Associated Press names WBRU 1997 News Station of Year

WBRU News won six Associate Press Awards for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, including 1997 News Station of the Year in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island College Division.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Brown University's affiliated radio station, WBRU (95.5 FM), has been named 1997 News Station of the Year by the Associated Press in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island College Division. The award was based on a compilation of WBRU News programming, including live daily newscasts and WBRU's weekly investigative news magazines, "The Point" and "The Pulse." In addition, WBRU News earned five other Associated Press broadcast awards. The awards were announced Monday, March 16. The awards ceremony will be held April 4, at the Sheraton-Tara Hotel in Braintree, Mass.

Specifically, WBRU News won the following Associated Press Awards for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism: 1997 News Station of the Year; first place in Public Service News for "Public Access to Rhode Island Government" by Tori Kronhaus (Class of 1999); first place in Investigative/Enterprise Reporting for "Who Owns the Past: Conflict Between Native Americans and Museums" by Jane Spencer (Class of 1999); first place in Continuing Coverage for "Providence Revitalization" by Zach Block (Class of 1999) and Pari Shah (Class of 2000); first place in Feature Story for "The Mysteries of Sleep" by Jane Spencer; and second place in Investigative/Enterprise Reporting for "Campaign Finance Reform" by Tori Kronhaus.

"Our mission is a little different from other campus media sources because our broadcasts are directed at the general Rhode Island population rather than the Brown student body," says Jane Spencer, WBRU's news director. "We try to report on issues that matter to people who live in this area - pollution in Narragansett Bay that's hurting the fishing industry, Hasbro job cuts, and Native American rights to burial grounds."

Established in 1966 as a 20,000-watt non-profit student-run commercial radio station, WBRU broadcasts throughout Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. Monday through Saturday, the music format is modern rock. On Sunday, the format changes to "The 360-Degree Black Experience in Sound." WBRU has more than 165,000 listeners, most of whom are ages 18 to 35. The station is run as an educational workshop where Brown students can get involved in all aspects of running a radio station.

The current news staff consists of about 30 students. WBRU News Programming includes five morning newscasts, two afternoon newscasts, and two weekly news magazine shows. "The Point" is a 15-minute news show that includes a weekly news summary, followed by two investigative news stories. WBRU's other news magazine show, "The Pulse," focuses on issues that affect local minority communities.