The Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association has honored WGLT for journalistic excellence with eight awards, including first-place honors for Outstanding News Operation and Best Digital Presence.
The awards were announced April 25 by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association on its Facebook Page. The INBA’s spring convention was canceled due to the coronavirus.
WGLT’s eight awards were tied with WBEZ in Chicago for the most of any radio station in Illinois.
WGLT’s awards include:
- Outstanding News Operation – entire staff
- Best Hard News Feature – Second Place – “Failing Rica,” by Ryan Denham and Edith Brady-Lunny.
- Best Series or Documentary – First Place – “Down On The Farm,” by Eric Stock and Ryan Denham from WGLT. Jointly produced with Dana Vollmer and Tim Shelley at WCBU.
- Best Series or Documentary – Second Place – “Fines and Fees System Fail the Disadvantaged,” by Mary Cullen.
- Best Investigative Report – Second Place – “Failing Rica,” by Ryan Denham and Edith Brady-Lunny.
- Best Digital Presence – First Place – entire staff
- Best Reporter – First Place – Ryan Denham
- Best Newscast – Second Place – entire staff
WGLT, a public service of Illinois State University, has received 111 Illinois AP journalism awards since 1997. Thirty-one broadcasters submitted 250 entries in the contest, which featured news, sports, and investigative reporting as well as features, documentaries, and newswriting from 2019. The AP is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.
“WGLT is proud to serve our community with talented journalists and pleased our peers in other states have recognized our efforts,” said News Director Charlie Schlenker. “Awards season is also a small way to signal WGLT, listeners, and readers that our community is getting stories of quality and relevance.”
Also honored April 25 were student journalists from Illinois State’s School of Communication and its TV-10 and WZND radio station.
WGLT public radio is an NPR member station licensed to Illinois State and has been a part of the School of Communication since 1997. The station has been honored with scores of regional and national awards for excellence by the AP, Kaleidoscope, Public Radio News Directors, Inc. and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association. Over the decades, support from the University and the community has allowed GLT to become a full service public radio station, serving a central Illinois audience approaching 30,000 listeners a week at 89.1 FM, as well as a growing digital presence with users all over the world via WGLT.org, social media channels, and NPR One app.
