News

KUHF nabs seven radio journalism honors

By Matt Dulin
The Daily Cougar

It may not be as hip as KRBE, nor as buzzworthy as KTBZ, but the UH-based KUHF-FM certainly holds its own in the Houston radio broadcasting world. This week, the public radio station received seven awards for excellence in radio journalism.

Behrooz Paizi/The Daily Cougar

Leading a news staff of only eight one-man reporter teams, News Director Debra Fraser says these awards are "extremely gratifying."

"It makes the risk we take ­ committing to good journalism ­ so worthwhile," Fraser said, noting that while the station gets a lot of positive feedback from listeners, receiving accolades from other professional journalists has special meaning.

Reporter Capella Tucker received a first-place "Medical and Health Reporting" award for covering the increasing need for long-term health care for disabled adults. Tucker also won an award for "Governmental and Political Reporting" for a story on higher education for children of immigrants. Both awards came from the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters organization.

TAPB awarded the stationis morning news host Jim Bell a second-place "Governmental and Political Reporting" award for covering the 2002 gubernatorial debate between Tony Sanchez and Rick Perry.

Assistant news director Paul Pendergraft won a second-place award, also in medical reporting, for featuring a woman who helps cancer patients in their struggles.

The KUHF Web site (www.kuhf.org) received two awards for its content, which includes complete news packages as produced by the reporters. TAPB gave one award; the other came from the Radio-Television News Directors Association as a part of its Edward R. Murrow Awards.

The Murrow award, considered to be one of the most prestigious in the industry, also went to reporter Jack Williams for a feature story titled "Toastmasters in Prison."

What is it about KUHFis programming that attracts journalists and listeners?

"Itis an in-depth style you donit get anywhere else," Fraser said.

She described their news format as mirroring that used by National Public Radio, with which the station is partnered. The NPR style, she said, is to be in-depth and to take more time to tell a story fully.

"On typical news radio stories, itill run maybe 40 seconds per story. With us, weill use up to three-and-a-half minutes to really get in-depth. And thatis a long time in radio," Fraser said.

Some of her staff reporters have come from other news stations in Houston, she said, because they were attracted to the news magazine-like reporting.

"We pay special attention to detail, to get people as close as possible to the story. So we urge reporters to use sound, as many sounds as they can, and voices, to tell the story," Fraser said.

Laurie Johnson, who graduated from UH in 2002, started working with the station as one of the first interns receiving credit. Johnson said she has taken a liking to the newsroom and that the experience there, among award-winning journalists, is inspiring.

"Iim in a position to learn from all of these talented and experienced people. Itis a great opportunity to work with them and learn from them," she said.

Fraser said that although the station ceased to be student-run in 1969, it continues to be tied to the University through internships and its presence on campus.

"Whatis good for us is good for UH," Fraser said.
 

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