bureau Reporter/Producer Kevin Niedermier was honored with a second-place award for "Plastic People," his feature on the Bodyworlds 2 exhibit at the Great Lakes Science Center.

Goodman's long career as a radio journalist stretches back to her time as a student at the University of Chicago, where she covered the trial of the "Chicago 7." After working in Europe after graduation, she took her first full-time Northeast Ohio radio job at Akron's WHLO. She held the position of news director at WABQ before joining the Louis Stokes administration as press secretary and moving to Washington, DC. Goodman returned to radio news in the DC area, which eventually brought her back to Cleveland and a news director job at WERE. She went on to work with many regional radio outlets, with a brief timeout to work for Eric Fingerhut in Washington. Since 1996, Goodman has reported for and anchored WKSU's regional broadcasts of National Public Radio’s evening news program, "All Things Considered."

In their notes, award judges said of the winning reporter, "Vivian Goodman stood out because her writing and delivery made us want to listen throughout." Highlights of Goodman's work from 2005 include co-producing the 10-part series "The Aging Boom," accompanying The Cleveland Orchestra on a summer tour of European festivals, a sound-rich piece on local amusement parks, and an exclusive jailhouse interview with the late David Roth. Goodman excels at reporting on area arts and culture and, in this year alone, produced stories on the Akron Art Museum's renovation plans, Stan Hywet Hall's butterfly house, the Phillips Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the opening of the Maltz Museum of Jewish History, the Stow Symphony’s participation in the creation and performance of an original classic work by noted composer Joan Tower, and much more throughout the region.

A Beachwood High School graduate, Goodman lives in Richmond Heights with her husband, Ed Duvall. The couple has two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys playing flute with the Workman’s Circle Klezmer Orchestra, the Lakeland Civic Jazz Band and the Summit County Metro Parks Band.

The OAPB aims to advance the profession of journalism, to cooperate with The Associated Press in the exchange of accurate, impartial news reports and to serve as liaison between The Associated Press and its members.

WKSU broadcasts NPR & Classical Music at 89.7 FM, and is a service of Kent State University. WKSU programming is also heard on WKRW 89.3 FM in Wooster, WKRJ 91.5 FM in Dover/New Philadelphia, WKSV 89.1 FM in Thompson, WNRK 90.7 in Norwalk, W298BA 107.5 FM in Boardman, and W239AZ 95.7 FM in Ashland. The WKSU web site is www.wksu.org.

PR06.12 ### 5/22/06
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