Topic: College of Communication Information and Media

May 12, 2008

Ball State University's professional and student news broadcasters were recently honored by the Indiana Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

At the annual statewide competition, Indiana Public Radio (IPR), a service of Ball State and a National Public Radio (NPR) member station, won 10 honors. Brian Beaver, IPR's senior news reporter and producer, received seven individual awards.

Other Ball State organizations honored were NewsWatch, a student-produced nightly newscast, and Ball Bearings, a student-produced online magazine.

Professional awards included:

  • best radio spot news - first place, Beaver, "Water Rescue"
  • best radio coverage of minority issues - first place, Beaver, "Unity Rally"
  • best radio general news - first place, Beaver, "Dave's Building"
  • best radio continuing coverage - first place, Beaver, "A Soldier's Story"
  • best use of radio sound - second place, Beaver, "Flash Flood, Tax Protest, Water Rescue"
  • best radio sports reporting - third place, Beaver, "Ronny Thompson Resigns"
  • best radio coverage of government - third place, Beaver, "Reassess, Reform, Recount"
  • best radio election night coverage - first place, IPR news staff, "Election Night 2007"
  • best radio medical/science reporting - first place, Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR's senior producer and news host, "SAVI Treatment in Anderson"
  • best radio newscast - second place, Stan Sollars, IPR's senior producer and host of "Morning Edition" and the IPR news team, "Morning Edition 8:33 Newcast, 12-24-07"


Student awards included:

  • best Web journalism site - first place, Ball Bearings
  • best television newscast - first place, NewsWatch
     

  

By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist