VPR's Charlotte Albright Wins A 2013 Gracie Award

We're thrilled to announce that VPR has won a 2013 Gracie Award®. Upper Valley and Northeast Kingdom Reporter Charlotte Albright was recognized in the outstanding hard news feature category for her story, "Female Veterans Share Experiences at New Women’s Center at VA Hospital."

The Gracies are presented by the Alliance For Women In Media and honor outstanding national and local work "created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry."

The Comprehensive Care Center for Women at the VA Hospital in White River Junction was fairly new last fall when Albright decided to profile the center. In doing so, she discovered there were some compelling stories to tell about the women who were using the new center.

The Gracies strive to encourage the realistic and faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programs. You can browse a full list of 2013 Gracie Award winners here.

Congratulations, Charlotte!

VPR Named One Of The "Best Places To Work In Vermont"

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce have named VPR one of the 21 Best Places to Work in Vermont 2013!

And we can't for the life of us figure out why.

Just kidding! And thank you! All of us here at VPR feel so very lucky to be part of this team, and that we get to make public radio happen in Vermont every day. 

Congratulations to all the companies who were selected. You can find the full list here.

Six National PRNDI Awards For VPR News

VPR News was recognized last weekend by our peers in public radio for our extensive coverage of Tropical Storm Irene's aftermath.

VPR News received four 1st Place awards and two 2nd Place honors at Public Radio News Directors Inc.'s annual conference. PRNDI singles out the best work in public radio each year in four categories. VPR competes in the large station category, which includes major metro stations WNYC, WBUR, and KPLU.


Here are the awards that VPR won:

First Place - Continuing Coverage. Coverage of Tropical Storm Irene.
First Place - Best Multi-Media Presentation. The Irene Effect: Responding to a Tropical Storm's Destruction.
First Place - News/Public Affairs Program. Vermont Edition: Update of Storm Devastation.
First Place - Commentary. April Doherty: First Days.
Second Place - News Feature. Plymouth Rallies Around Residents Who Lost Homes To Irene.
Second Place - Use of Sound. Tapping Backyard Maples.

We appreciate the recognition, of course, but it's bittersweet, considering that we were reporting on the worst disaster to hit our region in decades. We are dedicated to covering the story of Irene recovery for as long as necessary. Thank you for putting your trust in VPR News.

VPR Wins Two Gracie Awards For Tropical Storm Irene Coverage

Vermont Public Radio has been honored with two 2012 Gracie Awards® for its coverage of Tropical Storm Irene. The Vermont Edition staff was recognized in the public media category for Outstanding Breaking News Coverage following Tropical Storm Irene. Reporter and Vermont Edition Producer Samantha Fields was recognized in the Outstanding Hard News Feature category for her story, “Town Rallies Around Residents Who Lost Homes,” in Plymouth.

In the days following Tropical Storm Irene, Vermont Edition provided critical information to people in need, including breaking news about washed out roads and bridges, utility outages, and emergency food and shelter resources. The program broadcast updates from emergency management officials, and state and local officials, assisted with inquires about missing persons, and provided extensive resources online for those affected, and for those looking to volunteer. Vermont Edition expanded its broadcast format to provide two-hour live programs twice a day, focused on storm response and relief efforts.

Managing Producer Patti Daniels said, "those were long days, but the awful circumstances that were enveloping so many towns drove us to keep providing as many resources and services as possible. We're honored to be recognized, but our real motivation is the faith and reliance that listeners placed in us during and after the storm."

The Gracie Awards are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, for excellence in programming created for women, by women and about women. The Gracies strive to encourage the realistic and faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programs. A full list of 2012 Gracie Award winners can be found here.

VPR Receives Three National Edward R. Murrow Awards

Vermont Public Radio was honored with three national Edward R. Murrow Awards for its news coverage Monday evening at the Radio Television Digital News Association dinner in New York. John Van Hoesen, VPR's vice president of news and programming, and Senior Reporter Steve Zind attended the event. Steve sent along his thoughts about the evening:

Monday’s drive south took us through some beautiful peak foliage in Windham County and Western Massachusetts – quite a contrast to the view of warehouses that dominated the last leg of the trip on the train ride into the city. This was the 41st year of the Murrow Awards and 62 different news organizations were honored, from local radio and television stations to national networks and worldwide news services. As each award was presented, an audio sampling of the winning entry was played. It was fascinating to hear the range of stories and get a sense of the issues in play in other parts of the country. VPR’s three awards were for best documentary, best use of sound and writing.

