Tri States Public Radio’s news team brought home five awards from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association’s Crystal Mic Award competition, including four first-place awards and one second-place award.
This is TSPR’s best showing ever in the annual competition, which received a record number of entries this year.
TSPR competes in the small market radio division. Here’s a breakdown of this year’s awards.
Best Reporter
Regional Reporter Jane Carlson won first place in the Best Reporter category. The entry included Carlson’s stories on the condition of the Colony Church in Bishop Hill; the Galesburg Community Foundation’s Hunger Collaborative; and Piersen Eaker, a Monmouth boy in need of a new space.
Podcasting
News Director Rich Egger won first place in the Podcasting category for “The ER,” a episode in TSPR’s Welcome to Forgottonia podcast. The episode takes listeners into the ER at McDonough District Hospital as ten gunshot victims arrived there in the early morning hours of March 25, 2023.
Investigative Report
Carlson won first place for investigative reporting with a story on suspicious bills from the former Cottage Hospital in Galesburg.
Use of Sound
Carlson, a longtime print reporter, also swept the Use of Sound category. She won first place for her story on Piersen Eaker and second place for a story on Lombard Middle School’s book brigade that helped moved collections to Galesburg’s new public library.
Egger: "It's an honor'
"It's an honor to have TSPR's journalism recognized by our peers in the industry. I thank the listeners who support us and our host institution, Western Illinois University, for making our work possible," Egger said.
"I'm especially happy to see Jane's terrific reporting honored in multiple categories. These awards confirm what our audience already knows: Jane Carlson is one of the best journalists working today."
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