STLPR won five first place awards and four certificates of merit from the Missouri Broadcasters Association banquet in Osage Beach on June 3, including a first-place win for best local website.
The MBA serves more than 350 radio and television stations in Missouri. The Association works to encourage the highest standards in broadcasting and to recognize excellence and achievement in the field.
STLPR’s Rolla correspondent Jonathan Ahl accepted the awards at the ceremony. “Congratulations to everyone. It was a pleasure to be there, represent the station and accept the awards on behalf of so many talented people!” Ahl said.
First Place, Convergent Media
Economic development reporter Eric Schmid and Midwest newroom investigative editor Steve Vockrodt received First Place, Convergent Media, for a story on Springfield’s groundwater contamination.
The convergent media category recognizes cross-platform reporting utilizing traditional print and digital or social media platforms.
“I’m proud to earn this recognition from our peers in Missouri and I think it speaks to the power and impact of relentless investigative journalism,” Schmid said. “If anything, it demonstrates how important this kind of work is for our communities and colleagues. This is the best that St. Louis Public Radio has to offer and we need to double down on reporting projects like this one.”
First Place, Video for Radio
Engagement editor Lara Hamdan received the First Place, Video for Radio Award for stopping a tree removal crew to ask why so many trees were being removed in St. Louis city.
The category recognizes the most outstanding and creative video by a radio station, exemplifying audience value, excellent execution, creativity and originality.
“It’s been such a joy to delve into more video projects that help STLPR connect with our audiences in a more fun, casual yet informative way,” Hamdan said. “I want our audiences to feel like we’re their friends that take them along for the ride while helping them get the information they’re most interested in.”
First Place, Documentary/Public Affairs
Rolla correspondent Jonathan Ahl won First Place, Documentary/Public Affairs, for his piece on how the government defines what it means to be a “rural” community and the effects on one small, sometimes rural Missouri town.
“Covering rural parts of our listening area is a big part of my job, and I've always noticed that there is no universal definition of what rural is. I was hoping to bring light to very big consequences that come from there being so many different definitions of what is generally believed to be a basic concept,” Ahl said.
First Place, Feature Reporting
Arts and culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin took first place for his feature story on young Afghan refugees finding familiarity and reminders of home through the STL Futbol Club soccer program. The idea for the story began when Goodwin happened across the kids playing soccer on his daily walks.
“There are many aspects to a story like the resettlement of Afghan refugees in St. Louis, and STLPR has looked at issues related to housing, employment, and newly formed Afghan community organizations,” Goodwin said. “But also, I take walks in downtown St. Louis all the time, and in the winter of 2021-2022 I started seeing young Afghans playing soccer under the Arch. I caught up with their story after they moved indoors for an organized soccer program.”
“I hope the sounds of these young refugees running around and having a brief bit of fun helps people relate more closely to what these kids and their families are going through. The best human rights policy can sometimes be to simply act as a good neighbor.”
First Place, Best Local Website: stlpr.org
Rounding out the first place wins, St. Louis Public Radio won First Place, Best Local Website, for all large-market radio stations in Missouri.
Digital and Special Projects Editor Brian Heffernan said, “What I love most about earning this recognition is that it represents work that all corners of our talented newsroom produced last year on a daily basis. It was an exceptionally challenging year of news events, and I was impressed again and again at how our journalists rose to the occasion to serve our audiences.”
MBA Certificates of Merit
Video for Radio
Engagement editor Lara Hamdan and St. Louis on the Air senior producer Emily Woodbury earned certificates of merit for a digital media piece on illegally transported tarantula spiderlings being nurtured at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Butterfly House.
Sports
Morning newscaster Wayne Pratt received a certificate of merit for his story on a St. Louis Blues after-school hockey program the team hopes will increase diversity and improve access to the game.
Feature Reporting
Senior education reporter Kate Grumke earned a certificate of merit for an article on Muslim families in Mehlville celebrating the school board’s decision to make Eid al-Fitr a school holiday.
Social Media Star
Politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum received a certificate of merit for his video-based social media content on platforms like Instagram. This category is judged on listener/viewer engagement and creativity, among other distinctions, in real time.
