Wayne State College has been awarded first place in two categories by College Broadcasters Inc. at their convention in Denver, Colorado on October 25.
Wayne State’s radio program’s election coverage was nominated for “Best Special Audio Broadcast”. Culture Shock of the Week, a series interviewing students from outside of Nebraska, had its second episode nominated for “Best Audio Interview”. Each category had four different colleges nominated for the award. At CBI’s National Summit Meeting Convention in Denver last Saturday, it was announced that Wayne State’s students were awarded first place in both categories.
Dr. Sean Ahern, the advisor of Wayne State’s radio program, shared what it was like to watch his students win awards. Each nominee was called out in order of which place they were given for the category, starting with fourth place and announcing the winner last. When the winners of Best Special Audio Broadcast, it was a moment to remember.
Hannah Aldridge and Katryst Chari, the radio students who conducted Culture Shock of the Week’s award-winning interview, said that the winner for Best Audio Interview wasn’t announced until twenty to thirty minutes after Wayne State won the award for Best Special Audio Broadcast. They described the moments leading up to Wayne State’s second win as very tense.
“They announced it from fourth, third, second, first,” Aldridge said. “So every time they didn’t say us, I was like, ‘oh my God.’ I just was jumping up, and I was squealing like half the time. And they announce us and we all scream.”
“They call up best interview and I’m like, ‘oh boy,’” Chari said. “They call fourth place and it’s not us, and I see Tori and Hannah like ‘(gasp)’. And then they call third place, and it’s not us. I see Sean lean forward and Hannah starts shaking Tori, and Hannah starts grabbing onto me and shaking me. They call second place. It’s not us. All three of them just scream. Sean’s leaned over, mouth on the floor. They call Culture Shock of the Week and I’m just over there like… ‘Um, hi!’… So, Hannah and I go up and there’s this beautiful glass award that you kind of don’t want to put your fingers on, but you can’t help it. And that’s probably the biggest smile I’ve ever smiled that hasn’t made my cheeks cramp.”
CBI’s National Summit Meeting Convention had many students from across the country present, as well as many different speakers in the broadcasting industry. WSC’s own Ahern and Pat Janssen gave a panel called “Working With Your Administration.” Ahern said the goal of the panel was to “inspire more synergy with administrators and higher-ups.” Janssen also participated in a platform titled “Leveraging All Your Platforms.” Ahern said that there were other notable panels covering topics such as copyright holders and a panel teaching students how to broadcast under pressure so they can become more independent.
Chari described a panel she attended talking about the evolution of radio in the modern era. Before social media, there was not as much connectivity between things like radio and TV. But because of new technologies, radio can become integrated with more media formats such as streaming and podcasts, and this is the means by which radio will continue to survive.
“I came to college to do more than book learning,” Chari said. “I made a deal with myself that I will give college a chance… and if after a year I don’t see it as worth it, I’m leaving. For me, what was important was that real world experience. Actually being to go out there and form these connections. So being able to go on a trip like this was like, ‘damn it, I’m missing classes. Wait, this is what I came to college for!’… Radio is one of those formats where it’s not dying. It’s evolving, kind of like every media format on the planet. The direction that radio is headed kind of opens that door of [being able to] do this as a career.”
The election coverage that won the award for Best Special Audio Broadcast was described by students as a very difficult task. Wayne State Alumni Grant Ferrell and Becca Arkfeld headed the project. Arkfeld currently works as an on-air talent for Norfolk US 92’s morning shows. Ferrell is a producer at KETV in Omaha. Arkfeld explained how she and Ferrell got interviews relevant to the election for the radio broadcast. They interviewed politicians like Carol Blood and Dan Osborn. They also spoke with international students from South Africa to learn how elections different in the US and their own country. Arkfeld said that in order to get the work done on time, her and Ferrell had to work “thirteen or fourteen hours a day into the night”. At the time, they questioned if all of this labor was worth it. But when she and Ferrell were announced winners of CBI’s national radio award, she and Ferrell knew it had all been worth it.
Culture Shock of the Week is an ongoing series headed by Hannah Alridge and Katryst Chari. In the series, students from outside of Nebraska are interviewed on things that are different from where they came from. The second episode of Culture Shock of the Week won the award. The segment compared different terms Chari, who is from South Africa, uses for things compared to other students, such as saying “aircon” as a shortened version of “air conditioner”.
Those who were present at the convention in Denver say that winning this award is a sign that smaller school like WSC is just as capable of great things. Ahern said that students from Penn State were also at the convention and that WSC is “on the same level as” them.
“It’s a reminder that student radio is a place to hone your voice and engage in issues that matter to you and play some really good music in the meantime,” Ahern said. “I don’t think we’ve won national awards [before], so this is a very good sign for growth.”
“There’s a saying in South Africa that dynamite comes in small packages,” Chari said. “So, when you have a small station in a small school in a small town win something this big, [that shows] you guys can do it too. No matter what degree you’re in, no matter what your background, everything’s possible.”
