Marshall’s WMUL-FM students, alumni take home dozens of awards, advisor Bailey honored

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Students and alumni from Marshall University’s public radio station, WMUL-FM, have been honored with over 60 awards from several journalism and broadcasting organizations so far for the 2022-23 year.

They received two first place awards and two second place awards for the 2022 calendar year awards at “The Virginias” Associated Press Broadcasters Association’s 10th annual awards ceremony April 1 at the Greenbrier Resort, and Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, the faculty manager for WMUL-FM, was elected to the VAPBA Board of Directors.

Bailey also was honored for his service by the National Broadcasting Society/ Alpha Epsilon Rho (NBS-AERho), the National Electronic Media Association, for excellent service to the organization, and students received three first place awards and four honorable mention awards during the NBS/AERho 32nd Annual National Student Audio/Video Scriptwriting and 60th Annual Audio/Video Production Awards Competition.

WMUL-FM students also won all three first place awards in the three radio categories available to enter in the 2022 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Mark of Excellence Contest for Region Four. The Marshall students had competed with other broadcasting students from colleges West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and western Pennsylvania, and the awards were presented at the SPJ Region Four Spring Conference April 15 in Chicago.  They also received four Platinum Awards, three Gold Awards and four Honorable Mention Awards in The Hermes Creative Awards 2022-2023 competition, as well as two Awards of Excellence and five Awards of Distinction in the 29th Annual Communicator Awards 2023 Audio Competition.

“Our radio students have established a tradition at WMUL-FM of being able to successfully compete at the national, regional or     state level with other student-operated college radio stations,” said Bailey, a professor of radio-television production and management in Marshall’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Bailey was among three people NBS-AERho recognized for excellent service to the organization, and among only 20 individuals recognized since the inception of the organization in 1943. Bailey received the The Sherman P. Lawton Lifetime Professional Membership Award and was named 2022-23 Advisory of the Year.

The Sherman P. Lawton Lifetime Professional Membership Award recognizes excellence at the national, regional and local levels of the organization. Recipients volunteer often hundreds of hours of service to the organization while holding full-time employment in academia and/or the media. Bailey has been a member for more than 35 years and has been the long-time advisor of the Marshall University chapter. Under his guidance, the chapter won more than 490 national audio awards from the NBS-AERho’s National Student Production Awards Competition, developed numerous fund-raising projects, and chapter members were consistent attendees at the national conventions.

“The work of Dr. Bailey exemplified what is right with higher education,” said Jim Wilson, executive director of the National Electronic Media Association. “Not only is Chuck an effective teacher, but his leadership has guided hundreds of students to pursue their professional dreams while achieving excellence in hands-on learning.”

The National Electronic Media Association also named Bailey Chapter Advisor of the Year for 2022-2023.

For more information about Marshall’s W. Page School of Journalism and Mass Communications, visit https://www.marshall.edu/jmc/.

The two first place individual award-winning entries for WMUL-FM students in The Virginias were:

Best Spot News: This award was given for “Title IX Protest,” written and produced by David Adkins, a recent graduate from Huntington, broadcast during “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Nov. 18, 2022, and made available online.

Best Sports Play-by-Play: This award was given for WMUL-FM’s broadcast of the Marshall University versus Appalachian State men’s basketball game played Dec. 29, 2022, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington. The WMUL-FM alumni and student involved with the broadcast were: Play-by-play announcer  Jason Philyaw, an alumnus from Ironton, Ohio; color commentator Ryan Epling, an alumnus from Wayne; and engineer Luke Hamilton, a junior from South Point Ohio.

The two second-place station award-winning entries in The Virginias were:

Outstanding News Operation for the Virginias: This went to the Newscenter 88 Team, led during 2022 calendar year by WMUL-FM News Director Makaylah Wheeler, a senior from Huntington.

Outstanding Sports Operation for the Virginias: This went to the FM 88 Sports Staff, led during the 2022 Spring Semester by WMUL-FM Sports Director Andrew Rogers, a recent graduate from Clarksburg, and during the 2022 Fall Semester by WMUL-FM Sports Director Justin Zimmer, a senior from Bethesda, Maryland.

