Reporters recognized for exemplary work in six categories
TAMPA, Fla. (April 23, 2018) – WUSF Public Media news reporters won top honors this week in six different categories from the Florida Associated Press organization. The awards for work in 2017 were announced Saturday in Orlando, and were selected from among nearly 600 entries from radio and television stations across the state.
Awards recognized WUSF journalists covering a wide range of topics, such as gender politics, college sports, the military, crime and music history.
- Cathy Carter received first place for General Assignment coverage. The radio story “20,000 Join Women’s March in St. Petersburg” was part of the station’s digital, video and social media coverage of the January 2017 protest, the largest in the city’s history.
- Mark Schreiner won top honor in the Sports Feature category for a segment from WUSF’s University Beat: “Jose Fernandez Celebrates 300 Wins as USF Women’s Basketball Coach.”
- Robin Sussingham’s feature on a special concert in Sarasota, “Violins of Hope Give Voice to Voiceless of Holocaust,” won first place in the Cultural/ Historical Feature division.
- Bobbie O’Brien’s work covering veterans, active military and their families won second place in the Hard Feature category. “An Unknown Future for Military Caregivers of Post-9/11 Veterans” was produced as part of her participation in a public radio collaborative called American Homefront heard on public radio stations across the country.
- Stephanie Colombini and Daylina Miller earned second place honors in the Series/Franchise Reporting category for stories in the Art Populi: Live Music in Tampa Bay series. Colombini reported on two stories, about a weekly jazz jam session and a cover band called Bjorkestra. Miller’s story dug into Tampa’s role in the birth of Death Metalmusic.
- Roberto Roldan and Steve Newborn were awarded second place in the Continuing Coverage category for their work reporting on the community affected by an unknown killer in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa in the fall of 2017.
Contributors to Health News Florida – the statewide public media collaborative based at WUSF – also received top honors in the contest.
Abe Aboraya of WMFE in Orlando won in the Hard News category for “PTSD Lingers in First Responders After Pulse.” Ryan Benk of WJCT in Jacksonville won first place in the Investigative category for “Florida Patients Stranded By State-Contracted Ride Service.” Reporter Sammy Mack was recognized for her work from WLRN in Miami on a series called “Young Survivors: The Unspoken Trauma of Gun Violence.” Her work earned honors in both the Use of Sound for Radio and Series/Franchise reporting categories.
A full list of winners can be found at http://discover.ap.org/contests/florida.
About WUSF Public Media
WUSF Public Media is a comprehensive media organization that provides media services to the community and businesses through public broadcasting and multi-media production services. Licensed to the University of South Florida, WUSF Public Media serves the public interest through programming, educational outreach and community partnerships. For more information, visit www.wusf.org.