The RTDNA has honored KVPR withtwo prestigious Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for 2024, recognizing the station’s local news reporting.
The honors come in the categories of Hard News and News Series within the small market radio division of Region 2, which includes California, Nevada and Hawaii. KVPR’s winning Regional Murrow entries will now go on to the national Murrow Awards competition later this year.
KVPR’s awards involve two of the biggest news events of the last year in the San Joaquin Valley – 2023’s record flooding and the closure of Madera Community Hospital.
In KVPR’s award-winning entry “In Normally Dry Kings County, Tulare Lake has Carved a Long, Soggy Road Ahead for Farmers” reporter Kerry Klein examined the way the flood devastated local farms and left a long road to recovery, winning for best Hard News reporting.
KVPR’s win in the news series category “Madera Community Hospital Closure and Bankruptcy” by reporters Soreath Hok and Esther Quintanilla, examined the details of the hospital’s financial collapse and also the impact on local residents who now have to travel out of the county for care.
KVPR’s News Director Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado said the honors underscore the station’s focus on community service. "From the start, the KVPR newsroom was deeply committed to bringing listeners and readers the most comprehensive coverage of these two major local stories. This is an exciting announcement and highlights the need for this kind of thorough reporting that public radio can provide the community," said Rodriguez-Delgado.
This is the sixth year in a row that the RTDNA has awarded KVPR at least one Regional Murrow Award. The new honors bring the station’s Regional Murrow total to 13 awards since 2019. In 2022, the station won its first ever National Edward R. Murrow Award.
About the Edward R. Murrow Awards:
Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. The awards are the embodiment of the values, principles and standards set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.
About the RTDNA:
The RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to broadcast and digital journalism. Founded as a grassroots organization in 1946, RTDNA’s mission is to promote and protect responsible journalism. RTDNA defends the First Amendment rights of electronic journalists throughout the country, honors outstanding work in the profession through the Edward R. Murrow Awards and provides members with training to encourage ethical standards, newsroom leadership and industry innovation.
About KVPR:
KVPR / Valley Public Radio is the NPR member station for Central California, serving residents of Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Kings, Merced, Madera and Mariposa Counties. KVPR’s primary programming format is news/talk, broadcasting on 89.3 in Fresno and 89.1 in Bakersfield. The station also broadcasts KVPR Classical, a 24/7 music service on HD-2 in both Fresno and Bakersfield. KVPR is operated by White Ash Broadcasting, Inc and is an independent non-profit organization, serving the region for over 45 years with voices and sounds that inform and inspire.
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