A highlight of the evening for me was seeing former CBS reporter Richard C. Hottelet receive a distinguished service award. He’s someone I remember from childhood. Hottelet, who’s 93, worked with Murrow and covered WWII, providing the first eyewitness reports of the Normandy landing. He received a standing ovation when he went to the podium. When there was a problem playing audio from one of his old reports, he quipped, “Oh, it wasn’t that good, anyway.”

I sat next to NPR’s Boston-based reporter Chris Arnold, whose coverage of the home foreclosure mess was an award winner. It was interesting to talk with him about stories he’s working on. It was really an honor to be in the company of so many dedicated news people from old veterans like Richard Hottelet to young reporters like Chris who are so enthusiastic about the work they’re doing, and excited about all the changes happening in our profession.

Top Photo Caption: Steve Zind, NPR Interim CEO Joyce Slocum, and John Van Hoesen
Bottom Photo Caption: Steve Zind accepts VPR's National Edward R. Murrow Award

VPR Wins Its 4th Daysie Award

VPR has been honored with a Seven Daysie award for Best Radio Station for the fourth consecutive year! The Daysies are voted on each year by readers of the Burlington-based weekly paper Seven Days and cover restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, media and more around Vermont.

We're honored to be the top pick again this year. It is an honor be your essential and trusted independent voice for news, information, music and cultural exploration. Your support and desire for quality programming makes it all possible.

Congratulations to all the winners! You can see a full list of Daysies winners here.

VPR News Wins Three PRNDI Awards

I had the honor over the weekend to accept three from our peers in public radio at the annual conference of Public Radio News Directors Inc.

VPR competes in the large station category for PRNDI and won two first-place awards and one second.

Jane Lindholm won first in the Use Of Sound category for one of the Summer School pieces on Vermont Edition. Jane taught us how to milk a cow. There's nothing like hearing the milk hit the bottom of the pail or the cows bellowing to sonically take you to the barn.

Commentator Madeleine Kunin took a first for her commentary "Requiem." She told of hearing a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Burlington on the anniversary of a similar performance at the Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp outside Prague. I won't give away the ending, except to say it's worth listening to this poignant piece.

And, finally, VPR News took a second place for spot news coverage of the 2010 election when Brian Dubie conceded in the governor's race.

These awards may have been won by individuals, but they represent the hard work of the entire team of reporters, producers and hosts who bring you VPR News every day. And we hope they also demonstrate how valuable our listeners' support is in producing meaningful reporting.

Pick Us! Pick Us! Pick Us!

It's time to pick the Daysies again! The Seven Daysies, that is. Each year, readers of the Burlington-based Seven Days weekly paper pick their favorite "best" restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, politicians in the area where Seven Days is delivered.

Vermont Public Radio has won Best Radio Station every year since 2008, and we hope you'll help us get there again! Visit the Seven Days website to cast your vote.

And if we can get in one more shameless plug here - last year meteorologist Tom Messner of WPTZ won his EIGHTH Daysie Award. We're not saying we don't love that smile, but how about showing some love for perennial runners-up Eye On The Sky?

Thank you!

VPR Wins Three National Edward R. Murrow Awards

We were thrilled to learn today that Steve Zind and VPR's news and programming team has been honored with three 2011 national Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in electronic journalism.

VPR was recognized for the documentary “Afghanistan’s Other War,” use of sound in a report on night patrol with the Vermont National Guard and the Afghan National Police, and for the writing in An Appreciation of the Cluster Fly.

The Murrow Awards are presented by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). VPR won three of 13 national awards in the small market radio category. Earlier this year, VPR was recognized with six regional Murrow Awards for outstanding news coverage. The award will be presented to VPR during a ceremony in New York City in October. A full listing of national Murrow Award winners is available here.

Afghanistan’s Other War was produced by John Van Hoesen. Lynne McCrea produced the night patrol story. Zind’s reporting from Afghanistan was made possible by the VPR Journalism Fund, which covered the expenses associated with the coverage.

