Three Hillsdale students placed as radio finalists for the national College Broadcasters Inc. Awards on Aug. 26.
“For CBI, this matches the highest number of finalists the station ever has had,” said Scot Bertram, General Manager at WRFH 101.7 FM.
Finalists, Rachel Kookogey ‘22, senior Josh Barker, and sophomore Lauren Smith placed in the top four in the country in their respective categories.
Kookogey, who now works for the college as the Associate Coordinator of Media Relations & Communications placed twice in Best Sports Reporting with two different episodes of her show “Sports Story Time.” Barker is a finalist for Best Hard News Reporting with his show “The Policy Corner: Michigan Voting Laws.” Smith is a finalist for Best Newscast or Sportscast for her show “Lauren Smyth News.”
WRFH 101.7 FM enters Michigan and nationwide radio competitions yearly including the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, Bertram said.
“We hold our programming to a high standard and that means many of our shows, features, and newscasts, as well as our sports coverage, consistently compares well against the best offerings from schools across the country,” Bertram said. “Everyone involved should be proud and eager to see how entries will be judged by an external audience. It’s rewarding to know the hard work is recognized by others.”
With two episodes in the final four of Best Sports Reporting, Kookogey has a 50% chance to win an award, Bertram said.
“Sports Story Time was a three-minute feature that played on air between longer shows,” Kookogey said. “On each episode I would tell a crazy story from hockey history with added sound effects and music to make it colorful and comedic.”
Kookogey said she was surprised to hear she placed twice as a finalist because she did not know Bertram had entered her work.
“I was honored Scot nominated me and happy to be able to represent the college once more in that capacity,” Kookogey said.
Not including these placements, Kookogey has received three national and three Michigan college radio awards for a variety of her work during her time with the college station. She said she loves radio work but also appreciates the recognition from those outside Hillsdale.
“It’s cool to be recognized for the time in the studio, and Scot was always super encouraging and helpful in the process,” Kookogey said.
Barker, who is the station’s program director this year, said he was honored to place as a finalist.
According to Barker, “The Policy Corner,” breaks down a bill “being considered by Congress or the Michigan state legislature” and offers support or criticism.
“Entering for these awards helps ensure that the school and the station receive appropriate credit for all the hard work and success,” Barker said. “I’m thrilled to be the program director at the station this year and am incredibly proud of the work of our radio students.”
“Lauren Smyth News” is a weekly newscast that covers national, local, and sports news with an ending weather report. She said she was surprised to be listed as a finalist and almost didn’t watch the livestream.
“I’m honored to be chosen as a finalist on behalf of WRFH,” Smith said. “I hope this recognition encourages more people to tune into the radio station.”
Smith said the day she recorded her episode for submission, she was suffering from a painful sinus infection that affected her voice.
“My main goal that day was to avoid sniffling into the microphone,” Smith said. “It goes to show that there are no bad days when it comes to creative work, but some projects turn out differently than you intended.”
