North Central to honor student broadcasters at John Drury High School Radio Awards

North Central College will honor the nation’s top high school broadcasters Nov. 10 when it hosts the 10th annual John Drury High School Radio Awards.

Chicago ABC7 News anchor/reporter Ben Bradley will join John Madormo, general manager of North Central College’s acclaimed student-run radio station WONC-FM 89.1, to present the honors.

The by-invitation ceremony begins at noon Saturday, Nov. 10, in North Central College’s theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St.

Finalists in this year’s competition include students from Glenbrook North, Downers Grove North, Argo Community, Reavis and Lyons Township high schools in the Chicago area. Other nominees represent high school radio stations across the United States, from California to Connecticut.

North Central College’s acclaimed broadcast communication program founded the awards in 2002.
Drury personally presented awards to the winning high school students in 12 categories during the competition’s first two years, before ALS forced him to curtail his appearances, Madormo said.

“We named the awards for John because we wanted someone who was not just a professional journalist but whose name would invoke the highest standards of character and integrity,” Madormo said.

Since 2004, ABC7 Chicago journalists who have presented the annual awards have included Alan Krashesky, Phil Schwarz, Stacy Baca, Chuck Goudie and John Garcia.

The awards recognize achievement in 12 categories, including Best Newscast, Best Sportscast and Best High School Radio Station. First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive awards. Nominees are eligible for $1,000 scholarships to attend North Central College.

Radio professionals select winning entries. Awards are presented to radio stations affiliated with a high school and licensed as AM or FM facilities and registered with the Federal Communications Commission, as well as online radio stations.

“These radio awards recognize excellence at high school radio stations from across the country and the Drury Awards competition has become a national event,” said Madormo, who worked as a producer and director at WGN-AM 720 before coming to North Central College in 1980 to teach broadcast communication.

This year’s presenter, Bradley, is an award-winning general assignment reporter and Sunday morning news anchor for ABC7 Chicago. A journalism graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Bradley began his broadcasting career in Columbia, Mo., where he worked for both radio and television stations. He worked at a Charleston, S.C., television station before returning to his hometown of Chicago as a reporter for CLTV, Chicago’s 24-hour news channel. He joined ABC7 in 2002 and has earned two Emmy awards for breaking news reporting.

WONC-FM 89.1 is among the most-honored college radio stations in the United States. With a 30-mile listening radius and three state-of-the-art studios, WONC broadcasts a mix of news, sports, traffic, music and public affairs programming 24 hours a day. No other college or university radio station in the country has won more Marconi College Radio Awards than WONC, which has captured 20. The station has also been recognized by College Media Advisors and garnered multiple Silver Dome Awards from the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Its alumni are employed at top radio stations around the country. Visit wonc.org to listen live online or to learn more.
      
For more information about the John Drury High School Radio Awards, contact Madormo at 630-637-5960 or jvmadormo@noctrl.edu.

The 2012 nominees are:
Best newscast:
Hanna Foley (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “WWPT Weekly News 11/19/11”; Erik Sommer, Hanna Foley, Cheyenne Haslett, Jake Lewis (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “WWPT Weekly News”; Brendan Dzwierzynski (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “WLTL News Update 5/13/12”; Brendan Dzwierzynski (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “WLTL News Update 5/14/12”; Rachel Bolek (Argo Community, Summit, IL: WARG), “Rachel Bolek Newscast.”

Best News Feature Story
Ben Kasl (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Improv”; Karl Laubacher (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Gap Year”; Camille Suknovich (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “LTTV Goes to NAB”; Grace McIlhan (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Smart Bus Cuts”; Eric Bloom (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Michigan Education Investments.”

Best Public Affairs Program
Jordan Larson, Ellen Schmitz, Allie Gospel, Dillon Welch, Sam Green (Carmel, Carmel, IN: WHJE),  
“The Greyhound Beat: High School Memories”; Jordan Larson, Ellen Schmitz, Allie Gospel, Dillon Welch, Sam Green (Carmel, Carmel, IN: WHJE), “The Greyhound Beat: Spring Break Edition”; Ariel Byam (Carmel, Carmel, IN: WHJE), “Silent Barks”; Ian Tupas, Jonathan Morsovillo (Reavis, Burbank, IL: WRHS), “Senator Viveritto Interview”; Paul Stewart (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH) “Interview with Gregory Cooke of the FCC.”

Best Promo
Emma Kaplan (Glenbrook North, Northbrook, IL: WGBK), “Station Promo”; Cameron Billes, Bryan Furlong, Kenny Selander (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “3 Great Shows”; Alexander Madias, Danny Harwood (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Epic Promo”; Ben Kasl (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Radio Test”; Joey Rocco, Collin Thomas (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “CD Giveaway.”

