The awards recognize work of the highest quality produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world. The regional winners are automatically entered in the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition, which will be judged during the summer. National awards will be presented at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City on Columbus Day.

WUFT-FM, competing in the small market radio category against stations from Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, won the following:

• Audio Newscast – “Tragedy on I-75,” WUFT staff
• Audio News Documentary – “Venezuelan Voters: The Personal Journey,” Luis Giraldo
• Overall Excellence – News Coverage, 2012 WUFT staff
• Audio News Reporting Hard News – “Cedar Key Oyster Industry on the Brink,” Cameron Taylor
• Audio News Series – “After the Wars: Veterans Learn to Cope,” Luis Giraldo
• Broadcast Affiliated Website – WUFT website
• Audio Sports Reporting – “Young Gymnasts Find Role Models in London,” Corey Brooks and Danny Gibble

The complete list of winners is available at http://rtdna.org/content/2013_regional_edward_r_murrow_award_winners#%23region13.

It’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! like you’ve never seen it before! Because, well, normally you can’t see it — it’s a radio show.

A live staging of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! presented by NCM Fathom Events, NPR, WBEZ-Chicago, and BY Experience, will be beamed to select cinemas across the country on Thursday, May 2nd, 2013.

Host Peter Sagal and official judge and scorekeeper Carl Kasell will be joined by panelists Paula Poundstone, Mo Rocca and Tom Bodett to play the quiz in front of a live audience. Carl reading limericks! Celebrity guests answering stupid questions! Faces made for radio! You’ve heard it in 1D, now see it live in glorious…2D.

Don’t miss Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Live on the big screen on Thursday, May 2, at 8 p.m. with an encore Tuesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets will be available for the live cinecast and rebroadcast online or at:

Regal Gainesville Cinema 14
Butler Plaza
3101 SW 35th Blvd., Gainesville
352-3360408

Regal Hollywood Stadium 16
2801 SW 27th Ave., Ocala
352-861-2699

Buy tickets online now →

Record breaking campaign exceeds $175,000 goal

(Gainesville, Fla. – Oct. 30, 2012) Public radio stations Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM and WJUF-FM 90.1 recently completed the most successful listener membership campaign in the stations’ history.

The fall fund drive, from Oct. 8-19, received 1,300 pledges totaling $175,982.68 – exceeding the goal of $175,000. The drive brought in 747 new donors, 335 renewals, and 215 members who increased their original gift amount. The second best fund drive was in the fall of 2011 with a total of $161,664.50.

WUFT and WJUF-FM are part of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications’ Division of Multimedia Properties (DMP). WUFT-FM celebrated its 31^st broadcast anniversary during the campaign. The station signed on the air on Sept. 27, 1981. WJUF-FM signed on the air on Nov. 10, 1995.

WUFT-FM 89.1 and WJUF-FM 90.1 broadcast three streams of programming to 19 counties in North Central and Mid-Florida. The first broadcast stream, in both analog and HD1 digital format, features news/talk programming from National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI) along with variety and music programs. Classic 89 HD2 features 24/7 classical music, and HD3 features Ritmo Latina – a 24/7 schedule of Spanish language music and news programming. The HD streams are available via the Internet at www.wuft.org. Pledges of support can be made at anytime via this website.

Poster by Anna Tomczak (Click image to view larger)

Public radio station Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM is celebrating its 31st broadcast anniversary with a limited edition poster featuring work by critically acclaimed artist photographer Anna Tomczak. Tomczak is dedicated to using different techniques to alter photos through Polaroid transfer and integrate photographs into various materials. The featured work, Blue Door, Cadaqués, originally a 20” x 24” Polaroid, is now a 24” x 30“ poster available for a pledge of $100 during the October membership campaign from Oct. 8 – 19. Pledges can be made online at wuft.org or by calling 1-800-338-9838.

Anna’s large format dye-infusion transfer photographs are widely exhibited and are in museum, university, private and corporate collections including: The Florida Gulf Coast Museum of Art, The Norton Museum of Art, The Polk Museum of Art, City of Orlando Public Art Collection, Deland Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Harn Museum of Art, UNCC Charlotte – The Cone Foundation, Sony Latin-America, McGraw-Hill, NYC and the Polaroid Corporate Art Collection, Waltham, Mass.

Currently her large-format photographic prints of antiques and plants are on display at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala. The show “FLORAda and Flowing Waters: the Art of Mark Messersmith,” Margaret Ross Tolbert and Anna Tomczak, features lush and beautiful portraits of natural Florida as interpreted by these three artists. The show continues through Nov. 4.

