WUGA-FM Wins National and Regional Journalism Awards

Public Radio News Directors, Inc. and the Society of Professional Journalists recently honored WUGA, 91.7/97.9 FM public radio for the Athens area, with four awards for radio excellence.

In the PRNDI category for small staff stations, WUGA News Director Mary Kay Mitchell won second place for Best Continuing Coverage for a series of stories on the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense facility. In the student category, former WUGA intern Rebecca Bowen won second place for Best Soft Feature on the Women in Black peace activist group.

The PRNDI awards competition is the only national contest that recognizes outstanding public radio news reporting at local stations. The awards were presented recently at the annual conference in Washington, D.C.

In the radio division of SPJ’s Green Eyeshade Awards, Mitchell won second place for Non-Deadline News for a feature story on the Ellenton Health Clinic for migrant farm workers. She also received a third place award for Public Affairs Reporting on the controversy over locating NBAF in the Athens area.

For the Green Eyeshades, WUGA competes against all market sizes of radio stations in 11 Southern states. The 58th annual awards were presented recently at a joint ceremony with the Atlanta Press Club.

WUGA has won a total of 15 national, regional, and state awards for 2007, including recognition from the Associated Press and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.