Best Sports Play-By-Play
Brent Ayers, Jordan Larson (Carmel, Carmel, IN: WHJE), “Carmel vs. HSE Basketball”; Tyler Bradfield (Pendleton Heights, Pendleton, IN: WEEM), “2012 Madison County Boys Basketball Championship”;
Will Kanter, Brendan Burris (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “Staples vs. Trinity Girls Basketball”; Mike Maicke, Brendan Dzwierzynski (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “LTHS Basketball – OPRF vs. LTHS”; Danny Harwood, Jeremy Fishman (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Girls Basketball Play-by-Play.”

Best Sportstalk Program
Bryan Furlong, Cameron Billes (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Joe Paterno: Penn State Scandal”; Michael Blumenthal, Sean Shepard (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Late Knight Sports”; Cameron Billes, Sam Srinivasan, Brandon Steingold (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “ESPN Anchor Interviews”; Brian Fox, Ryan Bode (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Fantasy 101”; Aaron Hendel & Justin Gallanty (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “Sportstalk with Justin & Aaron”; Aaron Hendel & Justin Gallanty (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “Superbowl Preview”; Brendan Burris, Agnus Armstrong (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “A Look at Staples Water Polo.”

Best Sportscast
Will Kanter (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “WWPT Sportsflash for April 12”; Ryan Jacobs (Staples, Westport, CT: WWPT), “Jacobs Jolt Sports Update”; Mike Maicke (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Sports Update 5/14/12”; Mike Maicke (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Sports Update 5/10/12”;
Cameron Billes, Ben Beltser (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Sports Minutes.”

Best PSA
Jake Prasak (Glenbrook North, Northbrook, IL: WGBK), “Carpooling PSA”; Jacob Alderman, Sarah Delisi, Camille Suknovich, Brendan Dzwierzynski (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Going Green”; Christine Pond (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Internet Safety”; Winston Parker (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Michigan Humane Society”; Eric Bloom (Bloomfield Hills Andover/Lahser, Bloomfield Hills, MI: WBFH), “Informed Voter PSA.”

Best Radio Drama—Original
Michael Singleton (Carmel, Carmel, IN: WHJE), “Norm and the Living Dead”; Bradley Bartkowicz (Downers Grove North, Downers Grove, IL: WDGC), “WDGC to the Rescue”; VCS Radio Media Class and VCS Radio Jazz Band (Vacaville Christian, Vacaville, CA: VCS Radio), “Guardians of Planet X”; Rebecca Herman, Tyler Dean, Sara Witasik, Nick Sanchez, Sara Litland, Ian Tupas, Richard Shepherd, Holly Melendy, Sara Sokolowski, Matt Swiec, Bill Henson, Jodie Holtry, Kim Placzkowski (Reavis, Burbank, IL: WRHS), “Grimm’s Stories Anonymous”; Ben Kasl, Adam Jumpa, Charlie O’Connell, Dan Dorsano, Matt Van De Somple, Kara Lane, Ryan Foster, Caleb Taekes (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “Best of Walk the Plank 2011-2012.”

Best Radio Drama—Adaptation
LTHS Theater Board students, Karl Laubacher, Evan Boyd (Lyons Township, LaGrange, IL: WLTL), “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play—Part 2”; Jonathan Morsovillo, Tyler Dean, Sara Witasik, Rebecca Herman, Nick Sanchez, Jeziel Vargas, Ian Tupas, Richard Shepherd, Holly Melendy, Sara Sokolowski, Matt Swiec, Bill Henson, Jodie Holtry, Kim Placzkowski (Reavis, Burbank, IL: WRHS), “It’s a Wonderful Life–Act I”; Jonathan Morsovillo, Tyler Dean, Sara Witasik, Rebecca Herman, Nick Sanchez, Jeziel Vargas, Ian Tupas, Richard Shepherd, Holly Melendy, Sarah Sokolowski, Matt Swiec, Bill Henson, Jodie Holtry, Kim Placzkowski (Reavis, Burbank, IL: WRHS), “It’s a Wonderful Life–Act II”; Jonathan Morsovillo, Tyler Dean, Sara Witasik, Rebecca Herman, Nick Sanchez, Jeziel Vargas, Ian Tupas, Richard Shepherd, Holly Melendy, Sara Sokolowski, Matt Swiec, Bill Henson, Jodie Holtry, Kim Placzkowski (Reavis, Burbank, IL: WRHS), “It’s a Wonderful Life–Act III”; Bradley Bartkowicz (Downers Grove North, Downers Grove, IL: WDGC) “Beyond the Wall.”

Best Radio Station Advisor
To be announced at the awards ceremony

Best High School Station
To be announced at the awards ceremony.