Cronkite Students Win BEA Awards Competition

Arizona State University students at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication collected more awards in news categories in the Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts competition than any other school in the country.Cronkite students won 12 awards, one more than the combined total of the second and third place schools in news, sports and documentary divisions. The win marks the sixth time in seven years that the Cronkite School has finished with the most news division awards. In all, Cronkite students have won 118 awards at the Festival of Media Arts in the past seven years, more than any school in the country.This year, Cronkite students took home three first place awards, one third place and eight honorable mentions in a variety of broadcast categories, including television and radio reporting as well as documentaries. Winners were selected from a pool of more than 1,500 entries, representing over 175 colleges and universities.Cronkite News, the school’s nightly newscast that reaches 1.9 million households on Arizona PBS, took first place in the television newscast category. Megan Thompson placed first in the television news anchor category for her work on Cronkite News and other broadcasts. Other television awards included honorable mentions in news anchor, feature reporting and sports talent categories.Students also won awards in radio reporting, with Jacob McAuliffe taking first in radio hard news reporting. Olivia Richard won an honorable mention for feature reporting. In documentaries, students taught by professor John Craft won three honorable mentions.“This year’s award-winning work is a testament to the dedication of our amazing students and outstanding faculty,” said Cronkite Assistant Dean Mark Lodato. “Whether it was news and sports or television and radio, our students produced high-quality broadcast journalism that made an impact.”The winners will be honored at the BEA’s annual convention in Las Vegas in April.Established in 1955, the BEA is a global professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students who are interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises.The complete list of Cronkite winners include:First Place: Television NewscastNicole Fox and Tien Bischoff, Cronkite News, newscastFirst Place: Television News AnchorMegan Thompson, Cronkite News, anchor reelFirst Place: Radio Hard News ReportingJacob McAuliffe, KTAR News, “Homeless Center for Men Closes”Third Place: Radio Sports StoryJacob Garcia, SunDevilSource.com, “Senior Day Feature: Vi Teofilo and his Ironman Selflessness”Honorable Mention: Television News AnchorLauren Michaels, Cronkite News, anchor reelHonorable Mention: Television Feature ReportingMegan Thompson, Cronkite News, “Many Who Died Crossing the Border Remain Unidentified”Honorable Mention: Television Sports Talent (Anchor/Host)Kerry Crowley, Cronkite Sports, anchor reelHonorable Mention: Radio Feature ReportingOlivia Richard, The Blaze, “Looking for Laurie”Honorable Mention: Radio/TV Sports Event, Play-by-Play TalentJacob Garcia, CCBL Playoffs Game 1: Wareham Gatemen at Bourne BravesHonorable Mention: Short Form Video or Film DocumentaryCarolina Marquez, Mauricio Casillas and Cammeron Neely, “OTMs: Layover in Nogales”Bailey Netsch, Kiegan Stewart and Kyley Jameison, “Speak”Honorable Mention: Long Form Video or Film DocumentaryEmily L. Mahoney, Stephan Blake Harvey and Kristy Westgard, “Fresh Out”