WMUL students receive 10 awards in AVA Awards Competition

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Students from WMUL-FM, Marshall University’s public radio station, received four Platinum Awards, four Gold Awards and two Honorable Mention Awards in the International AVA Awards 2011 Competition.

The winners were named in a letter dated Friday, Jan. 13, from Arlington, Texas.   This marks WMUL-FM’s first time competing in this particular contest and all 10 entries received some type of recognition.

The AVA Awards contest is an international competition that recognizes outstanding creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of media that are part of the evolution of digital communication.  Work ranges from audio and video productions, to websites that present interactive components such as animation, blogs and podcasts – to interactive social media sites – to other forms of user-generated communication.

The AVA’s prestigious Platinum Award is presented to those entries judged to be among the most outstanding submissions in the competition. The Gold Award is presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry.  Honorable Mention certificates are granted to those entries that meet the expectations of the judges. 

“These AVA Awards are a tribute to the continual quality and commitment to the news and sports coverage, creative programming, station promotion, and having an online presence that our broadcast students exhibit in competition with professional practitioners,” said Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, professor of Radio – Television Production and Management in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and faculty manager of WMUL-FM.

The Platinum Award-winning entries by WMUL-FM are in the following categories:

·         Newscast: “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” broadcast Friday, Oct. 1, 2010. The students who participated in the newscast were Robert Iddings, a recent graduate from St. Albans, producer; Leannda Carey, a graduate student from Wellsburg, anchor; Adam Cavalier, a recent master’s graduate from Montgomery, anchor; and Jimmy Sanders, a senior from Stroudsburg, Pa., sports anchor.

·         Radio Sports Program: “Herd Roundup,” broadcast and made available online Friday, April 29, 2011. The students who participated in “Herd Roundup” were Adam Cavalier, co-host and producer, and Aaron Payne, a senior from Winfield, co-host and producer.

·         Promo: “Tenth Annual Car Bash,” an in-house promotional announcement broadcast in WMUL-FM’s Promotion Announcement rotation from Tuesday, Oct. 11 through Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, written and produced by Aaron Payne.

·         Overall website: WMUL-FM’s website is www.marshall.edu/wmul. The 2011 webmaster for WMUL-FM Online was Tyler Kes, a junior from Burnsville, Minn.

The Gold Award-winning entries are in the following categories:

·         Radio Regularly Scheduled Program: “Mecha Colossus, Episode 5,” a comedy program broadcast Tuesday, April 26, 2011, written and produced by Morgan Shillingburg, a recent graduate from Charleston, and Aaron Payne.

·         Sports Package: “The Mitch Express,” written and produced by Adam Cavalier, was broadcast during the “Tournament of State Champions” from Mitch Stadium in Kenova, W.Va., Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010.

·         Promo: “Word on the Street,” an in-house promotional announcement broadcast in WMUL-FM’s Promotion Announcement rotation from Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, through the present time, written and produced by Aaron Payne.

·         Sports Play-By-Play: WMUL-FM’s broadcast of the Marshall University versus Bowling Green State University football game played at Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010.  The students calling the game were football play-by-play announcer Adam Cavalier; color commentator Robert Iddings; and engineer Scott Hall, a graduate from Stephens City, Va.

The Honorable Mention Award-winning entries are in the following categories:

·         News package: “Coping with Disaster:  Montcoal, West Virginia,” by Leannda Carey, broadcast in the 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” and made available online Friday, April 9, 2010.

·         Sports package: “Facing the 3-3 Stack,” by Leannda Carey, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” Friday, Sept. 10, 2010.