KBIA-FM Stories Win 3 Regional Society of Professional Journalists Awards
Mark of Excellence Awards Recognize the Best in Collegiate Journalism
By Ashley Szatala
Columbia, Mo. (April 27, 2016) — Missouri School of Journalism students won three of the four radio categories in the Society of Professional Journalists‘ Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards. Three additional stories were selected as finalists in the categories. The contest recognizes the best in collegiate journalism.
Previously, it was reported that Vox Magazine won seven SPJ Region 7 Mark of Excellence Awards for Best Student Magazine, Feature Photography, three wins in Non-Fiction Magazine Article, Online Feature Reporting and Photo Illustration.
The winners in each regional category are eligible for national awards. These will be announced in June.
Radio Feature
- Winner: Thomas Merton’s Personal Belongings Resurface in Missouri Nearly Fifty Years After His Death by Emerald O’Brien, a convergence journalism senior.
- Finalist: New App Hopes to Change Classroom Culture by Rodney Davis, a senior studying radio-television journalism.
- Judges’ Comments: “The content is incredibly relevant to the audience and delivery mirrored that relevance. Not only does this include hard stats, but also student testimonial.”
Radio In-Depth Reporting
- Winner: Exploring the Paths of Missouri’s Special Education by Ashley Reese and Heather Adams.
- Judges’ Comments: “An excellent series, start to finish. Overall, it’s very good journalism and the best student entry I heard this year.”
Radio News Reporting
- Winner: OSHA Investigates Heartland Dairy after Third Death in Three Years by Michaela Tucker, a senior studying radio-television journalism.
- Judges’ Comments: “The testimonials, the product, the storyline, it all kept me fully engaged. I also appreciated the use of part of the interview as a sound bed – the realness of that moment is significant in the telling of the story. Well researched, well presented.”
- Finalist: Bosnians Remember When Their City Became ‘One Big Concentration Camp’ by Emerald O’Brien.
- Finalist: How a 27-Year-Old Amendment Helped Change the Face of Downtown Columbia by Emerald O’Brien.
Missouri School of Journalism students produce stories with audio, video and text for the KBIA website while also producing traditional radio newscasts. The station is owned by the University of Missouri and serves a 70-mile listening area, which includes more than 40,000 listeners in 14 counties and Kirksville.
Winners and finalists will be announced and honored at the Region 7 conference April 16 at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. Region 7 includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Updated: September 24, 2020