Congratulations to Steve and the VPR News team! And thank you for making VPR your source for essential, trusted, and in-depth news and information.

VPR Wins Daysie Award For Best Radio Station

Thank you, listeners! VPR has been honored with a Seven Daysie award for Best Radio Station for the third year in a row! Each year readers of the Burlington-based weekly paper Seven Days vote for their favorite restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, media and more in Vermont.

We're honored to be the top pick once again this year. It is an honor to do what we do, and your support and desire for quality programming makes it all possible. Congratulations to all the winners! You can see a full list of Daysies winners here.

Accepting VPR's PRNDI Awards

VPR News was recognized over the weekend by our public radio news colleagues for some of our best work in 2009.

Public Radio News Directors Inc. met in Louisville, Ky. The conference was capped by an annual awards banquet, where VPR News took home three honors in the large-station category.

VPR’s Lynne McCrea took a first place for “Homeless family puts down roots.” It was the final installment in a moving series that followed a family’s search for a home. Listen to the winning story and the entire series here.

VPR’s Nina Keck won second place in the spot news category for “Olympian Andrea Mead Lawrence Succumbs To Cancer.”

And VPR commentator Jay Parini also got a second place for his thoughts “On Cosmic Ambiguity.”

We also want to congratulate our neighbors and friends across Lake Champlain, North Country Public Radio, for three awards: NCPR took a first place for enterprise/investigative reporting: “Hackett's Underwater;" second place for interview: "Dede Scozzafava on the Heart and Soul of the GOP;" and second place for continuing coverage: "A Year of Hard Choices."

Photo: NCPR News Director Martha Foley and me at the awards banquet.

We're a Burlington "Social Media Rockstar!"

VPR was voted "Best Social Media-Savvy Nonprofit" as part of Burlington Social Media Day! Congrats to all the participants and big thanks to the organizers. As always, thanks to everyone who supports VPR and joins the public radio community - on-air, online, or on your Facebook Wall!

If you're new to VPR's social media efforts, check out what we're doing here!

VPR Wins Six Edward R. Murrow Awards

We are thrilled to announce that VPR has been honored with six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

VPR received awards for its coverage of Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken captive by pirates off the Somali coast, Lynne McCrea's continuing coverage of a homeless family in Chittenden County, Nina Keck's investigative reporting on Vermont National Guard members who said they were denied promotions and permanent positions, our Champlain 400 series, Steve Zind's report on UVM's women's basketball team in the NCAA basketball tournament, and VPR.net's news pages.

I caught up with Steve Zind to talk about his award-winning story, UVM Falls To UCONN In First Round:

This was one of my favorite assignments because it was so much fun! Having a court-side seat to watch the awesome UConn team was a thrill, but the best part was seeing the UVM women give their all against impossible odds and do it so cheerfully. They were inspiring. So were the Catamount fans who traveled to Connecticut for the game. That's what I tried to capture in the story. Plus, there was so much sound: the bands, the cheerleaders, the PA announcer, the radio play by play guy sitting next to me and the crowd. Having all that to work with helped me give listeners a real feel for what it was like to be there.

When I look at the number of regional and national Murrows VPR has won in recent years, I think its a real testament to how well things work around here. If the engineering, production, promotion, membership, underwriting and programming folks weren't as good as they are, the reporters wouldn't have the resources to do what we do.

You’ll find links the award-winning coverage at our website. Thank you for making this kind of award-winning news coverage possible!

And speaking of awards, NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is among the winners of the 2009 George Foster Peabody Awards for her "precise, courageous and often moving accounts" from Afghanistan. Learn more about her award and listen to her coverage here. Congrats, Soraya!

Bob Kinzel Is Distinguished

The Vermont Association of Broadcasters recognized VPR's Bob Kinzel this week for something we've recognized a long time: his distinguished service.

Bob's been reporting the news from Montpelier since 1977 -- after a stint at WJOY in the Burlington area, where he was hired by VPR's own Joel Najman. For years, Bob operated the Vermont News Service. His stories were heard on radio stations around the state. Bob eventually started hosting call-in programs on VPR and joined the staff full-time in 2002. He's recognized in Montpelier as the dean of the Statehouse reporting corps.

