MISSOULA – Montana Public Radio reporters have earned numerous awards from the Associated Press Television and Radio Association for their work in 2018, including an "Outstanding News Operation" award.
MTPR’s Butte reporter Nora Saks received first place for Best Documentary for her radio documentary “The Last First Mile.” Judges loved her conversational tone and humor. Saks also received second place in enterprise reporting for a story called “Survey to Gauge Butte’s Perceptions of Clean Progress, Health Risks.”
MTPR Digital Editor Josh Burnham was honored for Best Digital Presence for his work on the MTPR website. Judges said the website had an “excellent variety of programming that can be found on-air and in a digital form.”
Capitol Correspondent Corin Cates-Carney and reporter Nick Mott received second place in Best Continuing Coverage for their stories of grizzly bear management in Montana. “The reporters did a good job showcasing multiple angles of this story over an extended period of time,” the judges said.
In the Best Spot News Coverage category, former MTPR Flathead correspondent Nicky Ouellet won for her coverage of the Howe Ridge Fire near Glacier National Park. Ouellet recently became news director of Yellowstone Public Radio in Billings.
“The MTPR news team works so hard; it’s great to have their outstanding work rewarded by the Associated Press,” said MTPR News Director Eric Whitney.
Forty-eight television and radio stations from 11 states submitted 367 entries in the contest.
“I am so proud of the important journalism and storytelling done by our news department,” said Ray Ekness, director of the University of Montana Broadcast Media Center.