Tomczak hosts workshops throughout Florida in various museums, universities and studio classrooms. She also travels to Italy and Spain to present her work in alternative processes and to teach. Tomczak has received various honors including the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and Career Enhancement Grant; Polaroid Artist Support Program Grant; and the Loft Nota Bene Artists Residency, Spain. Her work has been featured in publications such as Sanctuary Anna Tomczak Photography, The Georgia Review, Florida History Magazine and Polaroid Manipulations. Tomczak earned a BA in Theater Arts from Pennsylvania State University and MFA in Fine Art Photography at the University of Florida.

Posters that are pledged for can be picked up at a poster signing reception on Nov. 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Tomcazk will be on hand to sign and add a personal message and Thornebrook Gallery will feature special framing prices.

Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM and WJUF-FM 9o.1 are part of the UF College of Journalism and Communications Division of Multimedia Properties and serves as a training facility for students. The stations cover 16 counties in North Florida and an additional three counties in Florida’s Nature Coast (Citrus, Sumter and Hernando) and feature NPR, PRI and locally originated programming.

The 2012 Independence Day Eve event is presented by the UF College of Journalism and Communications and its multimedia properties: public broadcasting stations WUFT-TV and WUFT-FM, commercial radio stations WRUF Sports Radio 850 and Country 103.7 The Gator, Rock104.com and WRUF-TV. Admission is free.

The title sponsor for the event is GRU 100, celebrating 100 years of service, along with additional funding from the City of Gainesville, Florida Credit Union and Plum Creek.

The 2011 event was not held.

Fanfares & Fireworks will feature a variety of musical groups, an opportunity for families to picnic in the grass and a spectacular fireworks show.

The entertainment lineup includes the Richy Stano and Shane Moore Duo, the contemporary rock group Mr. Ainsworth and traditional favorites by the Gainesville Community Band under the direction of Gerald Poe.

WUFT-FM Program Director Richard Drake along with WUFT Community Ambassador Ilene Silverman will serve as emcees.

Fanfares & Fireworks will conclude with a fireworks display by Skylighters of Florida set to the music of the Gainesville Community Band. The fireworks will begin at approximately 9:40 p.m.

During the event, LifeSouth Blood Center will conduct a blood drive and concessions will be available for purchase. More information is available at www.wuft.org/fireworks.

For safety reasons, no dogs, sparklers or alcohol are allowed at the event. Coolers are allowed, but may be subject to search by the University of Florida Police Department.

Winners and finalists include:

TELEVISION SMALL MARKET

• Continuing Coverage: WUFT TV, Occupy Gainesville, Darby Underwood and Trent Kelly (finalist)
• Hard News Feature: WUFT TV, Suwannee Springs Ricardo Navarro (first place)

RADIO II

• Web site: WUFT FM, WUFT website (first place)
• Continuing Coverage: WUFT FM, NASA: Past, Present and Future, Tom Krynski, Corey Bachman and Katiana Krawchenko (first place)
• Sports Feature: WUFT FM, Gator National Champs Honored in Rival Stadium, Marc Whiteman (finalist)
• Sports Feature: WUFT FM, Football and Small Towns, Jordan Matich (first place)
• Use of Sound for Radio: WUFT FM, The Long and Hot March to the Swamp, Steven Gallo (finalist)
• Use of Sound for Radio: WUFT FM, September 11th: We Will Never Forget, Alyssa Averette (first-place)
• Light Feature: WUFT FM, Florida Songbird,  Elisabeth Williamson and Donna Green-Townsend (finalist)
• Light Feature: WUFT FM, Another Pavarotti In The Making, Steven Gallo (first place)
• Hard News Feature: WUFT FM, The Execution of Manuel Valle, Steven Gallo (first place)
• Public Affairs: WUFT FM, History & Plight of Florida Waterways, Donna Green-Townsend (finalist)
• Mobile Journalist: WUFT FM, Trent Kelly (first place)
• Individual Achievement: WUFT-FM, Steven Gallo (first place)
• Overall: WUFT-FM (first place)

Despite what most may assume, children are actively involved in your community on a daily basis. A Children’s Community hows viewers how the younger generation is making a difference by volunteering with several nonprofit organizations within Alachua County. The featured kids regularly volunteer with the following organizations: Girls to Young Ladies, JIVE, Ronald McDonald House, Star Center, and March of Dimes-Chain Reaction.

The organization, Girls To Young Ladies, encourages girls of all ages to build lasting relationships through peer-to-peer tutoring, spiritual and academic development, and community service projects. The JIVE Teen Leader Program helps youth develop leadership and interpersonal skills by getting involved in their local thrift shop to help benefit Children’s Home Society of Florida. The volunteers of Ronald McDonald House of North Central Florida give back to families with critically ill children through group volunteer opportunities including maintenance work and cooking. The kids of Star Center benefit the community by expressing themselves through numerous plays, musicals, and talent shows. The children are encouraged to work together to produce and perform a successful creative piece. Finally, Chain Reaction members educate their community by spreading awareness about prematurity causes and prevention methods.

