Photo: WTIP

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 3, 2023


Local Cook County radio station WTIP has received six Eric Sevareid awards in the small-market media category at the 2023 Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association Awards.  

The award ceremony took place on Saturday, April 1, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

According to the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association website, the Eric Sevareid Awards are named for the North Dakota-born and University of Minnesota-educated journalist best known for his work as a correspondent for CBS Radio and Television.

The annual awards ceremony recognizes the best work done by broadcast news operations and journalists working in small, medium and large markets in a six-state region on radio, television and online (the six states include Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska). The distinguished panel of judges is made up of journalists and educators who live outside of those six states to help ensure impartiality. 

Boreal Community Media reached out to Matthew Brown, Executive Director for WTIP, who said:

"I am very proud of our station and the six individuals for winning these awards. Over the past 25 years WTIP has strived to produce a wide variety of stories that highlight life in Cook County and the Arrowhead region.  As a community-focused radio station, WTIP is proud to bring stories and videos that connect the people in our region. These awards help define the importance of our station to our listeners."

The following are the locally produced award-winning segments: 

   Investigative Journalism - First Place: "WTIP and MN Dept of Health investigation finds no evidence for brain cancer cluster in Cook County,” written and produced by Joe Friedrichs

   Series - First Place: "It Happens Here: The Roots of Racial Inequity on the North Shore," written and produced by Staci Drouillard and co-hosted by Leah Lemm

   Writing for Broadcast - First Place: "Notes from Reservation River – The Best Dog in the World," written by Jess Koski and produced by Staci Drouillard

   Soft Feature - First Place: “The Silence Family in a Sea of Green,” written and produced by Will Moore

   Photo Journalism - Award of Merit: “Beyond the Canoe – Superior Swimmers,” video and audio by Matthew Baxley

   Soft Feature - Award of Merit: “Steger’s Ice Ball sparks stories and celebration on the edge of the BWCA,” written and produced by Barbara Jean Meyers

You can find the links to all of the winning segments here: https://wtip.org/wtip-wins-six-awards-from-midwest-broadcast-journalists-association/