74% OF NATIONAL MURROW AWARDS WENT TO PUBLIC RADIO ORGANIZATIONS

Public radio did very, very well in the RTDNA’s Murrow Awards competition. Of the 50 radio categories, 37 (74%) of the winners are public radio organizations.

The awards will be presented October 22^nd at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City. More information is available here.

RTDNA breaks radio entries into three groups: Large market stations, Small market stations and Network Radio.

NPR took home five Murrow Awards: Continuing Coverage, Excellence in Social Media, Excellence in Sound, Excellence in Hard News, and News Documentary.

New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) received a Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in small market radio.  NHPR won the same award in 2017.

[Scroll down to see a complete list of the Murron Award winners.)

PUBLIC RADIO: A PHENOMENON IN MEDIUM & SMALL MARKETS

The changing face of radio news in medium and small markets is reflected in the Murrow Award winners. Of the 17 categories in the Small Market groups, 16 (95%) were won by public radio entries. WITF, Harrisburg and Vermont Public Radio both won twice.

Not that many years ago the Small Market category would include many commercial broadcasters, mainly hometown stations. But, things have changed.

Commercial radio news capacity has been drastically reduced since the hyper-consolidation of ownership in the 1990s and 2000s. In many medium sized markets, chain-store owners like iHeart and Cumulus, and local chains like Three Eagles took out whole news departments. 

SDPR is the only media outlet the covers the entire state

Public radio has become the “radio news of record” in many of these markets. 

We are so proud of South Dakota Public Radio for winning the Murrow Award of Best Use of Social Media.  Public media is vital in South Dakota.  Every voice seeking excellence in radio counts.

In the large markets, public radio entries won 10 of 17, 59% of the categories.  WBUR won two Murrow Awards, include one for sports-talk Only a Game.

There are 16 categories in the Network Radio.  Public radio won 11 of the 16 (69%).  In addition to NPR, winners included “No Place to Run” submitted by Reveal and the Texas Tribune, and Youth Radio for “Emancipation: One Young Man Leaves Foster Care on His Own Terms.”

Stations affiliated with CBS Radio News and CBS Radio’s new owner Entercom. WTOP AM/FM, owned by Hubbard Broadcasting won the Overall Radio Excellence Murrow Award.

THE 2018 MURROW AWARD NATIONAL RADIO AWARD WINNERS

(PUBLIC RADIO WINNERS ARE IN BOLD TYPE)

• SMALL MARKET RADIO

Overall Excellence: NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO

Breaking News Coverage: FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY News-Talk-Jazz WGCU-F/FORT MYERS, "Hurricane Irma Hits SOUTHWEST FLORIDA"

Continuing Coverage: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI News-Talk KBIA/COLUMBIA, MO, "Urgent for Care: Can MISSOURI's Poorest County Keep Its Hospital Alive?"

Excellence in Innovation: WITF, INC. News-Talk WITF-F/HARRISBURG, PA, "The VIETNAM War: WITF STORIES"

Excellence in Social Media: SOUTH DAKOTA PUBLID BROADCASTING

Excellence in Sound: COMMUNITY IDEA STATIONS/RICHMOND, "VIRGINIA Nonprofits Bring Theater To Life For Visually Impaired"

Excellence in Video: CONNECTICUT PUBLIC BROADCASTING News-Talk WNPR/HARTFORD, "A Month After Maria, Efforts To Bring Clean Water To Remote Parts of PUERTO RICO"

Excellence in Writing: CAL STATE-MONTEREY BAY News-Talk KAZU/PACIFIC GROVE-SEASIDE, CA, "Reality of Possible Separation Sets in for American Children of Undocumented Parents"

Feature Reporting: WITF, "Finding Solace at the Wall" 2

Hard News: VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO, "Some Immigrants Flee U.S., Knowingly Walking into Police Arrest in CANADA"

Investigative Reporting: DELMARVA BROADCASTING CO. News-Talk WDEL-A-F/WILMINGTON, DE, "Scandal Surrounds NEW CASTLE COUNTY Elected Leader"

