Indiana Station of the Year award marks trifecta for Goshen College’s 91.1 FM The Globe

(L-R) Tony Miller, Ashley Davenport, Danielle Kerschhackl, WGCS General Manager Jason Samuel, Andrew Witkowski, Kelsey Morris and Jimmy Cassoday are pictured after winning the “Station of the Year” award at the 26th annual IBA Spectrum Awards. (Photo by Kyle Hufford)
(L-R) Tony Miller, Ashley Davenport, Danielle Kerschhackl, WGCS General Manager Jason Samuel, Andrew Witkowski, Kelsey Morris and Jimmy Cassoday are pictured after winning the “Station of the Year” award at the 26th annual IBA Spectrum Awards. (Photo by Kyle Hufford)

There’s a pattern emerging at Goshen College’s radio station, 91.1 FM The Globe (WGCS). If there’s an award to be won, The Globe will win it.

Over the weekend, The Globe was named “Station of the Year” by the Indiana Broadcasters Association (IBA) at the 26th Annual Spectrum Awards in Indianapolis.

As a station within the South Bend (Market Two) radio market, The Globe is judged against the work of all member stations in Market Two (Evansville, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Muncie, South Bend and Terre Haute), regardless of size or FCC licensure. This is the first time WGCS has been named a finalist in the “Station of the Year” category. The other finalists were both commercial radio stations, WMEE in Fort Wayne and WTHI in Terre Haute.

“To be awarded ‘Station of the Year’ by IBA is a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Jason Samuel, WGCS general manager and assistant professor of communication. “This is where the pros play. It speaks largely to the quality of education that you can get here at Goshen and the dedication of our students.”

In 2013, Goshen College was named “Radio School of the Year” by the Indiana Association of School Broadcasting (IASB) and The Globe earned the nation’s top honor of “Best College Radio Station in the Nation” from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS).

“It’s like the triple crown, the trifecta.” Samuel said. “When I reflect on the last eight months and I think about what the radio station’s been able to achieve, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t know if it’s ever been done, and I don’t know if it will ever be done again.”

WGCS also earned top honors in two individual categories. Benjamin Kelly, a 2013 graduate, won in the “sports” category for his play-by-play analysis. In the “mini-documentary or series” category, Danielle Kerschhackl, a junior from Elmwood Park, Ill., and Kelsey Morris, a 2013 graduate, won for their segment on the chili cook-off at Goshen First Fridays. This is the second consecutive year that WGCS has won the “mini-documentary or series” category.

The station also collected multiple award nominations. Tony Miller, a senior from Goshen, was also nominated in the “sports” category for his play-by-play submission. Ashley Davenport, a sophomore from Plymouth, Ind., was selected for her pop culture radio-zine, “Rewind.” In a joint effort promoting the collaboration between Ignition Music Garage and The Globe, Davenport, Kerschhackl, Andrew Witkowski, a senior from Goshen, and 2013 graduate Jimmy Cassoday were finalists in the “special interest and cultural programming” category.

“It feels awesome to be a part of a station that has won ‘Best Station’ awards from three different organizations, two at the state level and one on a national level,” said Kerschhackl, who is currently WGCS station manager. “The accomplishment is once in a lifetime, and I am happy and honored to be a part of its success.”

“When you look at IBA, these guys are pros. They live for this stuff,” Samuel said. “At Goshen, you have a station that’s a living laboratory and a learning environment. But we also serve the community with a distinct, professional voice. And play music along the way.”

WGCS provides 24-hour programming, including music, news, public affairs and sports. Goshen College students and community volunteers operate the station.

 

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