UM Students Recognized by Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters

From left to right: David Kennedy, Payton Green, Steven Gagliano, Sereena Henderson, Leah Gibson, Kelly Smith, Shelby Sansone, Browning Stubbs

University of Mississippi broadcast students were recognized for outstanding performance by the Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters, bringing home 20 awards in the contest for college students.

Student newscast “NewsWatch” won the award for Best Newscast for the fifth year in a row. Senior Shelby Sansone from Memphis, Tennessee, won the award for Mississippi’s Outstanding Student Television Reporter. Senior Steven Gagliano, from Cumming, Georgia, won Outstanding Radio Reporter. Sansone and Gagliano each won cash scholarships.

“The fact that our student newscast has won the award five years in a row is remarkable,” said Nancy Dupont, UM professor of journalism. “The student managers in recent years have done a phenomenal job.”

The award banquet was held April 23 in Jackson. Students competed in college categories among 51 television entries and 23 radio entries from five Mississippi universities. The contest covered work produced during the spring and fall semesters of 2015.

“Our broadcast students had an excellent showing,” Dupont said. “This is a reflection of their talent and hard work. I’m sure they’d join me in congratulating my colleagues who teach broadcast journalism and the managers at the Student Media Center. All, in my opinion, are the best you’ll find anywhere.”

Ole Miss television and radio students won nine first-place awards, seven second-place awards and four third-place awards.

First-Place Awards for College Television:

Best Feature Story: Sereena Henderson, senior from Pass Christian, and Ji Hoon Heo, of Ulsan, South Korea, for their coverage of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 10 years after Hurricane Katrina

Best News Story: Shelby Sansone for her coverage of the Dan Jones rally.

Best Sportscast: Browning Stubbs, senior from Memphis, and David Kennedy, senior from Colleyville, Texas, for their coverage of the Oxford Chargers state championship preview

Best Documentary or Series: “Atomic, Mississippi,” produced by students in a course taught by Brad Schultz and Kathleen Wickham.

First-Place Awards for College Radio:

Best Feature Story: Steven Gagliano for his end-of-the-semester feature

Best News Story: Steven Gagliano for his coverage of the state flag removal from campus

Best Sports Story: Riley Mueller, sophomore from College Station, Texas, for his concussion study coverage

Best Documentary or Series: Riley Mueller for concussion coverage

Other awards for college television:

Second Place Best News Story – Kelly Savage, senior from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for coverage of the state flag removal

Second Place Best Sports Story – Browning Stubbs for covering the “tip six” play at the Ole Miss-Alabama football game in September.

Third Place Best News Story: Browning Stubbs for coverage of the metro narcotics unit investigation

Third Place Best Newscast: “NewsWatch” for a Sept. 21 broadcast

Third Place Best Sports Story: Waverly McCarthy, senior from Jackson, for coverage of Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly

Third Place Best Sportscast: “RebelWatch” for a Nov. 20 broadcast

Other college radio awards:

Second Place Best Feature: Riley Mueller for his story on a fitness instructor

Second Place Best News Story: Steven Gagliano for his coverage of the new chancellor

Second Place Best Newscast: Meredith Parker, junior from Brandon

Second Place Best Sports Story: Steven Gagliano for coverage of women’s soccer

Second Place Best Sportscast/Sports Program: Steven Gagliano

Dupont was also honored at the awards presentation. Dupont is the NewsWatch adviser and president of the Mississippi Associated Broadcasters Board for the 2015-2016 year.

Recent Ole Miss working in broadcast also won first-place awards at the MAPB ceremony. Courtney Ann Jackson, a reporter for WLBT, Gerard Manogin, WJTV reporter, and Ryan Moore, WDAM reporter, were recognized for their work.

Courtesy of Christina Steube and the Ole Miss News Desk