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St. Louis Public Radio wins 12 Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards

St. Louis Public Radio | By Fontella Bradford
Published June 24, 2024 at 5:01 PM CDT
St. Louis Public Radio received 12 awards from the 2024 Missouri Broadcasters Association.
St. Louis Public Radio received 12 awards from the 2024 Missouri Broadcasters Association.

St. Louis Public Radio has won six first place and six second place awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA), including the first and second place Sunshine Hero Awards for investigative reporting. The Sunshine Hero awards acknowledge journalism that makes use of the Missouri Open Meetings and Records Law, commonly known as the Sunshine Law.

The MBA Awards are announced each year in June. The association serves more than 350 radio and television stations in Missouri and works to encourage the highest standards in broadcasting, recognizing excellence and achievement in the field. Around 900 entries were submitted from members this year.

“We have so many talented journalists on staff,” said Interim Managing Editor and Rolla Correspondent Jonathan Ahl. “It is wonderful to see them recognized for their talent, hard work and commitment to public service journalism.”

In addition to the investigative reporting wins, STLPR journalists were recognized for best use of digital media, newscasting, hard news, feature reporting, sports reporting, documentary reporting, video content and best local website.

You can read or hear each of the winning stories and see more from each journalist via these story and author links below.

First Place Awards

Sunshine Hero Award

St. Louis Police have failed to solve nearly 60% of homicides committed since 2017
by Rachel Lippmann with APM’s Tom Scheck and Jennifer Lu

Police respond to a deadly shooting on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 at Lindell and Spring, just off the campus of St. Louis University, in St. Louis. The shooting left one victim dead, with another person transported off the scene.
Tristen Rouse
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Police respond to a deadly shooting last August just off the campus of St. Louis University in Midtown.

Best Sports Report

Willing to ‘fight, scratch and bite,’ St. Louis City SC is ready for its CityPark debut by Wayne Pratt

Thousands fill CityPark on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, during an international friendly between St. Louis City 2 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Downtown West.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Thousands fill CityPark in November 2022 during an international friendly between St. Louis City 2 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Downtown West.

Best Use of Digital Media, News

Over 6,000 St. Louis-area child abuse and neglect cases remain open due to staff shortages by Jason Rosenbaum with the Midwest Newsroom

An illustration of a child abuse investigator with her head rested in her hand looks at thousands of documents as silhouettes of children are in the foreground.
Dion MBD
/
Special to The NPR Midwest Newsroom
Missouri has more than 10,000 allegation of child abuse and neglect, with St. Louis and St. Louis County counting for more than 6,000 of them and only 16 investigators tackling the caseload.

Best News Anchor

Wayne Pratt, former morning news anchor and current Broadcast Operations Manager

Wayne Pratt delivers his last newscast as St. Louis Public Radio’s morning newscaster and senior correspondent on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, at the station’s headquarters in Grand Center. Pratt served in the role for nearly a decade before being promoted to Broadcast Operations Manager
Cristina Fletes
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Wayne Pratt delivers his last newscast as St. Louis Public Radio’s morning newscaster and senior correspondent last January at the station’s headquarters in Grand Center. Pratt served in the role for nearly a decade before being promoted to Broadcast Operations Manager.

Best Documentary

The world is built for people with perfect hearing - but 83% of people don't have it by Avery Rogers

An illustration of a woman listening to music on headphones
Maria Fabrizio
/
Special to NPR

Best Hard News Reporting

Boeing’s $1.8 billion St. Louis-area project faces questions on tax breaks worth millions by Eric Schmid

F/A-18 Production Operations_Enterprise Brand Strategy photoshoot_Building 67_St. Louis, MO. MSF21-0031 Series.
Eric Shindelbower
/
The Boeing Company
F/A-18 Production Operations_Enterprise Brand Strategy photoshoot_Building 67_St. Louis, MO. MSF21-0031 Series.

Second Place Awards

Best Local Website

stlpr.org

Best Newscast

STLPR January 30, 2024 morning broadcast by Wayne Pratt

Best Feature Reporting

CVPA families face fear and painful memories of deadly shooting as students return to school by Kate Grumke

Yurisky Velazquez Vera, a 16-year-old sophomore at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, boards the school bus on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in south St. Louis. Velazquez Vera was in the classroom where teacher Jean Kuczka was shot and killed last October. Today marks the first day students return to CVPA after the attack late last year.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Yurisky Velazquez Vera, a 16-year-old sophomore at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, boards the school bus on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in south St. Louis. Velazquez Vera was in the classroom where teacher Jean Kuczka was shot and killed last October. Today marks the first day students return to CVPA after the attack late last year.

Best Hard News Reporting

Judge frees Lamar Johnson after 28 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit by Jason Rosenbaum, Chad Davis and Brian Munoz

Lamar Johnson waves to the media on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, after being released from custody at the Carnahan Courthouse — a part of Missouri’s 22nd Judicial Circuit — in downtown St. Louis. Johnson was released after being convicted and jailed for nearly 30 years for a murder he did not commit.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Lamar Johnson waves to the media on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, after being released from custody at the Carnahan Courthouse — a part of Missouri’s 22nd Judicial Circuit — in downtown St. Louis. Johnson was released after being convicted and jailed for nearly 30 years for a murder he did not commit.

Best Video Content by a Radio Station 

What Would You Do With $250 Million? by Jason Rosenbaum

Sunshine Hero Award

St. Louis-area school district aggressively audits student housing, citing 'educational larceny' by Kavahn Mansouri and Kate Grumke with the Midwest Newsroom

An illustration of a child abuse investigator with her head rested in her hand looks at thousands of documents as silhouettes of children are in the foreground.
Missouri has more than 10,000 allegation of child abuse and neglect, with St. Louis and St. Louis County counting for more than 6,000 of them and only 16 investigators tackling the caseload.
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Missouri Broadcasters AssociationMissouri Broadcasters AwardsMBA AwardsInside St. Louis Public RadioSt. Louis Public RadioTop Stories
Fontella Bradford
As the Communications Specialist for St. Louis Public Radio, Fontella gets to showcase the award-winning local reporting, original programming and community engagement that make STLPR a beloved regional institution.
See stories by Fontella Bradford
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