WUSF News, West Central Florida’s NPR station, was named Station of the Year by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists in the radio division for 2020.
The association cited the station’s extraordinary work through podcasts, digital news and broadcasting as the foundation for its recognition in a year filled with an election, pandemic and social unrest. WUSF walked way with 17 awards — the largest sweep in the station’s history — including seven first place awards and 10 finalist recognitions.
“We know what we do well and we know what our community wants from us because they tell us, our community engagement is very strong,” said Mary Shedden, WUSF News Director. “We felt really confident going into the year when we spent the time reflecting and saying, ‘What are the stories we want to highlight?’ We knew that it was a special year. It was an extraordinary year for all journalists and I was incredibly grateful for the validation of the commitment our team put into all of this work…I’ve been a journalist for 30 years and this was without a doubt the year I felt that the public service journalism does was more important than ever.”
Like so many newsrooms across the country WUSF had to quickly adapt when the pandemic hit in early 2020. Reporters began working from home and had to creatively find new ways to use technology to connect to the public. Stories on COVID-19, racial unrest, the election and the issues that were impacting the lives of those who faithfully tuned in set the station apart as a go-to source for news in the area.
You can listen live and read the digital content at WUSFNews.org.
The awards that WUSF News won include:
- Overall Station of the Year-Radio
- GENERAL ASSIGNMENT: Two Candidates, One City: Sights and Sounds from the Trump and Biden Campaign Appearances In Tampa: Stephanie Colombini, Steve Newborn
- GENERAL ASSIGNMENT | LONG Racial Tensions Escalate in New Port Richey as Protests Continue: Stephanie Colombini
- EDUCATION REPORTING | SINGLE- He Learned a Mayan Dialect to Speak To The Children Of Migrant Farmworkers. Now He Delivers Them Food: Kerry Sheridan
- HEALTH REPORTING – Single Story | Health Workers Bring COVD-19 Testing To Pinellas County’s Black Community: Stephanie Colombini
- POLITICAL, GOVERNMENT, ELECTION REPORTING – Single Story| Women For Trum Focus On The Future, Not The Past – Steve Newborn
- POLITICAL, GOVERNMENT, ELECTION REPORTING | STATION Elections Coverage 2020: Steve Newborn, Bradley George, Cathy Carter
- The Finalist Honors include:
- REPORTER – Stephanie Colombini
- SERIES / FRANCHISE | LIGHT Surviving COVID-19: Stephanie Colombini
- FEATURE REPORTING | LIGHT – With Visits Still Banned At VA Nursing Homes, Families And Veterans Try To Cope With Separation: Stephanie Colombini
- CONSUMER, FINANCIAL, ECONOMIC REPORTING – TAMPA BAY BUSINESSES REACT TO 2020 PANDEMIC, RACIAL RECKONING: Daylina Miller, Julio Ochoa, Bradley George
- BEST RADIO NEWSCAST – All Things Considered: March 10, 2020: Lisa Peakes, Mark Schreiner
- DIGITAL PROGRAMMING – The Zest Podcast: Dalia Colon
- ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING | SERIES – Tampa Bay Aquafarmer Hopes To Cash In On Florida’s Growing Oyster Industry: Jessica Meszaros
- USE OF SOUND Keeping Tradition of Circus Music Alive: Kerry Sheridan
- PUBLIC AFFAIRS – Tampa Bay’s Small Music Venues Struggle With No End In Sight: Dinorah Prevost, Bradley George
- ONLINE / WEB / DIGITAL – WUSFNEWS.Org: Carl Lisciandrello and News Team