Programs produced by Chicago’s WBEZ, New York’s WNYC and Miami’s WLRN won awards from the Third Coast International Audio Festival, handed out Oct. 20 at the organization’s Filmless Festival in Chicago.
The Gold-level Best Documentary prize went to “Harper High School,” a two-part series profiling a public high school on Chicago’s South Side for WBEZ’s This American Life. The series was reported by Ben Calhoun, Linda Lutton and Alex Kotlowitz; co-produced by Robyn Semien; and edited by Ira Glass and Julie Snyder.
“Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl,” a piece for WNYC’s Radiolab podcast, won the Best Documentary Silver award. The story examined a Supreme Court case involving a fight over parentage of a Native American child and was reported by Tim Howard and edited by Jad Abumrad.
“Remembering Andrew,” a documentary commemorating the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, won Best Documentary: Bronze. The piece was produced for Miami’s WLRN and the Miami Herald by Kenny Malone, Alicia Zuckerman, Dan Grech, Sammy Mack and Trina Sargalski.
WNYC picked up two additional awards. “Woman Emerges from the Dark,” a news piece about the loss of power at a public housing complex in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, won the Best News Feature award. The feature was reported by Marianne McCune and edited by Karen Frillmann.
A piece for WNYC’s Radio Rookies youth reporting project, “The Modern Day Scarlet Letter A,” won the festival’s Radio Impact Award. The piece about the culture of online “slut shaming” was produced by Temitayo Fagbenle and Courtney Stein and edited by Marianne McCune.
Award winners received cash prizes, a license for Hindenburg Journalism Pro sound-editing software, and inclusion in Public Radio Exchange’s nationally distributed program “Best of the Best: The 2013 Third Coast Festival Broadcast.”