Six Hillsdale students finished in first place in two categories at the annual national College Broadcasters Inc. Awards last weekend in Seattle.

Seniors Alex Deimel and Erin Osborne, junior Ty Ruddy, Logan Washburn ’24, and former student Jane Kitchen won first in Best Documentary for their video production “The Prison Games,” which the group filmed and assembled under the direction of Buddy Moorehouse, adjunct instructor of documentary journalism. Senior Lauren Smyth also took first in Best Newscast or Sportscast for her show “Lauren Smyth News.”

“It’s pretty incredible to receive an award like this, and it means a lot simply because the award recognizes the effort Mr. Moorehouse puts into the class and his students,” Deimel said. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and you want to get as much content filmed as possible so you have multiple options to work with.”

The CBI awards recognize the best in students television/video and radio/audio production, according to Scot Bertram, general manager at WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Professionals and student media advisers judge the submissions that come in from across the country.

“The CBI Awards provide an opportunity for our students to receive feedback and be evaluated by industry pros unaffiliated with our program.” Bertram said. “I can tell them, ‘great job’ as often as I want, but when someone from the outside says the same thing, it does carry more weight. It’s good for our journalists to see how their work compares with content produced by other schools.”

For the limited number of categories, there are often more than 1,000 entries representing some of the best programs in the country, according to Bertram

“It’s rewarding to see our students listed among the very best in the nation and especially gratifying when someone is judged to be the best,” Bertram said. “It helps tell us we’re on the right track with the kinds of things we prioritize here in the journalism program.”

In addition to the first place finishes, seniors Ally Hall, Bella Dix, and Gavin Listro won second place for Best Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Program for their music show “I’ve Got Aux.” Junior Evan Mick also finished fourth in Best Sports Reporting for his program “The Life of a Kicker.” 

“I was excited because we’re a music show and we usually enter into music show categories,” Listro said. “But this time, we entered into just the best entertainment program, so that’s all shows, and we still got second place in the nation, which is epic.”

The radio program works with 40-45 students each term, according to Bertram, producing content that ranges from long-form shows to short features. Since 2019, WRFH has won Michigan College Audio Station of the Year three times and seen its students earn nearly 40 first-place awards at state and national levels.

“We have a well-established process to help guide new contributors in the design and execution of new programming,” Bertram said. “The student leadership structure also helps ensure that students are holding each other to high standards year after year. Our spoken-word format gives students ample opportunity to improve, practice the art of rhetoric, and become better storytellers.” 

With six-first place awards from CBI alone in the past few years, Bertram said the radio program has developed a culture that encourages quality production

“There is significant competition in every category, so we celebrate each of those victories,” Bertram said. “I stress that even being named a finalist is a huge accomplishment for our students. We have developed a culture inside the program that encourages high-quality content and helps cultivate new freshmen and upper-class contributors. I think when students hear what is being produced and see the recognition great radio receives, it leads to more creative and impressive content.”