KMUW has earned 20 awards or honorable mentions in the annual Kansas Association of Broadcasters contest, including Large Market Radio Station of the Year for the 13th year in a row.
Awards were announced this week for the annual competition, which includes both commercial and public broadcasters.
KMUW's staff received nine first-place awards for news and community outreach projects, including a story on Wichita's housing crisis.
Other projects recognized by the KAB include the "Why Should I Read This?" lecture series, the Wichita's Early Edition podcast, and the Tulip Takeover in Old Town, which brought the community together to plant flowers downtown.
The station earned accolades for the following projects:
Station Excellence
- First place – KMUW – Debra Fraser, General Manager
Complete newscast
- First place – Wichita's Early Edition
DJ Personality Aircheck
- Honorable mention – Carla Eckels, Soulsations
Editorial/Commentary
- Second place – Tom Shine, One Last One Last Thing
Excellence in Diversity/Equity/Inclusion News
- First place – Jennifer Anima, “‘A national treasure’: Minisa Bridge added to the National Register of Historic Places”
- Second Place – Carla Eckels, “Breaking Barriers: New contemporary ballet honors 1958 Dockum sit-in”
Excellence in Multimedia/Digital Promotional or Commercial Announcements
- First place – Tulip Takeover in Old Town
Excellence in Multimedia/Digital Storytelling
- First place – Meg Britton-Mehlisch, with Chris Green and Janelle O’Dea of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, “Decade-plus building slump limits Wichita housing choices”
- Second place – Meg Britton-Mehlisch, “Two data center companies are trying to buy more than 1,000 acres of Sedgwick County land”
News Feature
- Honorable mention – Meg Britton-Mehlisch, “Wichita doctors teamed up to help mend 2-year-old chimpanzee Alizeti”
Special Program
- First place – Beth Golay, Marginalia: Pulitzer Prize–winner Andrew Sean Greer on his new novel “Villa Coco”
- Second place – Chris Heim, Global Village at the Savannah Music Festival
Sports Feature
- Second place – Suzanne Perez, “Kansas girls pursue gridiron glory with new flag football leagues”
- Honorable mention – Tom Shine, “Major nutrition for a minor league baseball team”
Spot News
- First place – Suzanne Perez, “Kansas school districts must return millions in overpaid Medicaid funds”
- Second place – Daniel Caudill, “‘No longer stuck’: Wichita GED ceremony celebrates hard work and second chances”
Station promotion announcement
- First place – 2025 Spelling Bee
Station promotional campaign
- First place – “Why Should I Read This?” on-air feature and lecture series
Station Website
- Second place – KMUW
