SYRACUSE -- The slate of Syracuse Press Club Award winners has been announced... and not one commercial radio station appears on the list. In fact, all of the radio awards -- including the Career Achievement Award -- are being divvied up amongst two public stations.
The Press Club posted the list (PDF) on its website Monday; the names and categories have been released, but the Club won't reveal the ranks of the awards (first place, second place) until its annual Scholarship and Awards Banquet on May 9.
Twelve awards are headed up north to WRVO in Oswego; including three categories in which different members of the WRVO news department are competing against each other. In the Spot News category, a solo entry from Jasmyn Belcher is in the running against another entry filed jointly by herself and Jason Smith. Belcher is also one of three people to receive the "A. Brohman Roth Newcmer Award."
WAER claims the half-dozen remaining radio awards; the Syracuse University-based station competes with WRVO in all categories except the "Sports Show" category. WAER's Chris McManus and Eric Rothman's coverage of "The Express" premiere is up against Dan Wolfgang and other WAER sports staffers who contributed to "Countdown to Kickoff."
Last but not least, the SPC's Gus Bliven-Joe Ganley-Mario Rossi Career Achievement Award will be presented to John Hurlbutt, who recently retired after an impressive run at WRVO that dates back to the station's first day on the air in 1969.
The distribution of all the radio awards among just two stations is somewhat unique; the TV/internet and print award categories included winners from Syracuse, Binghamton and Watertown.
Congrats to recipients. Commercial radio news operations have gone the way of "who cares"? Blame that on the former administration?