The first-place award-winning entries in the SPJ Region Four Contest were in following categories:

Radio News Reporting: This award was presented for “Localization in Huntington,” written and produced by David Adkins and broadcast during “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Oct. 14, 2022, and made available online.

Radio Sports Reporting: This award was presented for “State of Herd,” written and produced by Justin Zimmer and broadcast Oct. 22, 2022, during the Cutting Edge Sports Radio Network’s Pregame Program prior to the Marshall v. James Madison football game in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and made available online.

Best All-Around Radio Newscast: This award was presented for “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Oct. 20, 2022. The students who participated in this newscast were:

Producer Morgan Pemberton, a junior from Huntington; anchor Makaylah Wheeler; anchor Luke Hamilton; David Adkins, who did the weather report; and sports anchor Sean Kelly, a sophomore from State College, Pennsylvania.

The SPJ first-place winners will now be entered into the national awards contest along with the other 11 regional first place winners. The national award winner will be announced Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at the National Awards Ceremony during SPJ’s 2023 Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the NBS/AERho awards competition, WMUL-FM was recognized for:

Audio Newscast: This award was presented to WMUL-FM for the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Nov. 16, 2022. The students who participated in this newscast are: Producer Rebecca Law, a senior from Fredericksburg, Virginia; Anchors David Adkins and Abigail Cunningham, a sophomore from Charleston; Makaylah Wheeler, who did the weather report; and Sports Reporter Ben Anderson, a freshman from Ironton, Ohio

Audio News Segment: This award was presented for WMUL-FM’s “Marshall Memorial Fountain Package,” written and produced by Makaylah Wheeler and broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Nov. 14, 2022, and made available online.

Audio Public Service Announcements: This award was presented for “You Know Me,” broadcast beginning on Sept. 21, 2022, and still in rotation. The public service announcement was written and produced by Ben Cower, a junior from Purcellville, Virginia.

The NBS/AERho honorable mention awards in production were awarded to WMUL for:

Audio Sports Reporting: This honorable mention was presented for “State of The Herd” written and produced by Justin Zimmer and broadcast Oct. 22, 2022, during the Cutting Edge Sports Radio Network’s Pregame Program prior to the Marshall versus James Madison football game in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and made available online.

Live Sports Production: This honorable mention was presented for WMUL-FM’s broadcast of the Marshall University versus University of North Carolina at Charlotte women’s college basketball game played Feb. 5, 2022, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington. The students calling the women’s basketball    broadcast over FM 88.1 were: Play-by-play announcer Andrew Rogers; color commentator Justin Zimmer; statistician Ryan Sirk, a recent graduate from Casa Grande, Arizona; and engineers Mason LeMaster, a senior from Hurricane and Isaiah Waters, a senior from Washington, D.C.

Audio Sports Reporting: This honorable mention was presented for “Sportsview,” featuring Marshall Athletic Director Christian Spears with hosts Andrew Rogers and Justin Zimmer. This edition of “Sportsview” was broadcast April 20, 2022.

Audio Magazine Program, Public Affairs and/or Documentary: This honorable mention was presented for “Marshall Football’s Biggest Scandal” written and produced by Justin Zimmer and broadcast during “Aircheck” Oct. 12, 2022.

In the Hermes Creative 2022-23 awards, Marshall WMUL-FM students received four Platinum Awards, three Gold Awards and four Honorable Mention Awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. There were more than 6,500 entries in The Hermes Creative Awards 2023 Competition from throughout the United States, Canada and dozens of other countries.

The Platinum Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were for:

Audio Spot News Package/Podcast: This award was presented for “Title IX Protest,” written and produced by David Adkins and broadcast during “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Nov. 18, 2022, and made available online.

Audio/Radio Documentary Program: This award was presented for “Chapters: Chuck Yeager” written and produced by Nick Matawa, a recent graduate from Brick, New Jersey, and broadcast Dec. 15, 2022.

