HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Students from Marshall University’s public radio station, WMUL-FM, received four (4) Platinum, seven (7) Gold and eight (8) honorable mention awards in the dotCOMM Awards 2018-19 Competition. The winners were named in a letter dated Monday, August 8, 2019, from Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, professor of radio-television production and management in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and faculty manager of WMUL-FM, said, “The dotCOMM Awards 2019 Competition marks only the third time that WMUL-FM has entered this contest and these awards signify that our broadcasting students continue to excel in providing quality programming both over-the-air and online for the listeners of the campus radio station.
These platinum awards are outstanding accomplishments in recognizing our broadcasting students as having produced some of the best news and sports packages/podcasts, live news programming and sports play-by-play announcing in the country. I am proud and grateful for the honor these dotCOMM Awards bestow on WMUL-FM, the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the College of Arts and Media, and Marshall University.
The gold awards are further tributes to the sports programming, overall use of Twitter for providing both radio station and sports staff updates and musical program production skills of our broadcast students in competition with professional practitioners. Overall, this tremendous effort helps to start building toward another successful year by the volunteer student staff of WMUL-FM in garnering recognition for Marshall University, the College of Arts and Media as well as the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications from state, regional, national and international broadcasting organizations.”
The Platinum Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were in the categories Audio Podcast Single Episode, Audio Program, and Audio Sports Play-by-Play Programming.
AUDIO PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
“Game Jam” written and produced by Landon Mitchell, a senior from Ottawa, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Monday, April 9, 2018.
AUDIO PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
“Ajdin Peneva” written and produced by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Tuesday, March 6, 2018, and also made available online.
AUDIO SPORTS PLAY-BY-PLAY PROGRAMMING
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of Marshall men’s basketball versus University of Tennessee-Martin played at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia, Friday, November 10, 2017. The students calling the men’s basketball game broadcast over FM 88.1 were:
Play-by-Play announcer — Adam Rogers, a graduate from Milton;
Color Commentator — Luke Creasy, a graduate from Huntington;
Engineer — Marquez Davila, a former student from Sterling, Virginia.
AUDIO PROGRAM
“48th Annual Memorial Fountain Ceremony November 14, 2018,” a live remote, with hosts of the program Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, and Makaylah Wheeler a junior from Huntington, broadcast Wednesday, November 14, 2018. The remote broadcast was produced by Michael Stanley, WMUL-FM’s Operations Manager from West Hamlin.
The Gold Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were in the categories Audio Podcast Program Series, Audio Program, Social Media Site/Twitter Overall, Audio Podcast Series Single Episode and Audio Sports Play-by-Play Programming.
AUDIO PODCAST PROGRAM SERIES
WMUL-FM’s Classroom Concert Series—featuring the solo artist “Brad Goodall,” who is also the keyboardist for the local band “Ona.” The live interview was conducted by host of the program Austin Creel, a recent graduate from Parkersburg. The producers of the playing and singing recording session were Sam Adkins, a recent graduate from Huntington, and Michael Stanley, WMUL-FM’s Operations Manager from West Hamlin. The program was broadcast over WMUL-FM and posted online Thursday, May 10, 2018.
AUDIO PROGRAM
The Friday, March 16, 2018, edition of a collaborative high school sports radio program between WMUL-FM and WFGH-FM in Fort Gay, West Virginia that is broadcast to a statewide audience. “Basketball Friday Night in West Virginia” runs from 9 p.m. to midnight each Friday night during the high school basketball season with its audio signal originating from the studios of WMUL-FM, but includes a high definition video signal coming from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Television Studio A. Volunteer hosts Ryan Epling, Ric Morrone, Joe Linville, Bill Cornwell and guests provide fans with continual score updates, interviews and analysis of the evening’s games.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITE/TWITTER OVERALL
WMUL’s Station Twitter account is recognized for its use during station events, for coverage of campus/community news and updates from the local music scene throughout the academic year. One may follow it at @WMUL_Radio. The Twitter account was overseen in 2018-2019 by Austin Creel, WMUL-FM music director; Leslie Wilson, social media coordinator; Spencer DuPuis, contest coordinator and Makaylah Wheeler, news director.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITE/TWITTER OVERALL
WMUL’s FM 88 Sports Twitter account is recognized for its use during sporting events and continual coverage of Marshall sports throughout the academic year. One may follow it at @WMUL_Sports. The Twitter account is overseen by all members of the FM 88 Sports Staff.
