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Awards

2024

Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

Public Media Journalists Association

Society of Professional Journalists

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

2023

Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

Public Media Journalists Association

Scripps Howard Awards

The Livingston Awards

  • Mayowa Aina, Special Projects Producer
  • Kari Plog, South Sound Reporter

2022

Society of Professional Journalists Northwest

  • “Excellence in Journalism, LGBTQ+ & Equity Reporting” - Lavender Country singer on new meaning for trailblazing gay country band — Vivian McCall
  • “Excellence in Journalism, Crime and Law Enforcement Reporting” - The Walk Home
  • “Excellence in Journalism, Audio Series, Second Place” - Aux Cord Privileges — Amy Jeffries, DD Madigan
  • “Excellence in Journalism, Environment and Natural Disaster Reporting, Second Place” - Seals and sea lions vex WA tribes as Marine Mammal Protection Act turns 50 — Bellamy Pailthorp
  • “Excellence in Journalism, Health Reporting, Second Place” - A WA company sells masks with air holes — Will James

Public Media Journalists Association

  • “Best Breaking News” - Tacoma officers charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis Kari Plog, Will James, Lilly Fowler
  • “Best Newscast, Second Place” - Kirsten Kendrick

Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

  • “Best Breaking News” - Three Tacoma police offers charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis — Will James, Kari Plog, Lilly Ana Fowler
  • “Excellence in DEI” - Aberdeen councilwoman believed to be first transgender elected official in Washington — Vivian McCall
  • “Best News Series” - A developer forced them out of their building — Will James

2021

  • Third Coast “Best Documentary, Finalist” - Outsiders

Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

  • “Overall Excellence” - KNKX News Team
  • “Excellence in Innovation” - Take the Mic — Ashley Gross
  • “Best Podcast” - Transmission
  • “Best News Documentary” - Transmission
  • “Best Investigative Reporting” - Kari Plog

Public Media Journalists Association

  • “Best Podcast” - Outsiders
  • “Best Collaborative Effort” - Outsiders
  • “Best Commentary” Kari Plog
  • “Best Writing” - Paula Wissel
  • “Best Continuing Coverage, Second Place” — Ashley Gross
  • “Best Series, Second Place” — Kari Plog

Society of Professional Journalists Northwest

  • “Excellence in Investigative Reporting” - Three Tacoma police offers charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis — Will James, Kari Plog, Lilly Ana Fowler
  • “Excellence in Social Equity” - Three Tacoma police offers charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis — Will James, Kari Plog, Lilly Ana Fowler
  • “Excellence in Audio Series, Second Place” - Three Tacoma police offers charged in the killing of Manuel Ellis — Will James, Kari Plog, Lilly Ana Fowler
  • “Excellence in Environment and Natural Disaster Reporting” Surviving the Flood — Bellamy Pailthorp
  • “Excellence in Feature, Soft News” - Rep. Strickland Wore a Hanbok Posey Gruener
  • “Excellence in Government and Politics Reporting” - Aberdeen councilwoman — Vivian McCall
  • “Excellence in Health and Science Reporting” - Long hours, isolation, patient regret — Kari Plog

Wasington Blues Society

  • “Best Blues DJ” — John Kessler

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

  • Regional Edward R. Murrow Award (RTDNA)
  • Audio Feature Reporting - Liam Moriarty, "Portraits of the Fallen"
  • Audio News Documentary - Keith Seinfeld, "Barefoot Running, the Scientific Merits"
  • Audio Reporting, Hard News - Keith Seinfeld, "Surgical Checklists Make Operations Safer in Washington"
  • Use of Sound - Charla Bear, "Sculptors Carve Art, Careers Out of Sand"
  • Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI): First place, Spot News - "Slowdown for Emergency Vehicles"
  • National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF): Service to Community Award for Radio - KPLU School of Jazz

2010

  • Regional Edward R. Murrow Award (RTDNA): Audio News Documentary - Keith Seinfeld, "Deadly and Stubborn: TB Threat Rises."
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting: MySource Award Education Innovation Award - KPLU School of Jazz'

