WKSU RECOGNIZED WITH THREE REGIONAL EDWARD R. MURROW AWARDS FROM RTNDA

Monday April 28, 2008

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

WKSU has been honored with three Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). The organization received 3,459 regional entries in categories covering radio and television in two divisions. WKSU competes in the Large Market division against public and commercial radio stations in major cities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

This is the most Regional Murrows awarded to WKSU since the station began vying for prizes in the Large Market division. All Regional Murrow winners are automatically eligible for the national awards competition with prizes being presented in October. WKSU's awards came in the Feature: Hard News, Sports Reporting and Broadcast-Affiliated Website categories.

Reporter/Producer Amanda Rabinowitz's feature, "A Soldier's Friends," follows a group of young men as they join together to restore the Camaro owned by Keith Nepsa, a 21 year-old Army Specialist killed in action in Iraq. The sound-rich report uses this final act of kindness to turn Nepsa from a statistic to a caring friend who signed up for a second tour of Iraq in order to raise money for college.

William Powell and his daughter Renee are the focus of Reporter/Producer Vivian Goodman's sports-oriented report, "African American First Family of Golf." After returning from World War II and finding most golf courses closed to him, Powell single handedly built Clearview Golf Course in East Canton. He passed his love of the game on to his children, including Rene, who spent 13 years on the LPGA tour and was named a First Lady of Golf by the organization in honor of her role as a tour professional and her work engaging the next generation of golfers.

Senior IT Administrator Chuck Poulton and Web Developer Scott Sharp lead a team of creative professionals responsible for www.wksu.org, WKSU's online home. The station's website combines regularly updated content, including playlist details and reports from the station's newsroom, with three audio streams and a variety of programming information. Visitors can also find images and extended audio for news stories, features on upcoming station events, lists of regional arts organizations, a folk concert calendar, links to NPR, local weather and school closings and much more.

RTNDA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. It has been honoring outstanding achievement in electronic journalism with Murrow Awards since 1971. Entries in the national awards contest will be judged in early June.

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.

PR08.04           ###      4/25/08
(Back to press releases )