Radio TV Film students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh collected awards for their productions from two recent media competitions.
On May 10, the Best of the Midwest Media Fest was held in Oshkosh, honoring productions from public access television stations and low-power community radio stations in a nine-state region. This was the first time UWO’s student TV station Titan TV entered this competition and they came away with seven awards in the amateur categories.
Two productions received the highest level “excellence” honors. In the live programming category, Sam Ellyson won for a Titan TV sports offering of a UWO volleyball game vs. UW-River Falls and in the documentary/feature category, Eric Royce was honored for his program History Oshkosh.
Titan TV also received three “Achievement” awards. In the category for entertainment programs, Cole and Claudia’s Christmas Show was honored. Shot in black and white, it was an homage to the holiday TV specials of the 1950s and 60s. It was produced by Cole Boettcher, Claudia Blair, Tess Kraly and Alex Wright. In the sports category, Hunter Magdanz won for “Titan Overtime” and in the magazine format/news category, Amanda Beistle got the nod for Titan TV News.
“Merit” awards were given in the talk show category to Trevor Woloszyk’s entry UWO in 30: Know Your Rights and in the series category to David Yanish for his TV production The Professionals.
On May 11, the Milwaukee Press Club held its Gridiron Dinner in Milwaukee and gave out its Awards for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism. UWO’s WRST-FM took first place “Gold” honors in all three collegiate audio categories in this statewide competition.
Two awards went to student reporter Pafoua Yang. Her news piece on American Airlines adding Appleton to its route map was honored in the category for Best News Story/Single or Ongoing and her piece on the availability of concussion insurance for high school athletes won in the Best Sports Story competition. Both segments were produced for the UWO News Production class. Yang is now a reporter with WLUK-TV in Green Bay.
In the audio category for Best Feature Story, WRST student news director Taylor Ehrmann won for her long-form piece Deaf Community, which chronicles the difficulties faced by those with hearing loss and told how the advent of texting gives them a new, widely-available tool for communication. Ehrmann produced the piece in the Advanced Radio Production class and is currently working in promotions with the Milwaukee Radio Group.
WRST has won 26 Milwaukee Press Club awards since 2010. UWO’s Radio TV Film Department has logged 48 regional, national and international awards thus far this academic year.