Each year, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association selects recipients of the “Student Awards for Excellence” from college, university and high school student entries. There are 34 different categories for college and university students to submit to, whether it is a TV, radio or combined piece.
UW-Eau Claire received a total of nine awards this year. Three of these awards were given to Blugold Radio students in the audio categories.
In the radio newscast category, Willow Pawlisch, Brad Colbenson, Rasmus Bregendahl and Shane Johnson received third place for their entry, “Live News Talk,” which discussed current news in the Eau Claire area.
In the radio episodic entertainment program category, Cora Lederer and Elyse Braun received third place for their work in “Girl’s Guide to College.” In this podcast, the hosts share their university experiences from a female perspective.
In the same category, Miranda Larson and Cameron Ruiz received first place for their podcast, “Philoso-Yappers.”
Larson and Ruiz are both first-year psychology students. According to Larson and Ruiz, their podcast’s main goal is to spread the word of empathy.
“We like to tackle a lot of social issues,” Ruiz said. “In order to have empathy, you need to understand social prejudices, inequalities and stigmas around certain topics, so I feel like empathy is a skill and it can be grown.”
Ruiz said the podcast’s “down-to-earth” attitude is what helped them stand out, while still taking the important topics seriously. He said he was surprised by the award but is now even more motivated to keep working hard.
Larson said their podcast is not only important to them but also to their listeners and who they share it with.
“We talk about racism, stereotypes and boxes that people create, so if we talk and it’s just casual … people want to listen to that and hear their peers,” Larson said.
Blugold Radio advisor Pete Knutson said that advertising the group as a podcast rather than radio group has increased their membership.
“We’ve reestablished the group,” Knutson said. “This is the most we’ve won since I took over as the advisor in 2022 … it’s cool to show off the work that everyone’s doing.”
Four of the other UW-Eau Claire WBA award winners were from professor Pechulano Ngwe Ali’s “Advanced Journalism” course.
In the long form audio storytelling category, Lydia Svendsen secured third place for her piece, “Two Feet in Wisconsin, One Heart in Somalia: Finding Home in Barron.” This narrative included personal stories from Somali immigrants who settled in Barron, Wisconsin.
In the same category, Evan Rosenick received first place for his project titled, “Shortages and Struggles: The UWEC Housing Crisis.” This piece addressed the negative effects of UW-Eau Claire’s second-year housing requirement on current students.
Cami Hoth was awarded second place for her podcast, “Breaking Free: College Life After Strict Parenting,” which focused on the difficulties first-year students face when adapting to university life after living in an authoritarian parenting household.
Rafael DaCosta received first place for his podcast, “Female Political Underrepresentation.”
DaCosta is a fifth-year business administration and journalism student who is planning to graduate this May. He said he wanted to explore his podcast topic at the national level and then bring the focus to the Eau Claire area.
“I thought it would be an interesting topic because Eau Claire is rather viewed as progressive, and yet still there is underrepresentation in the community and local areas,” DaCosta said. “One of those areas of underrepresentation is in the female political landscape.”
DaCosta said that he was originally focused on sports journalism but has now found a love for investigative journalism during his time at UW-Eau Claire.
“I think you need to be curious … there’s almost always another layer to a story,” DaCosta said. “If you’re actively listening when people speak, you may end up getting additional questions.”
According to DaCosta, a main focus of Ngwe Ali’s course is the transition-quote formula, which he incorporated into his podcast to make it stronger.
“I would not have known about the WBA awards or applied for it had it not been for [Ngwe Ali] … he has the students’ best interest in mind,” DaCosta said. “Especially for journalists, who in the past 10 years have come under more scrutiny, it’s nice to get some recognition and awards for the hard work and efforts being put forward.”
The final two awards were given to students involved in TV10.
In the public affairs/talk show TV category, Evan Klamar, Lee Quinette, Justin Narveson, Samuel Janasik, Leo Dayton and Andrew Thaler secured second place for their work in “Sounds of the Valley, November 12, 2024.” Sounds of the Valley is a recurring show unique to TV10 that features local artists.
In the sports story TV category, John McLean, Andrew Thaler, David Abel, Eli Benes, Samantha Burnett and Marissa Day received third place for their entry, “New Season, New Home, New Head Coach.” TV10 provides general sports coverage during their episodes.
Burnett is a second-year journalism student. She said that TV10 is a diverse group made up of students from all different majors.
“I think it’s really good for journalism or non-journalism students to be recognized and see that they are putting in good work,” Burnett said. “It’s not just for a fun little club; you’re putting in the time and making things that are being recognized.”
The WBA awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. First place winners from each category will receive a plaque for their school. All students in first, second or third place will be given an Awards for Excellence certificate.
Matczak can be reached at matczaij9603@uwec.edu.
