UT Martin’s student-led radio station, WUTM 90.3 FM “The Hawk,” received two first-place awards at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference Feb. 29-March 3 in New York City.
Five undergraduate students attended the conference with Dr. Richard Robinson, the radio station’s faculty adviser.
The students in attendance were program director Colby Maclin of Ripley, news director Lauryn Davis of Memphis, digital media director Carson Alexander of Martin, development director Carlin Cochran of Nunnelly and business director Savannah Carr of Martin.
UT Martin students receiving awards included:
• Lauryn Davis, Colby Maclin, Alex Martin of Trenton, first place, Best Newscast.
• Alex Martin, first place, Best Use of Sound Effects.
The radio station also received the Platinum Award for overall excellence for the 14th year in a row.
Along with the first-place awards and the Platinum Award, the radio station staff members were finalists in eight other categories, including Colby Maclin for Best On-Air Personality.
While at the conference, students participated in a panel discussion titled, “PR for Your Station: Building an Image.”
“We were selected by the IBS board members to speak on this,” Maclin said. “I think, partially because of Dr. Robinson’s previous experience in public relations and in broadcast and because of our previous accolades.
“Our session was a panel talking about how our station has built a brand and reputation throughout the years and how we have used our resources to do so. The five of us who went spoke more about how our individual roles have played into building that image and how we get our station outside of Gooch Hall.”
Maclin, a senior mass media and strategic communication major, has been on the WUTM staff since April 2021.
“Being a part of WUTM means that I am connecting with my campus and surrounding communities to entertain, inform and relate,” she said. “I love this station because I know that we are creating programming that is helping students grow and helping to spotlight community members.”
WUTM has had success at the IBS conference in the past and has formed relationships with notable board members.
“WUTM is one of the greatest college radio stations in America,” said Dr. Chet LaPrice, an IBS board member and faculty adviser for WERG 90.5 FM at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“I am honored to be a friend of Dr. Richard Robinson,” he said. “We catch up every year at this and every time his school gets mentioned, I stand up and cheer with them because they’re the good guys.”
For more information on this conference and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, visit ibsradio.org/conferences.
Information about WUTM-FM can be found at wutmradio.com.
PHOTO: Members of the UT Martin contingency from WUTM90.3 FM “The Hawk” at the IBS conference included (L-R) Carlin Cochran, Savannah Carr, Colby Maclin, Lauryn Davis and Carson Alexander.
