Yellow Springs Ohio

WYSO News Wins First Place for General Excellence; Ellis Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Taking home seven first place and four second place reporting awards, WYSO won more trophies than another radio station in the 2023 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors (APME) contest. One of the first place awards was for general excellence among all radio stations in Ohio, including commercial and public stations. Center for Community Voices Founder and Director Neenah Ellis also was named to the Ohio APME Hall of Fame.

All Things Considered Host Jerry Kenney won for best anchor/news host and also finished in first place, along with Ellis, for the WYSO Weekend documentary “Remembering Julia Reichert.” Other first place winners included Kathryn Mobley and Chris Welter, for coverage of a rally for former President Donald Trump, and Jason Reynolds, for a feature about surf culture in Dayton.

Two second place honors went to Basim Blunt for his “Dayton Youth Radio” and “The Race Project” series, while Welter and Mobley received second place honors for sports and political stories.

Ellis’s commitment to amplifying diverse voices and making a profound contribution to radio and journalism in southwest Ohio made her the only inductee in this year’s Ohio APME Hall of Fame. Neenah has worked in public radio for more than 40 years, the last 14 years of which have been at WYSO, where she has mentored many reporters, producers, and other media professionals, built and led a team of journalists and producers who have won numerous awards and created the Center for Community Voices, the first local station-based program to teach the art of radio storytelling to nonprofessionals.

“It's inspiring to me every day to work alongside such talented and creative people,” said WYSO News Director Samantha Sommer. “And it is heartening when the leaders in our industry recognize that, too.”

WYSO’s 2023 Ohio APME Winners
First Place, Radio
Best Anchor/News Host, Jerry Kenney, All Things Considered
Best Feature Reporting, Tony Holloway, “Veterans Day: A father and daughter share a story of forgiveness”;
Best Sports Feature, Jason Reynolds, “Surf culture is riding high in landlocked Dayton”
Best Documentary or Series, Jerry Kenney and Neenah Ellis, “WYSO Weekend: Remembering Julia Reichert”
Best Coverage of a Scheduled Event, Chris Welter and Kathryn Mobley, “Trump Rally”
Best Enterprise Reporting, Leila Goldstein, “What led so many Ohioans to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6?”

Second Place, Radio
Best Feature Reporting, Basim Blunt, “Dayton Youth Radio”
Best Documentary or Series, Basim Blunt, “The Race Project: Cedarville”
Best Sports Feature, Chris Welter, “Central State wins on and off the field”
Best Coverage of a Scheduled Event, Kathryn Mobley, “One percent income tax is on the ballot again in Beavercreek, Ohio”

ABOUT WYSO

Yellow Springs, Ohio-based WYSO 91.3 FM is the NPR member station for the Miami Valley. With 80,000 listeners, it reaches much of southwest Ohio and is rapidly growing its membership base. It plays a dynamic mix of music (over 40 hours a week) and delivers robust daily news and project reporting, through its flagship network news programs and locally produced content. Our Eichelberger Center for Community Voices trains the next generation to tell their own stories, and WYSO’s news department delivers the latest breaking news along with in-depth features, special projects and podcasts.

Posted May 19, 2023