WKSU RECEIVES FIVE AWARDS FROM OHIO ASSOCIATED PRESS BROADCASTERS

Monday June 25, 2007

For immediate release
Contact: Robert J. Burford,
Public Relations Director
(330) 672-3114
burford@wksu.org

WKSU reporters were recognized with five awards in the Large Market division of the annual contest conducted by Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters, including two first-place prizes during a ceremony June 10 at the Hilton Columbus. The station competed with other commercial and non-commercial radio operations in major Ohio media markets, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and the Ohio News Network. WKSU Reporter/Producer Amanda Rabinowitz was honored as Best Reporter in Ohio-Small Market for work she created while on staff at WJER-AM in Dover.

Reporter/Producer Vivian Goodman was presented with a first-place award in the Best Investigative Reporting category for her three-part series on endemic drug use in jails and the challenge released prisoners have to fight addictions after their release. Goodman was also part of the team that won a first-place award for "Here Goes the Neighborhood," a six-part look at the ways that social service organizations throughout Northeast Ohio interact with their unique communities. Other news staff honored for their work on the documentary series include Kevin Niedermier, Daniel Hockensmith, Dave Pignanelli, Renita Jablonski, and Julie Grant.

Second-place awards went to Goodman for Best Use of Sound for "New Technology at CIM," Jablonski for Best Anchor and Reporter/Producer Karen Schaefer for Best Broadcast Writing for "Nature Conservancy." For her reports on WJER, Rabinowitz was recognized with first-place Small Market awards for Best Documentary or Series, Best Feature Reporting and Best Enterprise Reporting. She was also part of the team that accepted this year's honors for Outstanding News Operation-Small Market and Best Regularly Scheduled News-Small Market.

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.

PR07.08       ### 6/25/07
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