WKMS wins Overall Excellence Award

MURRAY, Ky. – The WKMS news team was recently awarded several Impact Broadcast Awards from the Kentucky Broadcasters Association in Lexington, Kentucky. Chief among those was the first place award for Overall Excellence in the radio category. The outstanding work of the WKMS news team was recognized for a combination of everyday reporting, breaking news, continuing coverage and enterprise stories.  

Other awards WKMS received include:

First Place - Long Serious News Feature: Lily Burris, "Mayfield Latino Community Overcomes Language Barriers, Trust Issues in Recovery Process"

“Covering the devastation of a community means reporting about the entire community, even the sometimes-forgotten segments. Lily Burris' reporting on this part of a western Kentucky minority population centered the subjects' humanity from start to finish,” said an Impact Broadcast Awards judge. 

First Place – Short Public Affairs: Derek Operle, "Where Kentuckians Seeking Abortions Outside the State's Borders Can Go"

First Place – Digital Coverage: Liam Niemeyer

Finalist – Long Light News Feature: Derek Operle, "Endangered Red Wolf Pups Born in Land Between the Lakes Continue Hope of Species' Repopulation"

College Radio:

First Place – Best Digital Journalist: Dustin Wilcox

Finalist – Best Radio Reporter: Zacharie Lamb

News Director Derek Operle also was awarded Rookie of the Year in the Radio Division of the Excellence in Broadcasting Awards. 

“We are so proud of this news team and the leadership of award-winning news director Derek Operle that is training the next generation of journalists at Murray State University,” said WKMS station manager Asia Burnett. “Of course, being public radio – listeners are the ones who make this coverage possible. We’re so grateful that they turn to WKMS for news each day and that they help fund this coverage through their generosity in giving. It’s truly a team effort.” 

WKMS is Murray State's NPR Station and part of the educational mission of Murray State University. Individuals can tune in to hear news reported by the WKMS news team on 91.3 FM and wkms.org, or 90.9 WKMD Madisonville and 89.5 WKMT Fulton. There is also an all-classical station and WKMS music station. For more information about WKMS call 1-800-599-4737 or visit wkms.org.