                                                                                                                       

News Documentary: VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO, "Why Is VERMONT So Overwhelmingly White?" 2

News Series: ALABAMA PUBLIC RADIO, "ALABAMA Rural Health Care"

Newscast: INDIANA UNIVERSITY News-Talk-Classical-Jazz WFIU/BLOOMINGTON, IN, "MAY 24, 2017 Morning Newscast"

Sports Reporting: UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA-RENO News-Talk-Classical-Jazz KUNR/RENO, "RENO1868 FC's Fan Base Is Growing Fast"

Website: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA News-Talk WUFT/GAINESVILLE, FL

• LARGE MARKET RADIO

Overall Excellence: WTOP

Breaking News Coverage: KUOW PUGET SOUND PUBLIC RADIO News-Talk KUOW/SEATTLE, "AMTRAK Derailment"

Continuing Coverage: MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO/MPR NEWS, "The Fatal Police Shooting of JUSTINE RUSZCZYK"

Excellence in Innovation: WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY News-Talk-Classical WFDD/WINSTON-SALEM, "WFDD’s Community Conversation on Mental Health"

Excellence in Social Media: BOSTON UNIVERSITY News-Talk WBUR/BOSTON, "BOSTON's Free Speech Rally"

Excellence in Sound: ENTERCOM News KCBS-A-KFRC-F/SAN FRANCISCO, "WINE COUNTRY On Fire"

Excellence in Video: IDEASTREAM News-Talk-Jazz WCPN-Classical WCLV/CLEVELAND, "A Peek Inside the Collectibles Empire of TERRY KOVEL"

Excellence in Writing: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY News-Talk KCUR/KANSAS CITY, "A New KANSAS Museum Dares to Showcase Daredevil EVEL KNEIVEL"

Feature Reporting: BONNEVILLE News-Talk KIRO-F/SEATTLE, "Homeless Girl Scouts"

Hard News: CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO News-Talk WBEZ/CHICAGO, "For ILLINOIS Sex Offenders, Six Years Can Turn Into Life in Prison"

Investigative Reporting: NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING News-Talk KQED/SAN FRANCISCO, "Inside SANTA CLARA Jails, Predatory Bail Schemes Flourished for Years"

News Documentary: YOUR PUBLIC RADIO News-Talk-Jazz WYPR/BALTIMORE, "Out of the Blocks: 2100 Edmondson"

News Series: ENTERCOM News WCBS-A/NEW YORK, "The Breaking Point"

Newscast: WCBS-A, "OCTOBER 31, 2017 5pm"

Sports Reporting: BONNEVILLE News-Talk KTAR-F/PHOENIX, "Vital Organ-ist"

Website: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS News-Talk KUT/AUSTIN

• NATIONAL RADIO

Overall Excellence: CBS NEWS RADIO

Breaking News Coverage: CBS NEWS RADIO, "LAS VEGAS Massacre"

Continuing Coverage: NPR, "Immigration Coverage"

Excellence in Innovation: REVEAL FROM THE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING, "Follow the Money: Citizen Sleuths Investigate"

Excellence in Social Media: NPR, HIDDEN BRAIN

Excellence in Sound: NPR, "What Happened When the Gunshots Started"

Excellence in Writing: CBS NEWS RADIO, DAVE ROSS

Feature Reporting: YOUTH RADIO, "Emancipation: One Young Man Leaves Foster Care On His Own Terms"

Hard News: NPR, "They Told Me I Wasn't a 

Human Being': Gay Men Speak Of Brutal Treatment in CHECHNYA"

Investigative Reporting: REVEAL and THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, "No Place to Run"

News Documentary: NPR, "EMBEDDED: TRUMP Stories -The Golf Course"

News Series: ABC NEWS RADIO, "AMERICA's Fentanyl Crisis"

Newscast: CBS NEWS RADIO, "CBS WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP"

Sports Reporting: NPR and WBUR, ONLY A GAME, "Armless Archer Makes His Mark Among The World's Best"