Senior Therese Boudreaux won first place for “Best Documentary” from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, as she and seven other radio students competed as finalists for national awards last weekend in New York City. 

“These awards are open to radio/audio programs at colleges across the country,” said Scot Bertram, general manager at WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. “Thousands of submissions are received each year and only the top 3% are recognized as finalists in their respective categories.” 

IBS is an organization that supports both college and high school media outlets and organizations, according to its website. More than 3,000 entries were submitted from 100-plus schools across the country and the globe this year. 

Bertram and six radio students traveled to New York City to attend the IBS awards ceremony. Boudreaux was the only first-place winner from Hillsdale. 

“I submitted a radio documentary about lawyer Robert Bilott’s investigation of PFAS chemicals, the dangers they pose, and DuPont’s coverup,” Boudreaux said. “I originally made that documentary in Scot Bertram’s Advanced Radio Production class, so if I hadn’t taken that class, I wouldn’t have won this award.”

Bertram said he loves seeing the work of Hillsdale students being recognized by top leaders in the radio industry. 

“The award is excellent outside affirmation of the work that is done at WRFH on a daily and weekly basis,” he said. 

Hillsdale students were nominated for seven other categories as well.

“It was a good cross-section of content that ended up with nominations,” Bertram said. “Our production, sports, and news department both grabbed two finalist honors each and we also had our talk programming and a long-form drama recognized.”

Junior George Accola and sophomore Patrick Scott were finalists in the category “Best Specialty Show (non music)” for their 22-minute show, “Wall Street Weekly.”

“Honestly it was completely unexpected to be named a finalist at IBS,” Accola said. “It’s cool to know that people enjoy a show that’s a hobby for us.”

Accola said the IBS conference in New York was valuable. 

“The conference was a great opportunity to listen to industry leading speaker’s and learn ways that we could potentially improve our show,” he said. “And who doesn’t like New York?”

Bertram said Hillsdale students understand the power behind great storytelling.

“They have dedicated themselves to producing high-quality content and it’s satisfying to see others recognize their passion and effort,” he said. “We have a well-established process that occurs before a radio show or podcast is produced to create an environment in which students are able to thrive. That attention to detail and quality control is a key ingredient in our success.”

Boudreaux said Hillsdale’s journalism department has amazing opportunities. 

“The station is a hidden gem on this campus, and I’m excited to see more people take interest as radio journalism continues to grow at Hillsdale,” she said. 

Bertram said the radio program has great support from the college. 

“Some of the most prominent and successful radio/audio programs in the country produce the finalists at IBS and it’s always gratifying to see Hillsdale College and WRFH listed among the very best,” he said. “We have tremendous support from the Dow Journalism Program and the administration at the college, and I’m always proud to have evidence that we’re doing things the right way.”