Public Radio News Directors Inc. has honored WUGA, 91.7/97.9 FM public radio for the Athens area, with two awards for radio excellence.
The station claimed first place for best commentary for a piece Kathrin Rudland wrote and voiced about the “Importance of Books.” In it, she reminisced about the emotional significance and physical presence of books in her life that can never be replaced by e-texts. Rudland is a longtime member of the Greensboro Writers’ Guild.
WUGA News Director Mary Kay Mitchell took second place for best use of sound for “Latino March.” For the broadcast, Mitchell followed May Day marchers in downtown Athens as they rallied for Hispanic rights in 2006.
The PRNDI awards competition is the only national contest that recognizes outstanding public radio news reporting at local stations. The awards were recently presented at the group’s annual conference in New Orleans.
WUGA has won a total of 11 national, regional and state awards in 2006, including recognition from the Associated Press and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
