The Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists recognized KUER for outstanding work in radio journalism and local news coverage, presenting the station with a total of 11 awards for stories and features produced on-air last year. Leading the list was KUER’s Andrea Smardon who took home the honor of Best Radio Reporter for the year. KUER News took home first place in the Radio Documentary Category for its half hour program “Utah’s Olympic Legacy: The Impact of the 2002 Winter Games.” The program explored the social, economic and political effects of hosting the Olympic Games ten years ago. The newsroom also took home first place in the News Series Category for “The Future of Medicaid in Utah.” The four-part series examined the choices Utah lawmakers faced when considering whether or not to expand Medicaid and who will be affected. Here is a complete list of KUER winners:
Best Radio Reporter:
Andrea Smardon, 1st Place.
Radio Education Reporting:
Whittney Evans, 2nd Place: “State School Board Selection Process Challenged”
Radio Government Reporting:
Andrea Smardon, 1st Place: “Independent Candidates Fight to be Heard in Utah”
Brian Grimmett, 3rd Place: “Utah’s 8th Senate District Race Up for Grabs”
Radio Public Affairs/Talk Show:
KUER’s RadioWest, 3rd Place: “Dead Man Walking”
Best Use of Sound:
Dan Bammes, 3rd Place: “Utah Buddhist Congregation Celebrates Bodhi Day”
Radio General News:
Dan Bammes, 3rd Place: “HB363 Veto”
Radio General Feature:
Andrea Smardon, 1st Place: “LGBT Mormons Try to Bridge Divide”
Radio Continuing Coverage:
Dan Bammes, 2nd Place.
Radio Series:
Whittney Evans, Dan Bammes, Terry Gildea & Andrea Smardon 1st Place:
“The Future of Medicaid in Utah”
Radio Documentary:
Andrea Smardon, Terry Gildea & Dan Bammes, 1st Place:
“Utah’s Olympic Legacy: The Impact of the 2002 Winter Games”