WGCS’ awards include national ‘Signature Station,’ among others

The month of March came in like a lion for Goshen College’s student-run radio station, 91.1 FM The Globe (WGCS), with an eventful week full of awards.

On March 2, The Globe was awarded the 2017 Signature Station Award by the Broadcast Education Association (BEA), the competition’s highest national radio award. The Globe staff will receive the award at the annual Festival of Media Arts competition in Las Vegas this April.  

This national honor recognizes remarkable faculty advisors and students from BEA member schools with student run and faculty advised college radio stations. This is the first time The Globe has received this award, although in 2016 WGCS was named Signature Station honorable mention. College radio stations from both large and small schools from across the United States compete for this prestigious national recognition.

The award is given based on excellence in the hands-on facilitation of station functions such as philosophical engagement, community involvement, programming arrangement, branding/logo development, student management, volunteer recruitment and broadcast equipment.

This marks the third time that The Globe has earned the highest radio award in a national competition, having been named “Best College Radio Station in the Nation” in 2011 and 2013 by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.

“The students continue to maintain a culture of excellence at the radio station,” said Jason Samuel, WGCS general manager and assistant professor of communication. “These awards are a testament to their hard work and the value of experiential learning in the communication department.”

JD Hershberger, a senior broadcasting major from Hesston, Kansas, also received the first place award for “Best Promo” and the third place award for “On-air Talent,” in the BEA competition.

Intercollegiate Broadcasting Awards

On March 4, students and faculty from the Goshen College Communication Department travelled to New York City to participate in the 77th annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference. WGCS was named national finalist in 21 categories, including four national first-place finishes for best creative show, best sports update, best station logo and best on-air giveaway.

Goshen College competes in these categories with a diverse group of schools, from large NCAA Division I schools to other small liberal arts schools.

“I’m very proud of everyone who works so hard here at the Globe to make it worthy of recognition by BEA and IBS,” said senior JD Hershberger, WGCS student station manager. “Our staff is a lot smaller than most colleges we compete against, so to do as well as any of them shows just how hard everyone works to make us as good as possible. Under Jason’s leadership we pulled in quite a haul this year and it feels good to call ourselves national champions.”

Awards Breakdown:

Broadcast Education Association

Signature College Radio Station Winner － WGCS 91.1 The Globe

 

Intercollegiate Broadcasting System

National 1st Place Winners  

• Most Creative Show- JD Hershberger, a senior broadcasting major from Hesston, Kansas
• Best Sports Update – Spencer Buttermore, a junior broadcasting major from Waterloo, Indiana
• Best On-Air Giveaway – WGCS 91.1 The Globe staff
• Best Station Logo – WGCS 91.1 The Globe

National Finalist Awards

• Best College Radio Station Under 10,000 Students finalist – 91.1 The Globe
• Best On-Air-Personality finalist – JD Hershberger
• Best Celebrity Interview finalist – JD Hershberger
• Best Radio Drama finalist – JD Hershberger
• Best Radio Drama finalist – Laura Hoover, a sophomore film production and broadcasting major from Chesterton, Indiana
• Best Comedy Program finalist – JD Hershberger
• Best Campus News finalist – Lucia Nisly, a first-year history and communication major from Partridge, Kansas, and Demetria Towns, a first-year broadcasting major from Jeffersonville, Indiana
• Best Men’s Basketball Play-By-Play finalist – Dalton Shetler, a 2016 graduate
• Best Play-By-Play Other Sports finalist – Andrew Snyder, a senior broadcasting major from Goshen
• Best Live Broadcast Promotional Event finalist – Colin Samuel, a former broadcasting and film production major from Goshen
• Best Station Contest finalist – Victor Garcia, a 2016 graduate
• Best Giveaway Item finalist – 91.1 The Globe
• Best Use of Instagram finalist – 91.1 The Globe
• Best Station Facilities finalist – 91.1 The Globe
• Best Video News Report finalist – GCTV: Greta Neufeld, a sophomore film production major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Ben Cotton, a first-year broadcasting major from Anderson, Indiana, & Demetria Towns
• Best Video Sports Report finalist – GCTV: Karina Flores, senior broadcasting major from Goshen
• Best Video Variety Program finalist – FiveCore Media: Jesse Bontreger, a senior communication and theater major from Goshen, David Leaman Miller, a senior communication major from Denver, Colorado, Takoda Friesen, a junior film production major from Goshen, Tim Litwiller, a junior film production and communication major from Peoria, Arizona.

 

About the Goshen College Communication Department: The Goshen College Communication Department has been recognized in the state and nation for its excellence in broadcasting, journalism, speech, film production and writing. The department has been named Indiana TV and Radio school of the year multiple times, Best College Radio station in the nation twice, Indiana Broadcasters Association Best Radio Station, Best College Newspaper in the state and many more. Students from Goshen College’s Communication Program get hands on learning opportunities with the department’s co-curriculars like, The Record, PRSSA, WGCS 91.1 The Globe, FiveCore Media and GCTV. To learn more visit www.goshen.edu/communication

About the Broadcast Education Association: The Broadcast Education Association (BEA) is the premiere international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students, and professionals.  There are currently more than 2,500 individual and institutional members worldwide.

About the Festival of Media Arts: The BEA Festival of Media Arts is an international refereed exhibition of faculty creative activities and a national showcase for student work. The Festival provides a venue for exhibition of winning submissions, including recognition of project authors, through showcase and awards sessions held during BEA’s annual convention in Las Vegas. The Festival seeks to enhance and extend creative activities, teaching, and professional standards in broadcasting and other forms of electronically mediated communication.  Visit www.beafestival.org for more information.