Ball State Public Media has earned three national awards from the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) in recognition of its work in local journalism and community programming.
Indiana Public Radio (IPR), a service of Ball State University, received two first-place awards. In the News Feature category, reporter Thomas Ouellette was honored for his coverage of an apartment complex in Anderson that had been abandoned by its owner.
The story examined the poor living conditions tenants faced after the property’s management office was physically sealed and the State of Indiana filed suit against the owner.
IPR also received first place in the Newscast category for a local segment of “Morning Edition” hosted by Stan Sollars, senior lecturer of media at Ball State, who has served as the program’s anchor for 30 years.
“Like public radio stations around the country, IPR’s news team takes our mission for local news seriously, especially in this time of local news deserts,” said Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR managing editor.
Ball State PBS earned a second-place award in the Audience Engagement category for Health is Wealth, a digital series hosted by Paul Brown. The program featured local experts discussing topics related to fitness, mental health, nutrition, and preventive care. The series aimed to provide viewers with expert insights and personal stories to support informed health decisions.
PMJA represents more than 130 local public radio newsrooms across the United States. This year’s entries were evaluated by more than 70 public media professionals.
“We are always excited to be able to honor the great journalism at local public radio stations across the country,” said Christine Paige Diers, PMJA executive director. “This year, more than 1,450 entries competed for these honors.”