2009

  • Sigma Delta Chi Award for Public Service in Radio Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists (national award): "The Impact of War on Children," produced in conjunction with NPR's "The Impact of War" by KPLU reporters Chana Joffe-Walt and Jennifer Wing; edited by former NPR Senior Editor Vicky O'Hara and Supervising Editor Danyell Irby.
  • First Place, General News, Society of Professional Journalists: Austin Jenkins, Northwest News Network, "Mentally Ill Children Face Long Wait."
  • First Place, Feature News, Society of Professional Journalists: Paula Wissel, "Cashing in on the Housing Crisis."
  • First Place, Series, PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors Incorporated): KPLU News Team, "Best of The Meaning of Work - 2008."
  • Second Place, Soft Feature, PRNDI: Chana Joffe-Walt, "Historic Hat Store Looks to Change."
  • Third Place, Documentary, Society of Professional Journalists: Chana Joffe-Walt, "Remembering Rose Hill."

2008

  • First Place, Radio Documentary, Society of Professional Journalists: Keith Seinfeld for "The Electric Brain."
  • First Place, Feature News and News Series, Society of Professional Journalists: Austin Jenkins, Northwest News Network.
  • First Place, Writing, Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI, national award): Keith Seinfeld for "The Electric Brain."
  • First Place, Spot News, PRNDI: Chana Joffe-Walt, "Speed Dating the Candidates."
  • Second Place, Best Newscast, Society of Professional Journalists: Kirsten Kendrick and Dave Meyer.
  • Second Place, Feature News, Society of Professional Journalists: Chana Joffe-Walt for "90 Year-Old is a Living History of Diabetes Treatment."
  • Second Place, News Series, Society of Professional Journalists: Austin Jenkins, Northwest News Network.
  • Third Place, Feature News, Society of Professional Journalists: Gary Davis for "The Man Who Fell from Galloping Gertie."
  • Third Place, Spot News, Society of Professional Journalists: Austin Jenkins, Northwest News Network.
  • Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Large Market/Feature Reporting: Paula Wissel for "Signing up soldiers."
  • Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, Large Market/Writing: KPLU News, the best of "The Meaning of Work."
  • AAAS Science Journalism Award, American Association for the Advancement of Science: Keith Seinfeld for "The Electric Brain."
  • Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Keith Seinfeld.
  • Best Blues DJ, Washington Blues Society: John Kessler.

2007

  • Golden Ear Award, Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, Earshot Jazz: 88.5 KPLU.
  • First Place, General News, Society of Professional Journalists: Keith Seinfeld for "Mental Illness Safety Net is Torn."
  • Second Place, Feature Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists: Gary Davis for "The Learning Curve - Older Students on Campus."
  • Second Place, News Series, Society of Professional Journalists: Liam Moriarty for "The Learning Curve - The French Connection."
  • Third Place, Commentary, Society of Professional Journalists: Nick Morrison, "Homegrown Tomatoes."
  • Best Blues DJ, Washington Blues Society: John Kessler.

2006

  • KPLU's newscasts in Morning Edition and All Things Considered won first place in the Society of Professional Journalists' recent "2006 Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition."
  •  
  • Second place award in Investigative Reporting category - Kirsten Kendrick and Jennifer Wing for their story for "Private money in public education";
  • Second place award in the General News category - Keith Seinfeld for his story "Smoking ban challenges addicts"
  • Second place award in the Documentary category - Keith Seinfeld, Paula Wissel and Bellamy Pailthorp for "Company towns, then and now", a three-part series that aired in May 2005.
  • Austin Jenkins of Northwest News Network, whose reports from Olympia can be heard on KPLU, won awards in the General News, Investigative and Spot News categories.

2005

  • At the recent 2005 Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition
  • presented by the Society of Professional Journalists on Sunday, May 22, the KPLU News team won four awards:
  • First Place, general news - KPLU Law and Justice reporter Paula Wissel for her story, "Homeless in the Suburbs".
  • First Place, "Best Documentary" - KPLU News team for the five-part series, "Voice of the Voters".
  • Second Place, "Nationally Edited Story" - KPLU Business and Labor reporter Bellamy Pailthorp for "Outsourcing: Retraining Challenge".
  • Third Place, "Best Newscast" - Dave Meyer, KPLU Morning Edition.

