Boston (May 26, 2023) - CAI, the Cape, Islands and Coast NPR station, and GBH News have been honored with eight regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. CAI won five awards, the largest number won by the station in its history.
CAI was recognized in the Breaking News Coverage category for its timely reporting of the Martha’s Vineyard migrant crisis in September 2022 and in the Excellence in Innovation category for a creative series examining the similar lives and challenges of the people of Falmouth in the United States and the town’s namesake in the United Kingdom. The station also won in the categories of Feature Reporting, Sports Reporting and Newscast.
GBH News received recognition in three categories, including Digital Reporting for the multiplatform series, Priced Out: The fight for housing in Massachusetts; Feature Reporting for its coverage of Worcester’s rich history as a preeminent producer of pre-built diners; and Best Podcast for a look at food foraging on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.
Awarded by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), the Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards pay tribute to important and high-impact local journalism and are among the most prestigious awards in the news industry. Regional winners automatically advance to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards, which are expected to be announced over the summer.
“Every day, both GBH News and CAI produce high-quality, thoughtful journalism for audiences across the Commonwealth and beyond,” said Pam Johnston, GBH’s General Manager for News, overseeing both GBH and CAI newsrooms. “ I am grateful that the Radio Television Digital News Association has recognized the commitment our newsrooms have made to the local communities that rely on us to deliver timely and important news and am deeply proud of our teams for continuing to uphold that commitment across each one of our unique platforms.”
A full list of the awards won by GBH News and CAI can be found here:
● When 50 migrants unexpectedly arrived on Martha’s Vineyard by chartered plane in September 2022, CAI journalists sprung into action to cover a complex series of politically charged events that put a Massachusetts island on the center stage of the national conversation. Their piece, Migrants Landed Unannounced on Martha’s Vineyard; Island Mobilizes to Help as a National Story Grows”, was recognized in the Breaking News Coverage category.
● CAI’s collaborative radio project, “Falmouth to Falmouth: Connecting Cornwall to Cape Cod” won for Excellence in Innovation. The radio station, located in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, connected with SourceFM, a community radio station located in the town of Falmouth, United Kingdom to produce hour-long programs of conversations from one community to the other. In every episode, individuals from each side of the Atlantic Ocean share their experiences around subjects immediately important to them.
● “Old Ladies’ dive into Cape ponds seeking trash, emerge triumphant” won in the Feature Reporting category. The CAI piece, follows Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG), a group of women dedicated to cleaning the freshwater ponds of Cape Cod one piece of trash at a time.
● In the Sports Reporting category the CAI piece, “Curling alive and well on Cape Cod, thanks to Winter Olympics and a local club” was recognized for exploring the rise of curling after the Winter Olympics and the surprising local connection a Cape Cod club has to Olympic victory.
● CAI was also honored in the Newscast category for their 6am Newscast on November 18, 2022, covering a breaking story about a bank robbery on Martha’s Vineyard.
● GBH News’ investigative series “Priced Out” was recognized in the Digital Reporting category. As competition for housing has driven up home prices to record levels across Massachusetts, some of the biggest gains have happened in communities where residents can least afford to pay more. Priced Out explores how these trends impact every Massachusetts resident.
● “Worcester was once a center for manufacturing pre-built diners” by Sam Turken was honored in the Featured Reporting category. The GBH News piece explores Worcester’s fascinating history as a leading manufacturer of pre-built diners popular in the 1900s.
● Under the Radar with Callie Crossley’s “Can’t find what you want in the grocery store, try foraging” won the Best Podcast for GBH News. The episode explores modern-day foraging and calls on the expertise of local foraging experts to explain what makes the activity so popular today.
A full list of winners can be found here.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multiplatform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and Arthur and Molly of Denali and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station and as a partner to NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and representative of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH’s local programming includes Boston Public Radio, Greater Boston, Stories from the Stage, Open Studio with Jared Bowen, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
