WUSF stories about disabled veteran caregivers, female prisoners and the career of a college basketball coach recently won honors in the only national contest recognizing outstanding public radio news reporting at local stations.
Journalists Mark Schreiner, Bobbie O’Brien and Carson Frame were recognized for the work during the annual PRNDI conference in Philadelphia. WUSF competed against stations across the country with eight to 15 fulltime journalists working in their newsrooms.
Schreiner, WUSF’s Assistant News Director and its University Beat reporter, earned accolades for his profile of the University of South Florida Women’s basketball coach reaching a milestone win. “Jose Fernandez Celebrates 300 Wins As USF Women's Basketball Coach” won Second Place in the Division A Sports Feature category.
Reporter Bobbie O’Brien was honored for her work as part of the national American Homefront collaborative. The story, “An Unknown Future For Military Caregivers Of Post-9/11 Veterans” won Second Place in the Division A Nationally Edited News Feature category. Her story aired at local stations across the county as part of the collaborative led by WUNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Former WUSF intern Carson Frame won top honors in the Student Soft Feature category. Her story, “A Healthy Escape From Jail,” shared the stories of women inmates at the Pinellas County Jail, and a sewing support group that helps them process past trauma. Frame is now a reporter with Texas Public Radio.
In addition to the WUSF awards, current WUSF reporter and host Jessica Meszaros was recognized by PRNDI for her work at WGCU in Fort Myers.
More than 190 awards were presented by PRNDI at the conference in categories including: Breaking News, Call-in Programs, Documentaries, Interviews, and News Features.
Keith Woods, Vice President of Newsroom Training and Diversity at NPR and a longtime Tampa resident, also received the “Leo C. Lee Award," which recognizes “lasting commitment to public radio journalism.”
