Lariat Broadcast Students Won 25 Awards in Past Year
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Contact: Terry Goodrich,(254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (Feb. 19, 2016) – Nearly everyone in Baylor Nation is familiar with the Baylor Lariat, the university's award-winning newspaper that has won competitions locally and nationally since its creation in 1900.
What Baylor Nation may not know is that the student-run paper has expanded in the last few years to include radio, podcasts and even a television news team. These extensions of the Lariat are becoming well-known in their own right, receiving national and international awards.
In the past year, student journalists in the broadcast division earned 25 awards in state, national and international competitions.
"We pride ourselves on quality in all the journalism we do," said Julie Freeman, the assistant media adviser. "We are very determined to be quality journalists, and we put a lot of pride in that."
The television news team won several Gold Circle Awards from Columbia Scholastic Press Association, including a first-place video news package and a second-place video feature package. The Lariat began looking into video in 2008 but did not add a multimedia editor to the staff until fall 2009. The television-style broadcasts started in fall 2013.
The sports radio students won first place awards in 2015 and 2016 from CSPA, in addition to a 2015 Gold Award and a 2016 Platinum Award from AVA Digital. The sports podcast "Don't Feed the Bears" began broadcasting in fall 2012 and picked up six awards this past year.
Freeman said it's important to note that many of the schools the Lariat broadcast students are competing against have studios with full staff to run them, something the Lariat does not have. Even so, the broadcast teams have earned a great deal of first and second place awards.
"The students work incredibly hard," Freeman said. "We do our best with what we have."
Currently, the Lariat is working with local television stations to acquire studio space. Freeman said the Lariat hopes to bring in more students to the broadcast team and get more equipment.
Applications to work at the Lariat will be available in March and can be found online at baylorlariat.com/employment.
The complete list of awards won by Lariat broadcasting students:
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Awards – Digital Media (National Competition)
• 2016 National First Place Video News Package – “College GameDay” — Alexa Brackin and Carlye Thornton
• 2016 National Second Place Video Feature Package – “Justin Sports Medicine Team” — Alexa Brackin
• 2016 Certificate of Merit: Video Feature Package, “Gaitway to the Good Life” — Alexa Brackin, Jonathon Platt, Madison Miller
• 2016 National First Place Podcast, “Don’t Feed the Bears: Taylor Young Returns” — Jeffrey Swindoll & Joshua Davis
• 2015 National First Place: Podcast, “Don’t Feed the Bears: Unpredictable First Round” — Greg DeVries and Daniel Hill
AVA Digital Awards (International Competition)
• 2016 Platinum: Podcast, “Don’t Feed the Bears: Russell Out. Stidham In. Now what?" — Jeffrey Swindoll, Joshua Davis, Dane Chronister
• 2016 Gold: Student Production (Video), “Giving back to veterans” — Jessica Babb
• 2016 Honorable Mention: Student Production (Video), “Bears fall short to Longhorns” — Thomas Mott
• 2015 Gold: Student Production (Video), “Gaitway to the Good Life” — Alexa Brackin, Jonathon Platt, Madison Miller
• 2015 Gold: Podcast, “Don’t Feed the Bears: Unpredictable First Round” — Greg DeVries and Daniel Hill
• 2015 Honorable Mention: Podcast, “Don’t Feed the Bears: Bears Still Have BCS Chances” — Greg DeVries and Daniel Hill
• 2015 Honorable Mention: Student Production (Video), “Amara Oji – Baylor Musician” — Haley Peck, Kasey McMillian, Kelsey Wesolick
Editor & Publisher Magazine EPPY Awards (National Competition)
• 2015 Top 10 University Video, “H.O.T. Fair & Rodeo” – Alexa Brackin
Houston Press Club (State Competition)
• 2015 First Place Lone Star Award TV News or Feature Story – “Never Say Die” – Richard Hirst
• 2015 First Place Lone Star Award TV Sports Story – College GameDay – Alexa Brackin and Carlye Thornton
• 2015 Third Place Lone Star Award TV Sports Story – Justin Sports Medicine Team– Alexa Brackin
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (State Competition)
• 2015 First Place Television Sports Feature Story – “College GameDay"
• 2015 First Place Television News Non-Feature Story – "Missing Construction Worker”
• 2015 First Place Best Breaking News Video – “Fort Hood Shooting"
• 2015 First Place Best Video Package – "Never Say Die”
• 2015 First Place Best Recurring Podcast – Shehan Jeyarajah, Cody Soto and Jeffrey Swindoll
• 2015 Second Place Best Breaking News Package – “Fort Hood Shooting"
• 2015 Third Place Television Sports Non-Feature Story – "Baylor vs. Texas Tech”
• 2015 Honorable Mention Television Sports Non-Feature Story – “Blackout on the Brazos"
• 2015 Honorable Mention Television Sports Story – “Justin Sports Medicine Team"
by Jenna Press, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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