WVTF/RADIO IQ claims four awards in two prestigious journalism competitions

14 May 2014

Virginia Tech's WVTF/RADIO IQ has claimed four awards recognizing excellence in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The stations received a national Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for the feature report, “Wild Goose Church.” Reporter Robbie Harris visited Floyd, Va., to hear the story of worshipers who tell of trading pews for rocking chairs, organs for fiddles, and yawns for songs, creating a dynamic, grass-roots celebration of faith, bluegrass, and potluck.

WVTF’s entry was one of 1,800 received by the society from newspapers, radio and television stations, networks and websites. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2013, and will be presented in June at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Dating back to 1932, the awards originally honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the society granted the first Distinguished Service Awards. The honors later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

WVTF/RADIO IQ also won three first place awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association's 2014 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards program. The winning entries and categories are

Audio Investigative Reporting: “Jens Soering” by Sandy Hausman;
Audio Feature Reporting: “Wild Goose Church” by Robbie Harris; and
Writing for Radio: Compilation Montage by Sandy Hausman.

The association received more than 4,000 entries during the 2014 awards season, setting an all-time record for entries in what proved to be one of the most competitive Edward R. Murrow Awards seasons in the history of the Radio Television Digital News Association, the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast journalism.

The regional awards program covers media outlets in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Delaware. Regional winners automatically become eligible for the national awards competition.

The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow's pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that he made a standard for the broadcast news profession. The association represents local and network news professionals in broadcasting, cable, and other digital media in more than 30 countries.