WUKY Tops Lexington Radio Stations With 12 Kentucky Broadcasters Association Nominations
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 6, 2021) — Lexington's NPR news station, WUKY-FM, grabbed 12 nominations, including Best Short Newscast, from the Kentucky Broadcasters Association's new 2020 "Impact Broadcasters Awards."
In a year when world-altering events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to historic racial justice demonstrations, visited Kentucky's doorstep, WUKY's news team delivered the most KBA-nominated entries of any Lexington radio station.
WUKY's Morning Edition anchor Karyn Czar is in the running for five awards, highlighting her reporting on the protests surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor and community efforts to cope with the ongoing health crisis.
Nabbing four nominations in categories spanning Best Anchor to Best Sports Feature, News Director Alan Lytle also won nods for collaborations with UK's Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History Director Doug Boyd spotlighting the debut of UK Basketball's Big Blue Madness and the unsung heroes of Kentucky's suffrage movement.
WUKY reporter Josh James received the sole nomination for Best Political Coverage and a nod for Best Long Serious News Feature for his teachers' eye view of the pandemic.
The awards will be announced at the KBA Impact Broadcast Awards virtual presentation 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
Here below are the nominations and the categories:
- Short Light News Feature: Karyn Czar, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Winchester Students Stuck at Home Were Treated to a Parade"
- Short Serious News Feature: Karyn Czar, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor"
- Long Serious News Feature: Josh James, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Kentucky Teachers Do Their Best to Navigate Through Pandemic"
- Long Public Affairs: Karyn Czar, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "'The Time for Sitting on the Sidelines Has Passed' Dr. Everett McCorvey on Racism"; Alan Lytle and Doug Boyd, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Kentucky Suffragist's Daughter Recalls Pivotal Pre-19th Amendment Convention"
- Sports Feature/Special: Alan Lytle and Doug Boyd, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "UK Basketball's First Taste of the Madness"
- Use of Sound: Alan Lytle, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Product Sampling Still a Staple of 'Socially Distant' Distillery Tours"
- Political Coverage: Josh James, WUKY-FM, Lexington
- Breaking News: Karyn Czar, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor"
- Continuing Coverage: Karyn Czar, WUKY-FM, Lexington, "Keeping the Faith During A Global Pandemic"
- Radio Anchor: Alan Lytle, WUKY-FM, Lexington
- Short Newscast: WUKY-FM, Lexington
WUKY is a community-supported service of the University of Kentucky which provides high-quality news, cultural and entertainment content through the use of existing and emerging media to create a more informed and engaged community.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.