AUDIO PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
“Running Game Hitting its Stride” written and produced by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, broadcast during the Cutting Edge Sports Radio Network Pregame Program prior to the Marshall versus Florida International college football game, Saturday, October 28, 2018, and also made available online.
AUDIO PODCAST SERIES
“Herd Roundup” with host Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, broadcast Friday, April 6, 2018.
AUDIO SPORTS PLAY-BY-PLAY PROGRAMMING
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of Marshall Football versus Florida Atlantic played at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, Saturday, October 20, 2018. The students calling the football game broadcast over FM 88.1 were:
Play-by-play announcer— Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia;
Color commentator— Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown,
Pennsylvania;
Sideline Reporter— Savanah Matney, a senior from South Point, Ohio;
Spotter—Elijah Smith, a senior from Beckley;
Engineers—Wesley Steele, a sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky and
Matthew Moore, a graduate from Huntington.
The Honorable Mention Award winning entries by WMUL-FM were in the categories Audio Podcast Series, Audio Podcast Single Episode, Social Media Site/Instagram Overall, Entertainment Video, Student Video Production and Youtube Video
AUDIO PODCAST SERIES
The “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Friday, April 06, 2018. The students who participated in this newscast are:
Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia; (Producer)
Adam Rogers, a graduate from Milton; (Anchor)
Makaylah Wheeler, a junior from Huntington; (Anchor)
Tristan Poston, a senior from Huntington; (Weather)
Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Penn. (Sports Anchor)
AUDIO PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
“Hall of Fame Class of 2017” written and produced by Luke Creasy, a graduate from Huntington, broadcast during Herd Roundup,” Friday, September 22, 2017, and also made available online.
AUDIO PODCAST SINGLE EPISODE
“Men’s Basketball Prepares for the Big Dance” written and produced by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
AUDIO PODCAST SERIES
“Herd Roundup” with host Luke Creasy, a graduate from Huntington, broadcast Friday, March 30, 2018.
SOCIAL MEDIA SITE: INSTAGRAM
WMUL’s FM 88 Sports Instagram account is recognized for its use during sporting events and continual coverage of Marshall sports throughout the academic year. The Sports Instagram account is overseen by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, and Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania. One may find it at http://www.instagram.com/wmul_sports/.
ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO, STUDENT VIDEO PRODUCTION, AND YOUTUBE VIDEO (AWARDS IN THREE SEPARATE CATEGORIES)
WMUL-FM’s Classroom Concert Series—featuring the solo artist “Brad Goodall,” who is also the keyboardist for the local band “Ona.” The live interview was conducted by host of the program Austin Creel, a recent graduate from Parkersburg. The producers of the playing and singing recording session were Sam Adkins, a recent graduate from Huntington, and Michael Stanley, WMUL-FM’s Operations Manager from West Hamlin. The program was broadcast over WMUL-FM and posted online Thursday, May 10, 2018.
The dotCOMM Awards are administered and evaluated by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The dotCOMM Awards are an international competition created to honor excellence in web creativity and digital communication.
Entries are judged at random. They are not grouped by the categories. Each entry is viewed and discussed individually. The judges are experienced professionals who have had projects similar to anything that is submitted. The judges are cognizant of what an entrant has to work with and make their evaluations accordingly. All entries are judged on a point system. Entries receiving scores between 90-100 points are Platinum winners. Entries with 80-89 points are Gold Winners. Entries scoring from 70-79 receive an Honorable Mention certificate.
There were more than 2,000 entries in the 2019 dotCOMM Awards Competition from throughout the United States and many other countries. The dotCOMM Awards offer three levels of award recognition. The three levels of winners, which are fourteen percent for Platinum, eighteen percent for Gold and five percent of the total entries for Honorable Mention, are listed on the dotCOMM Awards 2019 website at www.dotcommawards.com.