Each year, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) hands out the regional Edward R. Murrow Awards to recognize the best electronic journalism produced by radio, TV and online news outlets around the world.
This year, we won big: 8 Murrow Awards in the Region 6 Small Market category!
And to top it off - we led the way in our category! No other news organization in the small-market category received as many Murrows as we did this year!
Our honors for this year include:
- Breaking News - Finance Director Theft Charges
- Featuring Reporting - Ivory Ban Spawns Dilema
- Investigative Reporting - Drug Smuggling Twist
- News Series - Texas Solar Challenge
- Reporting: Hard News - Dia de la Revolución
- Reporting: Sports - UTPB's Football Program
- Website - marfapublicradio.org
- Overall Excellence
The awards we netted this year represent a big step up from the six Murrows we won last year - a testament to our growing local and regional news efforts.
We were also featured in a recent writeup from the Columbia Journalism Review, entitled "How a vibrant public radio station rose in the West Texas desert."
Our contributions to the contest were among more than 4,200 others across the country - an all-time record for the Murrow Awards.
"When newsrooms do outstanding work to inform their audience and serve their community, it should be celebrated," said RTDNA Chair Amy Tardif. "Being recognized with one of journalism's most prestigious awards is one way to showcase their commitment to excellence."
"At a time when news reaches people in so many ways, these awards become even more meaningful," added RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender. "It is a tangible reminder of the high quality local journalism being done across the country."
Marfa Public Radio will now advance to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, to be judged in May. National awards, including those for network news organizations, will be presented at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City on October 12.