Presented by NPR’s Scott Simon in Cleveland June 22, Public Radio News Directors Inc. honored the best local public radio news in 16 categories based on the size of stations’ newsroom staff. In addition, PRNDI recognized stations for standout news reporting edited by a national producer; these awards were presented in several categories without consideration of newsroom size.
Willis Kern, left, news director at WGLT in Normal, Ill., celebrates the station’s first-place PRNDI with ceremony host Scott Simon June 22. (Photo: PRNDI)
Top winners among this year’s contenders were Colorado Public Radio, Chicago’s WBEZ, WUOT of Knoxville, Tenn., and WBGO in Newark, N.J., which each received four first-place awards in their divisions. Miami’s WLRN and WBFO in Buffalo, N.Y., both topped three categories.
CPR, WBEZ, and WLRN competed amongst stations with the largest newsrooms: Division A, for newsrooms staffed by five or more full-time journalists. WBFO stood out in Division B, for stations with three or four full-time journalists; WUOT and WBGO dominated in Division C, for public radio newsrooms staffed by one or two reporters.
First-place PRNDI Awards were presented to stations across 16 categories:
Multimedia presentation — Division A, New Hampshire Public Radio; B, WUFT in Gainesville, Fla.; C, WIUM/WIUW in Macomb, Ill.
Use of sound — A, Boston’s WBUR; B, WBFO in Buffalo, N.Y.; C, WPSU in University Park, Pa.
Writing — A, WBEZ; B, WNIJ in DeKalb, Ill.; C, WUOT.
Breaking news — A, WBEZ; B, WBFO; C, WGLT in Normal, Ill., nationally edited reporting, Colorado Public Radio.
Call-in programs were — A, KQED in San Francisco; B, WJCT in Jacksonville, Fla.; C, WPSU.
Commentary — A, WLRN/Miami Herald News in Miami; B, WFDD in Winston-Salem, N.C.; C, WBGO in Newark, N.J.
Continuing coverage — A, WGBH in Boston; B, WUFT; C, KRCC in Colorado Springs, Colo.; nationally edited, KCUR in Kansas City, Mo.
Documentary — A, WBEZ; B, KBIA in Columbia, Mo.; C, WUOT.
Enterprise/investigative reporting —A, WBEZ; B, KUNC in Greeley, Colo.; C, WBGO.
Interview — A, Colorado Public Radio; B, KUNC; C, WFUV in New York, N.Y.
News feature —A, KPLU in Seattle; B, North Country Public Radio; C, WUOT; nationally edited, WLRN/Miami Herald News.
News/public affairs — A, Vermont Public Radio; B, WVXU in Cincinnati; and C, WBGO.
Newscast — A, Vermont Public Radio; B, WVXU; C, WBGO.
Series — A, WLRN/Miami Herald News; B, WRNI in Providence, R.I.; C, WUOT; nationally edited, North Country Public Radio.
Soft feature — A, WSHU in Fairfield, Conn.; B, Alabama Public Radio; C, KLCC in Eugene, Ore.; nationally edited, Colorado Public Radio.
Spot news — A, KPLU; B, WBFO; C, WFUV.