Bob was one of two long-time radio journalists honored by the association with the distinguished service award. The other was Tim Johnson of WTSA in Brattleboro, who's been reporting from Windham County since 1973.

The VAB inducted two people into the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame, including Marselis Parsons, the longtime WCAX-TV anchor who recently retired. The other was Belva Keyworth, a broadcasting pioneer who died in 2004. She owned WBTN AM and FM for nearly 50 years. VPR now broadcasts on WBTN-FM in Bennington, fullfilling Keyworth's vision to maintain the station as a community resource.

Our colleague in public broadcasting, Ann Curran of Vermont Public Television, was honored by the VAB as Broadcaster of the Year for her work in helping television stations in Vermont convert to digital transmission.

Community service awards went to Ray Kimball, general manager of WCFR in Springfield, WKOL-FM in Burlington, and Nassau Broadcasting’s WWFY-FM, WORK-FM, WSNO-AM, WMOO-FM and WIKE-AM.

Congratulations to Bob and the many other fine honorees!

Congratulations, Nina!

VPR's Nina Keck was in New York City last week to accept her national Edward R. Murrow Award for her story about the final exam for an oxen driving class. Below, Nina is with NPR's Melissa Block and Frank Langfit. Listen to her Murrow Award winning story, Final Exam with a Twist. Congratulations, Nina!

VPR Wins Four National PRNDI Awards

Over the weekend in Portland, Oregon, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI) honored VPR's news coverage with four national awards.

We won first place awards for its coverage of the death of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett and subsequent reporting on Vermont’s sex offender laws; and for Philip Baruth's commentary on Vermont’s low birth rate.

We received second place awards for the documentary “Those CCC Boys,” and for Jane Lindholm's interview on raising pigs.

The awards were presented in the large-station category, which means our entries into the contest were considered alongside those from the largest public radio stations in the country. Only Chicago Public Radio won more awards than VPR in this division.

You can hear the award-winning stories here.

A Century of Service

Last Friday, we gathered for our annual employee recognition lunch to honor staff members who have reached milestone years of service to VPR in 2009. This year, we celebrated six staffers:

Left to right, that's Steve Zind (15 years), Cheryl Willoughby (5 years), Sam Sanders (30 years), Walter Parker (25 years), Tim Johnson (5 years), and Robin Turnau (20 years). We did the math; that's 100 years! Every person who works at VPR makes it a stronger organization, but as a staff working as a team and family it becomes worth even more than a century of service. Congratulations!

VPR Wins National Awards for Community Impact

VPR has received two My Source Community Impact Awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, for bringing the community together through our My Vermont and Vermont Reads projects in 2008. Read more and listen to both series at our website.

Thank you for supporting this kind of programming. It is an honor to do what we do, and your support and desire for quality programming makes it all possible.

VPR Wins Nine Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

The Radio-Television News Directors Association has honored Vermont Public Radio with nine regional Edward R. Murrow awards for its news coverage, including the top award for Overall Excellence. 

It's the most awards VPR has ever won in the competition, which includes all of the New England states. The other awards were for Best Documentary, Continuing Coverage, Best Feature Story, Hard News Feature, Use of Sound, Investigative Reporting, Broadcast Writing, and Website.

You’ll find links the award-winning coverage at our website.  Thank you for making this kind of award-winning news coverage possible!

Mark Vogelzang Receives Vermont Arts Council Award

Yesterday was Arts Achievement Day at the Vermont State House, sponsored by the Vermont Arts Council. They put together the day-long event for arts organizations and artists to celebrate the arts in Vermont and to talk with legislators about continued state funding for the arts. It was fascinating to see the many talented UVM students who were performing and presenting pieces that address current events in Vermont. Vermont Poetry Out Loud Champion Audrey Kiely gave a riveting performance, and John Gailmor led the crowd in singing a new song “The Arts Deserve a Place Right at the Table.”

I was there to congratulate former VPR President Mark Vogelzang on his Citation Award from the Vermont Arts Council. This award is presented annually to artists, organizations, educators and others in recognition of distinguished service to the arts in Vermont. Below is a video of Mark's acceptance speech. VPR Classical host Walter Parker received the award in 2004.







Congratulations, Mark, on this special recognition!