2004

  • "All Blues" host John Kessler received the Best Blues Disc Jockey Award from the Washington Blues Society.
  • First Place, Investigative Reporting: Jennifer Wing for her "Learning Curve" two-part series, "Special Education." ("The Learning Curve" is a collaboration with KCTS-TV on issues affecting students in Western Washington.)
  • First Place, Feature News Reporting: Austin Jenkins for his "Learning Curve" story, "Testing"Who Profits?" on companies cashing in on increased testing and test-prep for public school kids.
  • Second Place, Feature News Reporting: Paula Wissel for her story, "Who Votes?"
  • Honorable Mention, Feature News Reporting: Jennifer Wing for her story, "The Future of Vo-Tech."
  • Second Place, Documentary: Jennifer Wing for her "Learning Curve" two-part series, "A Tale of Two Schools," one failing and the other doing exceptionally well despite similar challenges and demographics.
  • Honorable Mention, Documentary: KPLU staff for "In Defense of Liberty," a five-part series on the Patriot Act and civil liberties.
  • Second Place, Sports Reporting: Paula Wissel for "Coach Frosty," her profile on the coach as he was heading into retirement.
  • Second Place, Spot News Reporting: Steve Krueger and Paige Hansen for their live two-way interview during an ATC newscast on the Farewell Creek fire.

2003

  • "Art of Jazz" host and trombonist Ken Wiley was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame
  • "Jazz Northwest" and "Jazz Afterhours" host Jim Wilke was nominated for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Broadcasting - the Willis Conover/Marian McPartland Award
  • KPLU "All Blues" hosts Robin Lloyd and John Kessler were named Best Blues Disc Jockeys of the year by the Tacoma Blues Society.

2001

  • 2001 Edward R. Murrow Regional Awards for:
  • Best Continuing Coverage: Bellamy Pailthorp, "Container Stowaways"
  • Best News Documentary: Jennifer Niessen, "Dangerous Pipeline"
  • Best News Series: Paula Wissel, "Washington's Special Commitment Center"
  • 2001 Society for Professional Journalists awards for Investigative reporting:
  • 1st Place: Jennifer Niessen: "Dangerous Pipelines"
  • 2nd Place: Keith Seinfeld: "Snake River Dam"
  • 3rd Place: Paula Wissel: "Special Commitment Center"
  • 2001 Society for Professional Journalists awards
  • 1st Place: Best Sports Reporting: Bellamy Pailthorp: "Remembering the Dome"
  • 2nd Place: Feature Reporting: Christine Arrasmith: "Drug Addicted Babies"
  • 3rd Place: Feature Reporting: Paula Wissel: "Kids' Mediation Camp"
  • 2nd Place: Commentary: Sarah Stanley "Local Polling Station"
  • 3rd Place Commentary: Taso Lagos: "What's in a Name."

2000

  • 2000 National Association of Broadcasters - Marconi Award finalist for Best Jazz Station of the Year.

1999

  • 1999 Gavin Media Professional Awards
  • KPLU's Nick Morrison Named Gavin "Jazz Programmer of the Year.

1998

  • 1998 Tacoma Blues Society Summy Award
  • KPLU 'All Blues' host, Juliette Zentelis recieves Summy.
  • 1998 33rd Annual Gabriel Awards
  • KPLU awarded certificate of merit for "Faces of Poverty"
  • 1998 Associated Press Broadcast Competition
  • KPLU News Department Sweeps State AP Awards, Wins RTNDA Honors
  • 1998 Gavin Media Professional Awards
  • KPLU's Joey Cohn named Gavin "Jazz Person of the Year"

1997

  • 1997 Public Radio News Directors Inc.
  • KPLU News Staff Earns National Awards

1996

  • 1996 National Association of Broadcasters
  • Marconi Award - Best Jazz Radio Station
  • 1996 Public Radio News Directors Inc.
  • Special Award for Commitment to Daily News
  • 1996 Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Local Radio Development Award
  • Excellence in Innovation/Special Development Achievement
  • Over 50 regional awards for local news reporting in 1996