A handful of Central New York's radio newsrooms took home several titles from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards this past weekend in Saratoga Springs. In fact, the top award-winner was from CNYRadio.com territory.
Keep scrolling down to see the complete list of CNY award winners.
In order to be considered for the awards, stories must have aired sometime during the 2007 calendar year. For certain categories, submissions were only accepted from two randomly-selected "AP Contest Days," which are not announced to stations until that day. For 2007, those dates happened to be May 23, and October 25 (as seen in the awards for "best regularly scheduled local news program," for example).
North Country Public Radio's WSLU/Canton (89.5 FM) won 8 first-place awards, earning itself the "Grand Prize" Steve Flanders Award, for the station that wins the most awards in its medium. (Incidentally, the TV equivalent went to WPIX/New York.)
Syracuse's WSYR (570 AM) won two first-place awards, in addition to several "Special Mentions." Ithaca College's WICB (91.7 FM) won a first-place award in one of the regular categories, and a Special Mention at the college competition level. NPR affiliate WRVO, based in Oswego (89.9 FM), earned several Special Mentions, but did not bring home any awards.
Below is the "edited" list of winners and special mentions from the Associated Press. Since they combined radio and TV into one list, we find it to be rather cluttered... so we removed all the TV awards, and all the "Level 1" (New York City) radio awards. You can still see the entire raw list on the AP website.
Red = First Place Winners in CNYRadio.com territory
Blue = Special Mentions in CNYRadio.com territory
Green = Folks who used to work in radio in CNY and have since moved on
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 1 Best regularly scheduled local news program
First Place: WSYR, Syracuse, 10/25/07, WSYR 8 O'Clock Report --Jason Smith, Chris Weidman, Tiffany Latino, Sara Carmichael
SM: WSYR, Syracuse, 10/25/07, WSYR 5 O'Clock Report - Eric Reinhardt, Justin Kraemer
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 1 Best regularly scheduled local news program
First Place-Tie: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, 10/25/07, All Before Five - Jonathan Brown
First Place-Tie: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, 5/23/07, All Before Five - Jonathan Brown
SM: WENT-AM, Gloversville, 5/23/07, Comprehensive News - Tom Roehl, Paul Ammann
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 2 Best news special/documentary
First Place: WBFO, Buffalo, The Jihad Next Door - Mark Scott
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 2 Best news special/documentary
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, The Endless Cycle of Migration - David Sommerstein
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 3 Best news series
First Place: WSYR, Syracuse, On The Farm - Ellen Abbott
SM: WAMC, Albany, Boomers & Beyond - News Department
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 3 Best news series
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, Farm to Farm, Family to Family - David Sommerstein
SM: WSKG, Binghamton, Breast Care: An Update, Mammography - Kathleen H. Cook
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 4 Best interview
First Place-Tie: WBFO, Buffalo, The Capozzi Family - Eileen Buckley
First Place-Tie: WNED, Buffalo, Corporal Dunham: War Hero - Jim Ranney
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 4 Best interview
First Place: WICB, Ithaca, Coddington Road Widening - Cal Borchers, Eric Keto
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 5 Best spot news coverage
First Place: WGY, Albany, Delaware County Standoff -- Jim Knapp, Matt DelSignore, Read Shepherd
(Knapp is formerly of WIBX; DelSignore of WTNY, then WSYR)
SM: WNED, Buffalo, Arrest of a Monster-Jim Ranney, Chris Caya, Mark Leitner, Mike Desmond
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 5 Best spot news coverage
First Place: WKNY, Kingston, Spring Flooding - Linda Rosner
SM: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, Ft. Drum Awaits Word on Captive Soldiers - David Sommerstein
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 6 Best continuing news coverage
First Place: WBEN, Buffalo, Medical Miracle: Kevin Everett - Barbara Burns, Steve Cichon, Dave Debo, Tom Puckett, Steve Schnepf
SM: WBFO, Buffalo, The Bike Path Killer - Eileen Buckley, Joyce Kryszak, Mark Scott
SM: WBFO, Buffalo, The Lynn Dejac Case - Joyce Kryszak, Eileen Buckley, Mark Scott
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 6 Best continuing news coverage
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, Immigration Issues in the North Country - NCPR News Department
SM: WRVO, Oswego, Then & Now - Lake Effect Storm - WRVO Staff
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 7 Best enterprise reporting
First Place: WXXI-AM, Rochester, Wind Power Dispute - Bud Lowell
SM: WBFO, Buffalo, Meet Neil Sanders - Eileen Buckley
SM: WBFO, Buffalo, Homemade Pet Food - Joyce Kryszak
SM: WXXI-AM, Rochester, Emergency Department Overcrowding - Bud Lowell
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 7 Best enterprise reporting
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, Farm to Farm, Family to Family - David Sommerstein
SM: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, Hydropower Comes at a Cost for the Cree - Brian Mann
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 8 Best feature
First Place: WBFO, Buffalo, The "Real" Real World - Joyce Kryszak
SM: WBEN, Buffalo, Sabres Prayer - Barbara Burns
SM: WSYR, Syracuse, Webkinz - Ellen Abbott
SM: WSYR, Syracuse, Getting Ready for the Fair - Sara Carmichael
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 8 Best feature
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, A Tale of Two Zamboni Drivers - David Sommerstein
SM: WRVO, Oswego, Bell Ringers Get a Surprise - Jasmyn Belcher
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 9 Best sports Coverage
First Place: WBEN, Buffalo, Sabre Profile - Barbara Burns
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 9 Best sports coverage
First Place: NCPR-WSLU, Canton, The Tale of Two Zambonis -- David Sommerstein
CLASS 2/Radio, Category 10 Art Athens general excellence of individual reporting
First Place: WBEN, Buffalo, Best of Barbara Burns
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 10 Art Athens general excellence of individual reporting
First Place: WKNY, Kingston, Compilation of Reports - Linda Rosner
SM: WRVO, Oswego, Jasmyn Belcher Compilation
CLASS 2/TV, Category 10 General excellence in individual reporting
First Place: WTVH, Syracuse, Steve Flamisch (formerly of WSYR, now working in Albany)
CLASS 3/Radio, Category 11 General excellence in use of medium
First Place: WLIU-FM, Southampton, Ladies Get Your Guns - Connie Conway
SM: WRVO, Oswego, Goat Milk - The Next Best Thing - Jasmyn Belcher
GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
RADIO - THE STEVE FLANDERS AWARD - NCPR-WSLU, Canton
TELEVISION - WPIX, New York
COLLEGE COMPETITION
Category 1 - Bill Leaf Memorial Award for Best Regularly Scheduled Local News Program
First Place: WRHU-FM, Hempstead, 3/19/08 Newsline, Producer: Alex Dollin
SM: WRHU-FM, Hempstead, 3/26/08 Newsline, Producer: Alex Dollin
Category 2 - Best News Story
First Place: WRHU-FM, Hempstead, Dangerous Roads, Lauren Brookmeyer
SM: WFUV, Bronx, Disabled Straphangers, Lauren McGrath
SM: WICB, Ithaca, Tree Rings, Eric Keto
SM: WRHU-FM, Hempstead, Point Lookout Wrap, Brian Bohl
Again, the full list is available at http://www.ap.org/newyork/broadcast.html
Congratulations to all the winners!