Kansas Public Radio wins awards from Kansas Association of Broadcasters

LAWRENCE -- News staff at Kansas Public Radio at the University of Kansas have won several prestigious first-place awards from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.

In their annual competition, Kansas radio broadcasters from all market sizes compete in news, feature, sports, commercial and public service announcement categories. When the votes were tallied, KPR won three first-place awards and two honorable mentions in the medium-market division. Commercial and noncommercial stations from Salina, Great Bend, Dodge City, Lawrence, Manhattan, Pittsburg, Hutchinson, Garden City, Hays, Junction City, Leavenworth, Emporia, McPherson and Coffeyville competed in the medium-market division.

"These awards are a testament to the quality of the news staff and their dedication to the job," said J. Schafer, KPR news director.

"Kansas Kids: A Prescription for Change," a weekly series focusing on the physical, mental and emotional health care needs of the state's children, won for Best In-Depth Series. Bryan Thompson reports for the series, which is edited by Schafer and Laura Lorson, who also is KPR's "Morning Edition" host.

Peter Hancock, KPR statehouse bureau chief, captured a first-place award in Single Topic Event News Coverage for pieces he produced on the controversy surrounding a human sexuality class taught by Dennis Dailey, KU professor of social welfare.

Lorson also picked up a first-place nod in the Public Service Announcement category for a "Thanks to Veterans" spot she produced on the dedication for the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at KU.

KPR's two honorable mentions went to Schafer for coverage of the May tornado in Lawrence and a feature story on Air Explorer Scouts in Topeka.