WWNO — New Orleans Public Radio took home eight awards this past weekend at the Press Club of New Orleans’ 56th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards Gala, sweeping the radio category.
Winning entries ran the gamut from in-depth radio features to arts and culture réportage and an innovative promotional campaign, showcasing the extraordinary range and depth of WWNO’s commitment to telling the stories of New Orleanians and all the people of Southeast Louisiana.
When the radio category announcements were finished, Gala host Mark Romig joked, “Okay, now that the WWNO Awards are over…”
For first-place winners Gala organizers play snippets of the pieces over the sound system, and WWNO News Director Eve Troeh says that was the most meaningful part of the night for her, hearing the talented voices of WWNO contributors played for a room of the Crescent City’s best journalists.
“The pile of awards lined up in our offices today sends a clear message: No one else is doing what we are doing,” says Troeh. “WWNO is a clear leader for distinctive news in New Orleans, bringing our audience the best storytelling, interviews, arts, culture and analysis. With a tiny staff and less than two years in our new format, we are able to deliver memorable, meaningful journalism, on the air and online.”
Troeh herself won a first-place award in the Radio Feature category for her look at the unique world of professional Jazz Fest photographers. A full list of all the winners, and links to their stories, is below.
"This honor parallels the other work the station has been doing — new, innovative local and national partnerships; community outreach; coastal reporting — helping to fulfill WWNO's goals of being a true partner in the continuing recovery and future of the New Orleans region," says WWNO General Manager Paul Maassen.
“Now we need to build our department to deliver more of this great coverage,” says Troeh. “We have important and amazing stories to tell, and we need more staff to tell them well. If we can grow our listener support and corporate underwriting, we can grow our coverage of this city to give our region great journalism on par with any outlet in the city — or the country, for that matter.”
Full list of this year’s winners:
*First Place, Radio Feature: Eve Troeh for "At Jazz Fest, Photographers Have A Culture All Their Own"
*Second Place, Radio Feature: Diane Mack "Martha Redbone Headlines Fais Do Do Stage At Jazz Fest 2013"
*First Place, Continuing Coverage: Bob Marshall and Fred Kasten for "The Louisiana Coast: Last Call" (This series also took home a prestigious Regional Edward R. Murrow Award)
*First Place, Public Affairs: WWNO and NolaVie Staff for "Voices On Violence"
*First Place, General News: Sarah Carr for "Extended School Day"
*First Place, Entertainment News: Eve Abrams "Allison Miner Stage"
*Second Place, Entertainment News: Diane Mack for "Inside the Arts: French Quarter Festival, New Orleans Nightingales, World’s Fairs Revisited"
*First Place, Radio Promotion Campaign: WWNO Staff for "The WWNO Couple"