KPLU reporters have garnered four 2016 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA), demonstrating the excellence that Murrow made a standard for the electronic news profession. KPLU is in the Large Market Category, Region 1 which includes Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.
"KPLU is dedicated to telling interesting, informative and emotional stories that are happening right where we live," says Joey Cohn, KPLU General Manager and head of the Friends of 88-5 FM community group which is raising $7 million to make 88.5 an independent, community-licensed station. "We hear about the struggles and triumphs of people we wouldn't otherwise know if it weren't for KPLU's thoughtful and committed reporting. These are all excellent reasons for supporting the Save KPLU campaign."
In the Audio Feature Reporting category, KPLU All Things Considered host and reporter Ed Ronco won for 35 Years After Massive Maritime Rescue, Survivors and Responders Reunite about the 1980 sinking of the M/S Prinsedam cruise ship in the Gulf of Alaska and a reunion of its survivors.
KPLU’s former Youth and Education reporter, Kyle Stokes won in the Audio News Documentary category for ‘Renaissance Beach': A KPLU News Special on One Southeast Seattle School's Turnaround, an original one-hour documentary about Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School. Over the course of a year, Stokes reported on the school’s adoption of the rigorous International Baccalaureate and how students, teachers and parents navigated the new program, bucking expectations (84% of the 2015 senior class graduated on time).
Stokes and KPLU Business and Labor reporter Ashley Gross won in the Audio News Series category for Where's the Dough: On the Hunt for Washington's Missing Tax Dollars, taking a closer look at Washington State’s tax system including how tax breaks affect specific individuals and businesses, and a historical perspective on why Washington came close to adopting an income tax but never did.
A story produced by KPLU Health and Science reporter Gabriel Spitzer for the station’s weekly news and culture magazine, Sound Effect won in the Writing category. Making Eyes: An Unusual Family Business That Began with a Tragedy profiles a Northwest company—one of just four licensed ocularist practices in Washington State—that makes eyes for people who have lost or damaged their own eyes because of accidents, cancer or birth defects. Each eye is hand-painted using the live eye as a model, when possible.
"I am so proud of KPLU's news team and the in-depth reporting they're producing,” says KPLU News Director Erin Hennessey. “Our award-winning reporters have been recognized by RTDNA this year for their work in education, economics and science, including stories about people who, when faced with a crisis, put others first and helped make a terrible situation better through their courage and kindness. We are inspired every day to tell stories from the Pacific Northwest and we hope to keep reporting about this place we call home for years to come."
