WMUL FM 88.1 a big winner in National ACP awards
Huntington, WV (HNN) –
Students from Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications won several awards this fall in the 87th Annual National College Media Convention/2008 Collegiate Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) National Student Radio Production Awards Ceremony in Kansas City, Mo., including a first-ever award for the television program, “Up Late,” and six for WMUL-FM, Marshall’s public radio station.
WMUL-FM also received a first-place Podcast Best of Show award at the 87th Annual National College Media Convention/2008 Associated Press (ACP) Annual College Competition Ceremony, also in Kansas City.
In winning its first award, “Up Late” was helped by an appearance by head baseball coach Jeff Waggoner along with some unorthodox batting practice for his team, a look at a Herd Home, and a little student competition of Hallway Olympics.
“Up Late” is a show that grew out of last year’s Introduction to Video Production class taught by instructors Jamie LoFiego and Eric Himes, who both work with Marshall’s Instructional Television Channel 25. It is produced entirely by students and has a late-night show quality featuring interviews, skits, ridiculous stunts, guest bands and comedy. LoFiego hosts the show to give it a consistent feel, since the students working on the show change each semester. He said he believes the award reflects not only the good work of the “Up Late” crew, but also the entire radio and television program in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
“It is awesome to see that with all of the work that our students put into the show that people outside of our viewing area think we are doing a good job,” LoFiego said. “I believe we are developing a following for our show. Every now and then you will hear people say, ‘Oh yeah, Up Late – I’ve seen that show.’ Our students do really great work.”
Students involved in the class, as well as volunteers who worked on the award-winning Episode 18 include: Ryan Vance, Ryan Zipperian, Andrew Colegrove, Emily McKenna,Will Sutherland, Adam Ede, Chris Atkins, Jeremy Edwards, Lawren Hightower, Stacey Renner, Stephanie Bartram, Stephen Frail, Tiffney Henson, Travis Caffray, Kimberly Burcham, Erin Downard, Francesca Karle, Adam Cavalier and Ben Gibson.
“Up Late” airs on Saturdays from 11 to 11:30 p.m. on MyZTV and on Comcast Channel 25 throughout the week. Suddenlink Communications airs the show on Channels 19 and 22 in its different markets. “Up Late” also can be found online at
www.marshall.edu/uplate.
The first-place “Up Late” show may be seen online at
www.marshall.edu/uplate/myz_sp08/myz_sp08_show18.asp.
In addition to the “Up Late” award, Marshall students received three first-place awards and three finalist awards at the CBI ceremony, which took place in Royal Hall at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown Hotel in Kansas City.
Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, professor of Radio-Television Production and Management in the School of Journalism at Marshall and faculty manager of WMUL-FM, said the students competed with broadcasting students from colleges and universities throughout the United States.
“This contest, in its seventh year, is sponsored by the CBI which administers the contest in cooperation with College Media Advisers Inc. (CMA), the nation’s oldest and largest college media organization,” Bailey said. “It is an honor to win three out of the 12 first-place radio awards granted by these prestigious organizations.”
Bailey said Marshall’s radio students have established at WMUL-FM a tradition of being able to successfully compete at the national, regional, or state level with other student-operated college radio stations.
“No college won more first-place awards from CBI than Marshall University,” he said. “So this performance is further evidence of the quality of the work performed by our talented broadcasting students.”
The first-place award winning entries were:
Best Radio Newscast
“The 5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” broadcast Friday, April 4, 2008. The newscast featured Chelsea Clinton’s visit to Marshall’s Huntington campus. The students who participated in the newscast were:
Ryan Vance, senior, Culloden, W. Va. (producer); Kimberly Burcham, a recent graduate, Huntington, W. Va.; (news anchor); Adam Cavalier, senior, Montgomery, W.Va. (news anchor); Andrew Ramspacher, junior, Dublin, Ohio (sports anchor); Meagan Sellards, graduate student, Chapmanville, W.Va. (live drop reporter), and Neera Doss, junior, Milton, W.Va. (live drop reporter).
Best Radio Sports Play-By-Play
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of Marshall University versus East Carolina University played at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, W.Va., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007. The students calling the football game were:
Ryan Epling, graduate student, Wayne, W.Va. (football play-by-play announcer); Brian Dalek, senior, McMechen, W.Va. (color commentator); Andrew Ramspacher (sideline reporter); Scott Hall, recent master’s graduate from Stephens City, Va. (engineer), and Boom Madison, sophomore, Olympia, Wash. (engineer).
Dalek also was managing editor this fall of The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper.
Best Radio Promotion
“Hair from the Herd” was an event to benefit Locks of Love, a nonprofit that makes real-hair wigs for children who have chronic diseases that result in hair loss, and highlights WMUL-FM’s public service commitment. The haircuts for “Hair from the Herd” were provided by the Huntington School of Beauty Culture. “Hair from the Herd” resulted in more than 300 inches of hair being donated to Locks of Love. Meagan Sellards, WMUL-FM’s station manager, headed up the event for the campus radio station.
The finalist award winning entries were:
Best Radio News Reporting
“The Pumpkin House: Trick or Treat Night,” written and produced by Adam Cavalier, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007.
Best Radio Sports Reporting
“Wood versus Metal,” written and produced by Adam Cavalier, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Thursday, March, 13, 2008.
Best Regularly Scheduled Program
“The Last Show Tonight: Best Show Ever,” written and produced by Adam Cavalier and Brian Dalek, broadcast Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007.
WMUL’s first-place Podcast Best of Show award from the 2008 Associated Press (ACP) Annual College Competition was for a 30-minute special titled “The Conference USA Report-70s Edition,” broadcast for the first time Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. It was a 70s-themed edition of a regular sports program that airs Friday and Saturday during Marshall University football weekends.
Students who participated in the winning show were host Brian Dalek; and reporters Adam Cavalier; Ryan Epling; Tom Bragg, a senior from Nitro, W.Va.; James Roach, a junior from Richwood, W.Va., and Tony Viola, a freshman from Follansbee, W.Va.
