Broadcasting and journalism students bring home outstanding state and national awards

The Goshen College Communication Department’s award shelf keeps getting fuller as broadcasting and journalism students recently received top prizes in several state and national competitions.

Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Award

In November, staff from Goshen’s on campus radio station, 91.1 The Globe (WGCS), attended the 25th Annual Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet in Indianapolis, which honors the best in Indiana broadcasting. Senior broadcasting major Benjamin Kelly, from Lagrange, Ind., came away with the first Spectrum Award a Goshen College student has won. He received the award in the category of Best Documentary for his “Leaf Legends” piece profiling the volunteer work of professor emeritus, John Ingold. In addition, Kelly was a finalist in the category for Best Sportscast.

“This is especially gratifying for WGCS as only one other non-commercial radio station was honored at the award ceremony,” said Jason Samuel, the station’s general manager.

First place in College Broadcasters Incorporated’s national production awards
As well, the College Broadcasters Incorporated held its national conference in Atlanta in October and Goshen College received four national production awards nominations:

• Best Radio DJ and Best News Reporting: Senior Kelsey Morris, a broadcasting major from Goshen;
• Best Sports Reporting: Kelly and senior Ian Shelly, a broadcasting major from Marcellus, Mich.;
• Best Newscast: sophomore Danielle Kerschhackl, a broadcasting major from Elmwood Park, Ill.

Kelly and Shelly won the award for Best Sports Reporting for their “Maple Leaf Sports Report.”

Hoosier State Press Association

The Hoosier State Press Association awarded senior Bojana Jankova, a public relations major from Macedonia, a second place for best feature writing among collegiate journalists in 2012.

The award was announced at the Hoosier State Press Association’s awards luncheon in Indianapolis on Dec. 1. Jankova’s award came for a feature story published in The Goshen College Record last spring: “Undocumented immigrant shares her story on stage.”

The annual Hoosier State Press Association contest invites entrants from all colleges and universities across the state, who compete for three places in five categories. Other winning entrants came from Ball State University, DePauw University, Indiana University, Purdue University, Taylor University and the University of Indianapolis.