Audio Sports Play-by-Play Programming:  This award was presented for WMUL-FM’s broadcast of the Marshall University versus James Madison football contest in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Oct. 22, 2022. The students calling the football broadcast over FM 88.1 were: Play-by-play announcer Justin Zimmer; color commentator Ben Cower; spotter Sean Kelly; and engineers Ben Anderson and Ray Rynearson, a junior from Deposit, New York.

Audio Public Service Announcement: This award was presented for “You Know Me,” broadcast beginning on Sept. 21, 2022, and still in rotation. The public service announcement was written and produced by Ben Cower.

The Gold Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were for:

Audio News Feature Package/Podcast: This award was presented for WMUL-FM’s “Marshall Memorial Fountain Package,” written and produced by Makaylah Wheeler and broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Nov. 14, 2022, and made available online.

Audio/Radio Sports Documentary Program: : This award was presented for “Marshall Football’s Biggest Scandal” written and produced by Justin Zimmer and broadcast during “Aircheck” Oct. 12, 2022.

Audio Sports Play-by-Play Programming: This award was presented for WMUL-FM’s broadcast of the Marshall University versus Appalachian State men’s college basketball game played at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia, Dec. 29, 2022. The WMUL-FM alumni calling the men’s basketball broadcast over FM 88.1 were: Play-by-play announcer Jason Philyaw; color commentator Ryan Epling; and engineer Luke Hamilton.

The Honorable Mention Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were for:

Audio Newscast: This award was presented for “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Oct. 20, 2022. The students who participated in this newscast were: Producer Morgan Pemberton, anchor Makaylah Wheeler, anchor Luke Hamilton, weather reporter David Adkins, and sports anchor Sean Kelly.

Best Audio/Radio Sports Program: This honorable mention was presented for “Sportsview,” featuring Marshall Athletic Director Christian Spears with hosts Andrew Rogers and Justin Zimmer. This edition of “Sportsview” was broadcast April 20, 2022.

Audio/Radio Ad/Promo: This honorable mention was presented for “WMUL-FM Witchcraft Promo,” an in-house promotional announcement broadcast in WMUL-FM’s Promotion Announcement rotation beginning Jan. 7, 2023, and still in rotation. The promo was written and produced by Zane Bowles, a recent graduate from Sandstone.

Best Social Media – Instagram: This honorable mention was presented for WMUL’s FM 88 social media Instagram account, recognized for its use during radio station and Marshall sporting events throughout the academic year. The WMUL-FM social media accounts are overseen by Social Media Director Rebecca Law.

Among the recognitions from the Communicator Awards were Award of Excellence winning entries by WMUL-FM were in the following categories:

Audio Spot News Package: This award was given for “Title IX Protest,” written and produced by David Adkins.

Audio Public Service Announcement: This award was presented for “You Know Me,” broadcast beginning on Sept. 21, 2022, and still in rotation. The public service announcement was written and produced by Ben Cower.

The Award of Distinction winning entries by WMUL-FM were in the following categories:

Audio Newscast: This award was presented for “The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Oct. 20, 2022. The students who participated in this newscast were: Producer Morgan Pemberton, anchor Makaylah Wheeler, anchor Luke Hamilton, weather reporter David Adkins, and sports anchor Sean Kelly.

Audio Feature News Package: This award was presented for WMUL-FM’s “Marshall Memorial Fountain Package,” written and produced by Makaylah Wheeler and broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Nov. 14, 2022, and made available online.

Audio/Radio Documentary Program: This award was presented for “Chapters: Chuck Yeager” written and produced by Nick Matawa and broadcast Dec. 15, 2022.

Audio/Radio Sports Documentary Program: This award was presented for “Marshall Football’s Biggest Scandal” written and produced by Justin Zimmer and broadcast during “Aircheck” Oct. 12, 2022.

General Sports Program: This award was presented for “Sportsview,” featuring Marshall Athletic Director Christian Spears with hosts Andrew Rogers and Justin Zimmer. This edition of “Sportsview” was broadcast April 20, 2022.

 

 

Contact: Jean Hardiman, University Relations Specialist, 304-696-6397, jean.hardiman@marshall.edu

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