Fort Hays State University Department of Informatics Digital Media students were rewarded today for hard work and dedication by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB) in their annual student media competition. The students grabbed ten 1st Place and two 2nd place awards in a contest where entrants come from participating Kansas universities and community colleges, including KS Regents schools such as University of Kansas and Kansas State University.
The Department of Informatics Digital Media program has a proud history of performing well in the annual KAB competition. Student participation and improvement has been dramatic since 2013, where they grabbed one 1st place, one 2nd place, and three honorable mentions. This year the dramatic improvement continues despite multiple program and faculty changes where the students managed to net 12 total 1st and 2nd place showings. The Digital Media students continue to excel at their craft and show that Fort Hays State University is a destination of choice.
Below is a detailed list of this year’s award winners.
1st Place, DJ Personality for Radio or News Anchor for TV – DJ Tank, Tim Abrams. Tim Abrams is a junior and it is his first year at FHSU after transferring from Butler Community College where he started the DJ Tank Show. He is also one of the creators and host of the The Wave, FHSU’s local artist music program that airs on TMN TV and online.
1st Place, Station Promotion Announcement – The Wave, Season 2 Premiere, Ricky Kerr. Ricky Kerr is a junior from Wichita and is one of the creators and producers of the The Wave.
1st Place, Sports Play-by-Play – FHSU v. SBU Women, Tiger Sports Network (TSN) Production Team. The Tiger Sports Network Production Team produced FHSU Football and Basketball this season and just returned from the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, there they produced the pregame, halftime, postgame and press conferences that were streamed live to the world via the Internet.
1st Place, Entertainment Program – Local Spice Episode 1 – Sake 2 Me Sushi, Marshall Slough, Kaycee Beilman. Marshall Slough is a junior from Goodland and Kaycee Beilman is a senior from Hays. Local Spice was created by Slough and Beilman with the goal to focus on the local food scene in Hays and the surrounding area.
1st Place, 60 Second Commercial- PSA or non-commercial donor announcement – Kansas CASA with Bill Snyder, Tyler Parks. Tyler is a graduate student from Elkhart. In addition to his work on this project, he has lead and directed the Tiger Sports Network Production Team.
1st Place, Station Promotion Announcement – Mineral Water Bowl, Tyler Parks.
1st Place, Complete Sports Feature – Transfers (FHSU Football), Tyler Parks.
1st Place, Sportscast – FHSU vs. UCM Feb. 4, 2016, Tyler Parks.
1st Place, DJ Personality for Radio OR News Anchor for TV – KAB Anchor Performance, Garrett Sager. Garrett is a graduate student from Salina. For the past several years, Garrett has been a play-by-play and color analyst for the Tiger Sports Network.
1st Place, Sports Play by Play – UCO vs FHSU, Garrett Sager.
2nd Place, 30 Second Commercial- PSA or non-commercial donor announcement – Voting, Ricky Kerr.
2nd Place, Complete Sports Feature – “The Return of Craig Nicholson” Garrett Sager.
These outstanding students will receive their awards at the KAB seminar and awards ceremony hosted by KAB at the Emporia State University Memorial Union on April 5th.