Radio TV Film students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh continue to be honored with scholarships and awards for their student projects.
RTF student Erik Cole was the third annual recipient of the Robert L. Snyder Scholarship. The scholarship was established by the family of Dr. Snyder after his death in 2008. It is given in honor of Snyder, who, in 1964, came to what was then Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh to establish a radio-TV-film curriculum. Dr. Snyder’s widow Irene presented the award to Cole at Honors and Awards Ceremony in April. Cole served as promotions director for UW Oshkosh’s Titan TV this past academic year and will be the station’s manager for 2012-13.
RTF student Samantha Wallschlaeger was recently awarded a 2012 UW Oshkosh Undergraduate Student/Faculty Collaborative Research Grant for $2,500. She worked with RTF Professor Doug Heil to create a screenplay centering on social justice issues. Wallschlaeger was also one of four students to receive a scholarship from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, provided by Results Broadcasting. Wallschlaeger was promotions coordinator for both the UW Oshkosh Film Society and International Film Series in 2011-12.
On May 18, the Milwaukee Press Club presented its annual production awards at their Gridiron Dinner in Milwaukee. Productions from WRST took six of the nine awards given statewide for college radio.
WRST production director Eric Balkman won four awards. In the category for best radio news story, he took the first place award for his reporting on Wisconsin’s new voter ID regulations. He took first and second place in the category for best feature story: a first for his interview with actor Dennis Haskins (best known for his role as Mr. Belding in Saved by the Bell) and a second place award for a profile of a UW Oshkosh student who participated in an eating challenge on the cable program Man vs. Food. Balkman also took third place in the best radio newscast category for a WRST newscast he presented on November 18, 2011.
WRST Sports Director Brandon Kinnard earned two awards in the best radio sports story category. He took the first place award for his segment “The Lights Go Out at Titan Stadium/The Ben Zalas Story.” The segment aired as part of WRST’s Oshkosh Sports Saturday program and profiled the longtime scorekeeper for UW Oshkosh football. Kinnard took a third place award for his segment “Titans Outlook: UW-Whitewater Warhawks,” which previewed the homecoming football matchup between UW Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater. Kinnard will be WRST’s program director beginning with the fall semester and also serves as sports director for Titan TV.
For the 2011-12 academic year, UW Oshkosh RTF students have won 46 awards in national and regional competitions.
Randall Davidson, UW Oshkosh director of radio services, submitted this announcement. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to contribute calendar items, campus announcements and other good news to UW Oshkosh Today.