WUFT took home five regional Edward R. Murrow Awards — more than any other radio station in Region 13's small market radio division.
The station earned wins in the Digital; Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Excellence in Innovation; Excellence in Sound; and Podcast categories. Click the titles below to explore the winning entries.
The Price of Paradise
Digital
Maria Avlonitis, Kimberly Blum, Sabrina Castro, Gabriella Chavez, Alex Land, Franklin Omar Lopez, Caia Reese, Nathan Thomas, Kat Tran, Luena Rodriguez-Feo Vileira and supervisor Cynthia Barnett
Costa Rica is a global model for nature-based tourism, thanks to bold policies that reforested a quarter of the country and prioritized conservation. But now, mass tourism and foreign investment have begun to raise questions about whether outsiders are loving Costa Rica too much – and whether too many local people have been left behind.
Black farmers received a “historic” payout from the USDA six months ago. It didn’t fix everything
Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Rose Schnabel
Minority-owned farms in Alachua County were some of 43,000 nationwide to receive part of a $2.2 billion payout from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last July.
WUFT shared the story of John “Ronnie” Nix, a cattle rancher in eastern Alachua County, when the funding was first announced in 2022. Six months after the check arrived, he reflects on what it did – and didn’t – do.
The Last Straw
Excellence in Innovation
Rose Schnabel
As North Florida’s timber industry faces hurricanes and mill closures, some landowners turn to a copper-colored side hustle: pine straw. Are the human and environmental costs worth it? Lea la serie en español aquí.
Which came first, the bus or the car? WUFT reporters race from east Gainesville to Butler Plaza
Excellence in Sound
Ailee Shanes and Sofia Dinka
The City of Gainesville is looking for ways to further develop its communities east of downtown. That includes creating a potential new bus station across from the new Eastside Urgent Care.
To see what it's like to travel to and from east Gainesville, two WUFT reporters had a race. WUFT’s Aileyahu Shanes took the bus and WUFT's Sofia Dinka drove her car. They set off from the urgent care on their way to Butler Plaza.
The Rundown
Podcast
Kristin Chermont Spina
“The Rundown from WUFT News,” hosted by Kristin Chermont Spina, is a half-hour radio program and podcast that takes a deeper look at the stories shaping North Central Florida, the Nature Coast, and beyond — wherever the news touches the community. Tune in for thoughtful storytelling that keeps you informed and connected every Thursday at 1 p.m. on WUFT 89.1/90.1.
