WKU Student Paper, TV Newscast
Honored In SPJ Competition

April 06, 2004

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University';s student newspaper and student television newscast received top honors in the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence regional competition.

The College Heights Herald took first place in best all-around non-daily newspapers published two to three times a week. The WKU NewsChannel 12 team of Cincinnati senior Sara Gouedy, Georgetown senior Delaina Givens, Owensboro senior Brandon Bratcher, Georgetown senior Katie Bridge and Louisville junior Aron Pryor won first in the television non-daily newscast telecast one to three times a week.

The winners were announced April 3 at the Region 5 (Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois) convention at Western Kentucky University.

Individual Herald staff members honored were Daniel Pike, a December graduate from Glasgow, editorial writing, second; Paducah senior Kyle Hightower, sports column writing, second; Abbey Brown, a senior from Vincennes, Ind., spot news reporting, first; Fancy Farm senior Josh McCoy, spot news photography, first; Shannon Guthrie, a senior from Huntington, W.Va., feature photography, first; Bowling Green senior Brian Leddy, feature photography, second; Mat Thorne, a senior from Morgantown, W.Va., photo illustration, first.

Other broadcasting students honored were Muhlenberg County senior Matt Horstman, WWHR, first in radio spot news reporting; Nashville (Tenn.) junior Diana Carag, Scottsville senior Mark Brown and Nashville (Tenn.) senior Alison Randgaard, WWHR/WLCK, second, radio daily newscast; Louisville senior Kyle Edelen, third, television feature; and Louisville junior Aron Pryor, second, television feature photography.

First-place regional winners advance to the SPJ national competition. Winners in the 2003 Mark of Excellence contest will be announced at the national SPJ convention Sept. 9-11 in New York City.

For more information, contact the School of Journalism and Broadcasting at (270) 745-4143. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

-WKU-