WKSU RECOGNIZED BY PRESS CLUB OF CLEVELAND

Friday July 17, 2009

WKSU was honored by the Press Club of Cleveland with seven Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards on June 19 at a Cleveland ceremony. Included among the honors were four first-place awards. Award entries were judged by a panel of judges comprised of journalism professionals from press clubs and news publications located across the country.

WKSU winners of the Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards from the Press Club of Cleveland are:

In the New Media division:
•     First Place – Radio-Web Site Design, News Director M.L. Schultze and Senior LAN Administrator Chuck Poulton for “NEO Development: Rebuilding Northeast Ohio.”
A special online section created as a companion to a news series on the changing regional landscape that offered audio downloads, images, graphs, video and other additional information. The judges add: Good-looking site; well organized, easy to navigate.

•     Second Place – Best Web Site in Ohio, Poulton and Web Developer Scott Sharp for “WKSU.org”
WKSU’s web site provides listeners with news downloads, music playlists, details on station and area events and more. The judges add: Good layout, lots of info, live contacts.

In the Radio division:
•     First Place – Spot News, Reporter/Producer Amanda Rabinowitz for “Bridgestone Firestone Stays in Akron.”
Breaking news on important business news – captured at the company picnic. The judges add: Solid work on short deadline.

•     First Place – General News, Reporter/Producer Kevin Niedermier for “Making Buildings Green.”
Coverage of important building projects using energy saving technologies. The judges add: Relevant and well structured.

•     First Place – Use of Sound, Reporter/Producer Jeff St. Clair for “Insect Orchestra.”
A sound-rich piece on the beautiful rhythms produced by backyard insects. The judges add: Good sound gathering, well edited.

•     Second Place – On-Going Coverage, the WKSU news staff for “NEO Development: Rebuilding Northeast Ohio.”
Reports from each of the WKSU staff reporters in a six-part series on developers and development in the region.

•     Second Place – Investigative, News Director M.L. Schultze for “The Scorched Earth of Evergreen.”
A five-part investigative series on David Wilan and the role he and his company played in the mortgage meltdown.

The Ohio Excellence in Journalism contest is a statewide competition for the best in print and broadcast journalism. More than 1,000 entries were submitted for consideration. WKSU competes in the Major Market division with radio stations in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

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 station broadcasts three HD Radio channels – adding WKSU-2 Folk Alley and WKSU-3 The Classical Channel to the analog broadcast schedule. The Classical Channel can also be heard in Cleveland at 107.3 HD-3. The WKSU web site is www.wksu.org.
PR09.11                     ###                 7/17/09

(Back to press releases )