Collaboration Amplifies Public Radio Dominance in the 2023 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

June 4, 2023

Edward R. Murrow Awards

From innovative coverage of the midterm elections by Texas Public Radio, KQED and WHYY to a Harvest Public Media/Kansas News Service series on how droughts are transforming life on the Great Plains, public media rose to the top of the 2023 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. Public media organizations won a total of 286 awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association recognizing outstanding broadcast and digital journalism in 13 U.S. regions.

Stations and collaborations founded with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) dominated the radio categories, winning more than 81% of all the awards given in the U.S. radio categories. Public radio stations and collaborations won 88% of the honors in small market radio categories, sweeping the awards in five of those 13 U.S. regions.

“These awards attest to the high-quality, trusted work that local public media journalists produce every day,” said Kathy Merritt, CPB senior vice president, journalism, radio and CSG services. “CPB is proud to support the commitment to local journalism displayed by the winning stations and journalism collaborations. Their outstanding coverage is vital to their communities and to strengthening our democracy.” 

Since 2009, CPB has invested more than $44 million to help launch more than 40 local and regional journalism collaborations to help public media add editorial staff, encourage efficiencies and support enterprise reporting. The Regional Murrow Awards provide evidence that collaboration is a force multiplier for public media journalism.

In Region 6, which covers Texas and Oklahoma, Texas stations and public media organizations won 14 of the 16 large-market awards, including six for San Antonio’s Texas Public Radio. Two of the six were in partnership with the Texas Newsroom, and three with the Texas Standard, “the national daily news show of Texas” produced in collaboration with and airing on public radio stations across Texas.

In Region 9, covering Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas, the CPB-supported Gulf States Newsroom and the collaboration between WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge won eight of the 10 large market radio awards.  WBHM in Birmingham and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, which collaborate with WWNO in the Gulf States Newsroom, claimed seven of the 11 small market radio awards. 

A full list of regional winners, who will compete for national awards, is available at RTDNA.org and at the links below The number of awards won by public media stations and collaborations, by region:

Region 1 (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana)

  • Radio, Large Market: KUOW, 6; KNKX, 4; Oregon Public Broadcasting, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: KLCC, 5; Boise State Public Radio, 4; Jefferson Public Radio, 4; Bethel Broadcasting, Inc. 1.

Region 2 (California, Hawaii, Nevada)

  • Radio, Large Market: KQED, 3; LAist, 3; CapRadio, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: KAZU 4; KVPR, 3; KUNR, 2; Radio Bilingüe, 1; KCLU, 1; KCBX, 1.

Region 3 (Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico)

  • Television, Small Market: Arizona Public Media, 5.
  • Radio, Large Market: Colorado Public Radio, 8; KJZZ, 2.
  • Radio, Small Market: Aspen Public Radio, 3; KNAU, 3; Wyoming Public Media, 2; Jackson Hole Community Radio, 2; KUNM, 1; Arizona Public Media, 1; KUNC, 1.

Region 4 (Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota)

  • Television, Small Market: PBS Wisconsin, 3.
  • Radio, Large Market: Wisconsin Public Radio, 4; MPR News, 3; WUWM, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: WXPR, 3: South Dakota Public Broadcasting, 2; WTIP, 1.

Region 5 (Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska)

  • Radio, Large Market: Kansas News Service partnerships, 5; KCUR, 5; St. Louis Public Radio, 3.
  • Radio, Small Market: Siouxland Public Media, 4; KBIA, 3; Nebraska Public Media, 2; KMUW, 1.

Region 6 (Oklahoma, Texas)

  • Radio, Large Market: Texas Public Radio, 6, including 2 partnerships with Texas Newsroom; Texas Standard, 3; KUT, 3; Houston Public Media, 2.
  • Radio, Small Market: Marfa Public Radio, 7, KTEP, 2.

Region 7 (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois)

  • Radio, Large Market: WBEZ Chicago (with partnerships), 4; Michigan Radio, 3; Ideastream Public Media, 2; WFYI, 1; WVXU, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: Interlochen Public Radio, 5; WFIU/WTIU, 3; WGLT, 1; WCMU, 1; Illinois Public Radio, 1; WKAR, 1; WCBU, 1.

Region 8 (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia)

  • Radio, Large Market: WFDD, 4; North Carolina Public Radio/WUNC, 4; WPLN News, 3; WFAE, 3; WVPB, 2.
  • Radio, Small Market: WEKU, 7; Louisville Public Media, 3; WUKY, 1.

Region 9 (Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas)

  • Radio, Large Market: Gulf States Newsroom, 6, including partnership with Recorded Future News; WWNO/WRKF, 2.
  • Radio, Small Market: WBHM, 6; Alabama Public Radio, 3; Mississippi Public Broadcasting, 1.

Region 10 (Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island)

  • Television, Large Market: CT Public, 2.
  • Radio, Large Market: WBUR, 8; GBH News, 3; The Public’s Radio, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: NHPR, 5; WCAI, 5; CT Public, 3; Vermont Public, 1; New England Public Media, 1; WHSU, 1.

Region 11 (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey)

  • Radio, Large Market: WHYY, 6; WESA, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: North Country Public Radio, 4; WITF, 3; WXXI Public Radio, 1; WAMC/partnership, 1.

Region 12 (Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Delaware)

  • Television, Small Market: VPM, 1.
  • Radio, Large Market: WAMU, 6; WYPR 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: WVTF/Radio IQ, 6; VPM News, 2.

Region 13 (Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)

  • Radio, Large Market: WLRN News, 5; WABE, 4; WUSF Public Media, 3 (including two partnerships); Georgia Public Broadcasting, 1.
  • Radio, Small Market: WFSU Public Media, 3; WGCU, 3; WUFT News, 2.

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