Many participate in fundraising and community events to raise awareness about prematurity by promoting “healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices.” These kids show their dedication to bettering their community by expressing themselves through various forms of art, spreading awareness about important causes, and helping those less fortunate. A Children’s Community is truly an inspirational documentary that portrays the willingness of children to step up and be the change.

The University of Florida’s research “creates an environment that cultivates and inspires creative thinking for future investors and entrepreneurs.” Innovation is one of the most positive paths for restoring and creating economic growth and opportunity in the community.

The show introduces viewers to organizations such as Innovation Gainesville. Gainesville is home to one of the nation’s top public research universities, the University of Florida, providing a platform for beneficial-marketable products and services that are changing lives. Also known as the Top Tech City in Florida, Gainesville has become a national hub for the development of scientific and economic innovation. Innovation in Gainesville and the incubators created here have allowed a unique and strategic platform for local, national and international civic and business leaders to present their initiatives in biotechnology.

Gator Nation Innovation airs March 1st at 9:00 pm.

Illustrating the positive impacts of new start-up companies in the community, Gator Nation Innovation showcases the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator. “The incubator to date has received more than $300 million in equity investments and $175 million in contracts and grants.”

“We are starting to see the fruits of the labor with the Innovation Hub, Innovation Square, and with a number of the companies that are coming out of our incubators…” said Brent Christensen President and CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gator Nation Innovation is an insightful program depicting the growth in Gainesville and the impact of nuances in research and products in the world.

“We’re thrilled with the new WRUF-TV and know the viewers of north central Florida will agree that this is a channel and website that they’ll come to live with everyday of their lives”, said Randy Wright, Executive Director of the Division of Multimedia Properties at the College of Journalism and Communications. Wright added, “With the extraordinary tradition and significance of the “WRUF” call letters to the University of Florida and north central Florida we felt there would be no better brand to associate this exciting new product with than “WRUF”.”

WRUF-TV is powered by 11 computers based at the UF College of Journalism and Communications and features a composite of data from three National Weather Service NEXRAD Doppler radars providing a unique and valuable capability to take viewers into the heart of the thunderstorms with three-dimensional graphic depictions. Quadruple redundant data streams protect the public and insure weather data is always updated and reliable during all weather conditions. The system will provide severe weather watches and warnings to all of the stations in the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Division of Multimedia Properties: Florida’s 5 WUFT-TV, Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM, WRUF Sportsradio 850 and Country 103.7 The Gator.

WRUF-TV will also broadcast exclusive Florida Gator athletics content from Gatorvision and GatorZone.com, the online media component of University of Florida Gator athletics. In addition Gainesville and Alachua County news from WUFT-FM and WUFT-TV, and North Florida sports from WRUF Sportsradio 850 will be featured on the channel.

The partner website for WRUF-TV is in the final stages of development and an announcement will follow within the next 10 days regarding the launch of that product. The online version of WRUF-TV will feature north central Florida’s most in depth and user-friendly weather information and thunderstorm and tropical weather tracking capabilities.

The UF College of Journalism and Communications Division of Multimedia Properties is comprised of public television station Florida’s 5 WUFT-TV and commercial television station WRUF-TV; two public radio stations Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM, 89.1 and WJUF-FM; and two commercial radio stations Country 103.7, The Gator and WRUF Sportsradio 850. The station studios are located in the College and serve as a training facility for telecommunication, journalism, advertising and public relations students. They serve listeners and viewers in central and northern Florida.

“It’s especially hard to share this news since we recognize the significance of fireworks on this important holiday,” said Randy Wright, executive director of the UF College of Journalism and Communications Division of Multimedia Properties. “Unfortunately, we are not in the financial position to put on the 2011 Fanfares & Fireworks event, and we are very sorry to disappoint the community.”

Funding concerns going forward forced management to closely evaluate the priorities of UF’s broadcasting stations, Florida’s 5 WUFT-TV and Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM. The decision was made to focus efforts on maintaining the public television and radio programming that serves residents throughout North Central and Mid-Florida and on providing real-world professional experiences for UF’s students.

“We thank the community for their support and we hope to be able to bring Fanfares & Fireworks back in 2012,” Wright said.

The public stations have sponsored and presented the fireworks extravaganza for all but two of the past 21 years.

The University of Florida’s Country 103.7, The Gator will sponsor the July 4th Extravaganza at Silver Springs in Ocala. The celebration features a concert by country artist John Michael Montgomery followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

The UF College of Journalism and Communications Division of Multimedia Properties is comprised of television stations Florida’s 5 WUFT-TV and WLUF-TV; two public radio stations Florida’s 89.1 WUFT-FM, 89.1 and WJUF-FM; and two commercial radio stations Country 103.7, The Gator and WRUF Sportsradio 850. The station studios are located in the College and serve as a training facility for telecommunication, journalism, advertising and public relations students. They serve listeners and viewers in central and northern Florida.