Reno Public Radio has won three awards from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association (APTRA) for its 2015 competition for excellence in broadcast journalism. The APTRA accepts entries from 13 Western states and KUNR competed in the small market station categories.
Reporter Julia Ritchey won for best use of a sound in a hard news story for her feature More Noise, Less Space about the overcrowding crisis in Washoe County Schools. She visited a jam-packed elementary school for our newsroom series Bursting At The Seams.
Reporter Anh Gray and News Director Michelle Billman also won in the category of best spot news story for their work on Anti-Campus Carry Protestors Rally At UNR. Their sound-rich daily news story covers a heated rally protesting AB 148, which would have allowed concealed firearms on college campuses. Anh reported and produced the story with light editing and voice work from Michelle.
Finally, Michelle Billman picked up the award for best serious feature on her story Capturing Native Languages Before They're Lost, which looks at how the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is battling a state of critical language loss. It's part of a larger series called Taking Back History which explores how the colony is preserving many of its unique traditions.
KUNR also won three AP awards in 2014. And here's the full list of the 2015 winners.