WBHM 90.3 FM and the Gulf States Newsroom won 14 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for 2024, including Overall Excellence, the highest award, for WBHM.
The Radio Television Digital News Association announced Region 9 Edward R. Murrow Award winners in 23 categories May 23. Region 9 covers Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Regional winners automatically advance to the national competition. National winners will be announced in August. See the full list of Region 9 award winners.
The Gulf States Newsroom is a collaboration among WBHM, Mississippi Public Radio, and WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana.
WBHM Executive Director and General Manager William Dahlberg says the work, and the awards, would not be possible without the leadership and guidance of Gulf States Newsroom Regional Managing Editor Priska Neely and WBHM Managing Editor Andrew Yeager.
“Despite obstacles, and thanks to the continued support of our community, these awards exemplify the hard work and dedication of the Gulf States Newsroom and WBHM teams,” Dahlberg said. “I am beyond proud that our organization has been recognized again for overall excellence, continuing the tradition of being a small station that punches above our weight class.”
Yeager says he is proud of the WBHM news team.
“I am especially heartened by the Overall Excellence award because it is a recognition that listeners are receiving excellence no matter when they listen or visit wbhm.org,” Yeager said. “Our members should take a bow too because, as a member-supported service, none of this coverage or the awards would be possible without them.”
WBHM 90.3: Radio, Small Market
- Overall Excellence: WBHM
- Breaking News Coverage: Birmingham-Southern College to Stay Open — For Now
- Continuing Coverage: Moody Landfill Fire
- Excellence in Sound: Any School Can Get You a Diploma. This School Might Get You a House
- Feature Reporting: Cahaba Lily Season Draws Crowds, Inspires Conservation Efforts
- Hard News: After Botched Executions, Alabama Will Try Lethal Injection Again
- Newscast: WBHM Newscast
Gulf State Newsroom: Radio, Large Market
- Digital: Fashion at the Magic City Classic
- Excellence in Writing: The Dollar Store Takeover
- Hard News: How Mississippi Historians are Preserving Emmett Till’s Story
- Investigative Reporting: Utility Bill of the Month
- News Series: Place, Erased
- Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Place, Erased: Revilletown
- Sports Reporting: Alabama’s 1st NCAA Women’s Wrestling Team is Ready to Roll
WBHM 90.3 FM is “NPR News for the Heart of Alabama” and a listener-supported service of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. More than a radio station, WBHM is an essential public resource through journalism that is fair, credible, accurate and honest. The WBHM newsroom makes its decisions independently from WBHM’s business and fundraising operations. Free from commercial and political influence, WBHM seeks to make Birmingham and Alabama a better place to live by educating, engaging and entertaining the people of the Birmingham Metro area and the state. WBHM is dedicated to the idea that an informed citizenry is vital to democracy and a thriving economy, and it celebrates diversity, innovation and lifelong learning. For more news, follow the station on Facebook and @WBHM903 on Instagram.
The Gulf States Newsroom is a joint regional news collaboration between NPR and member stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana: New Orleans’ WWNO, Baton Rouge’s WRKF and Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson. Through the Gulf States Newsroom, the stations and NPR share resources, plan together and deliver more reporting in areas with widening gaps in local news coverage. Made possible with lead support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Heather and Paul Haaga Jr., the collaboration aims to better serve the existing public media audience while also making a multi-platform push to reach new, diverse groups throughout the Gulf region. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Neely was named 2022 Editor of the Year by the Public Media Journalists Association and is currently president of PMJA.