5550 Highway 63S
Columbia, Missouri 65201
Contact(s): Natalie Peluso
Matt Garrett
(573) 882-8888
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For Immediate Release June 12, 2009
KOMU 8 Wins Top Honors at Missouri Broadcaster Awards
Best Weathercast, Best Feature and Best News Series among honors received
COLUMBIA, MO –The Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA)honored KOMU 8 News with awards in numerous categories at its annual awards banqueton June 6th.
KOMU 8 News Today Weathercaster Eric Aldrich won for Best Weathercast at a class three television station and KOMU 8 News Today Anchor Lauren Whitney won Best Feature Reporting overall for her School Report story, a “PET Project for Rockbridge.” Whitney’s “PET Project for Rockbridge,” gave viewers a heartwarming look at an elementary school class’s quest to raise money to buy Personal Energy Transportation (PET) devices for disabled children in foreign countries.
KOMU 8 News Anchor Sarah Hill and Videographer Scott Schaefer were both honored again this year with awards in two categories: Best News Series and Best Special Program at a class three television station. Both wins came from stories Hill and Schaefer covered on the Honor Flight program.
KOMU 8 Sports Reporter Eric Blumberg also received an award for Best Sport’s Story at a class three television station for his Blumberg off the Bench story, “51: One Number, Two Meanings,” about a 51-year-old man living out his dream to play college football.
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“It is always an honor for our staff to be recognized for the excellent work they put forth on a daily basis,” said KOMU 8 General Manager Marty Siddall. “These awards demonstrate KOMU 8’s commitment to bring our viewers the highest quality news coverage.”
In addition to the wins previously mentioned, KOMU 8 also received an award for its 2008 promotion of KOMU 8 News and Weather in High Definition and certificates of merit in the categories of Best Website, Best Documentary/Public Affairs Piece and Best Newscast. KOMU 8 News Anchor Jim Riek received the public affairs certificate of merit for his Follow Up Files story on the Unionville Crash. KOMU 8 News at Five was alsorecognized with a certificate of merit in the Best Newscast category.
The MBA encourages the highest standards in broadcasting by recognizing and sharing examples of excellence and achievement.
KOMU 8 is a self-funded auxiliary enterprise of the University of Missouri. The station serves a dual purpose within the community. KOMU 8 provides the public with news and entertainment programming while also serving as an educational institution for students of the University of Missouri. The KOMU 8 newsroom is the only one of its kind to also serve as a teaching lab. At KOMU 8, students attending the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism are given the unique opportunity to work alongside professional journalists in a real-life newsroom. This program is set up through the school’s Department of Broadcast Journalism. KOMU 8 also operates Mid Missouri’s CW station.
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