EAST LANSING, MI; May 22, 2024 – WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University has been honored with two Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. Arjun Thakkar, WKAR politics and civics reporter, won the award for Excellence in Sound in the Small Market Radio Division and Michael Castellucci, MSU professor and multimedia artist, won the award for Feature Reporting in the Small Market Television Division.
Castellucci’s short-form video, Geezer Happy Hour, tells the story of Randy Tessier's musical odyssey from English lecturer to community harmonizer in Ann Arbor. Thakkar’s story, Lansing cyclists pave the path to a safer biking network, explored the plan to create the first ever protected bike lanes on East Michigan Avenue to support cycling.
"My favorite part about telling stories with WKAR is that I get to step into communities across mid-Michigan and bring attention to the local voices and sounds of our region,” said Thakkar. “I appreciate that this story was recognized and that I was able to take our listeners for a ride with cycling advocates and the Lansing Bike Party."
Recipients of the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award must embody the values, principles and standards set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism. Since 1971, RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards.
As a regional winner, these award-winning pieces are automatically entered for consideration for a National Murrow Award, which will be announced later this year.
A full list of all winners can be found here at the RTDNA website.