Rowan Radio documentaries win Communicator Awards

Student radio documentaries on the state of New Jersey farming and the effects of depression have earned Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM two awards at the 15th annual Communicator Awards competition.

In the student production category, WGLS-FM was awarded the Award of Excellence for “Fading Farms & Saving Grace: Preserving the Garden State,” a 30-minute documentary on the state of farming in New Jersey. The award is the 11th major honor for the documentary, making it the most decorated documentary ever produced by Rowan Radio. “Fading Farms & Saving Grace” received the first place award in the radio documentary category of the 2008 CBI National Student Production Awards.

“Fading Farms” was co-produced by former WGLS-FM Public Affairs director Julia Giacoboni of Cedarville, who graduated May 15 from Rowan with her Radio/Television/Film (RTF) degree, and Brian Kanady of Upper Pittsgrove, who earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2008.

WGLS-FM also won a Crystal Award of Distinction for “Depression: Sad But True,” a documentary that explores the signs, symptoms, causes and effects of depression. The documentary was co-produced by 2008 RTF graduates Ashley Smith of Pennsville and Jeff O’Connor of Green Brook.

“Depression: Sad But True” previously won third place in the 2008 Best Educational Program competition conducted by the Broadcast Education Association.

The Communicator Awards is a national organization founded by communications professionals to recognize individuals and companies in the communicationsfield whose talent and creativity achieves a high standard of excellence and
serves as a standard for the industry. This year’s competition featured a pool of over 7,000 entries. More information here.