Monday, September 14, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Students from Marshall University’s public radio station, WMUL-FM, received five (5) Platinum, seven (7) Gold and eight (8) honorable mention awards in the dotCOMM Awards 2019-2020 Competition. The winners were named in a letter dated Friday, September 11, 2020, from Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Chuck G. Bailey, professor of radio-television production and management in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University and faculty manager of WMUL-FM, said, “The dotCOMM Awards 2020 Competition marks only the fourth time that WMUL-FM has entered this contest and these awards signify that our broadcasting students continue to excel in providing quality programming both over-the-air and online for the listeners of the campus radio station. These platinum awards are outstanding accomplishments in recognizing our WMUL-FM student broadcasters and community volunteers for having created a compelling weekly statewide high school basketball talk program, a weekly sports wrap up program, some of the best sports play-by-play announcing in the country and exhibiting solid musical program production skills. I am proud and grateful for the honor these dotCOMM Awards bestow on WMUL-FM, the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the College of Arts and Media, and Marshall University. The gold awards are further tributes to the FM 88 Sports Staff’s play-by-play announcing, our producing some high-quality news and sports packages/podcasts and the promotional announcement production skills of our broadcast students in direct competition with professional practitioners. Overall, this tremendous effort, during this uncertain time, helps to start building toward what I hope will be another successful year by the volunteer student staff of WMUL-FM in garnering recognition for Marshall University, the College of Arts and Media as well as the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications from state, regional, national and international broadcasting organizations.”
Platinum Award Winning Entries
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Program
The Friday, March 08, 2019, edition of a collaborative high school sports radio program between WMUL-FM and WFGH-FM in Fort Gay, West Virginia that is broadcast to a statewide audience. “Basketball Friday Night in West Virginia” runs from 9 p.m. to midnight each Friday night during the high school basketball season with its audio signal originating from the studios of WMUL-FM, but includes a high definition video signal coming from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Television Studio A. Volunteer hosts Ryan Epling, Ric Morrone, Joe Linville, Bill Cornwell and guests provide fans with continual score updates, interviews and analysis of the evening’s games.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Program
“Herd Roundup” with host Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia broadcast Friday, April 05, 2019.
Video Sports Program
The Friday, March 08, 2019, edition of a collaborative high school sports radio program between WMUL-FM and WFGH-FM in Fort Gay, West Virginia that is broadcast to a statewide audience. “Basketball Friday Night in West Virginia” runs from 9 p.m. to midnight each Friday night during the high school basketball season with its audio signal originating from the studios of WMUL-FM, but includes a high definition video signal coming from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Television Studio A. Volunteer hosts Ryan Epling, Ric Morrone, Joe Linville, Bill Cornwell and guests provide fans with continual score updates, interviews and analysis of the evening’s games.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Play-by-Play Programming
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of College Insider.com Tournament Championship Marshall men’s basketball versus University of Wisconsin Green Bay played at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia, Thursday, April 4, 2019. The students calling the men’s basketball game broadcast over FM 88.1 were:
Color Commentator
Courtside Reporter
Producer
Andrew Rogers, a sophomore from Clarksburg, West Virginia;
Savanah Matney, a senior from South Point, Ohio;
Wesley Steele, a sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky
Entertainment Video
WMUL-FM’s Classroom Concert Series—featuring Maggie. The live interview was conducted by host of the program Austin Creel, a recent graduate from Parkersburg, West Virginia. The producers of the playing and singing recording session were Sam Adkins, recent graduate from Huntington, West Virginia, and Michael Stanley, WMUL-FM’s Operations Manager from West Hamlin, West Virginia. The program was posted online Thursday, February 14, 2019.
Gold Award Winning Entries
Audio Podcast Single Episode
“Jon Elmore’s Legendary Career” written and produced by Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia, broadcast during the “Herd Roundup,” Friday, March 22, 2019.
Audio Podcast Single Episode
“Rachel Rousseau, Conference USA Softball Player of the Week,” written and produced by Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, broadcast during Herd Roundup,” Friday, April 12, 2019, and made available online.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Program
“49th Annual Memorial Fountain Ceremony November 14, 2019,” a live remote, with hosts of the program and Makaylah Wheeler, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia and Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia, broadcast Thursday, November 14, 2019. The remote broadcast was produced on-site by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, and engineered from the WMUL-FM on-air studio by David Adkins, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Program
“Herd Roundup” with host Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia broadcast Friday, December 06, 2019.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Play-by-Play Programming
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of Marshall Football versus Virginia Military Institute (VMI) played at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia, Saturday, August 31, 2019. The students calling the football game broadcast over FM 88.1 were:
Color commentator
Sideline Reporter
On-site Producer
In-Studio Producers
Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania.
Savanah Matney, a senior from South Point, Ohio;
Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia;
Wesley Steele, a sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky and Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia
Audio / Radio / Podcast Sports Play-by-Play Programming
WMUL-FM’s broadcast of Marshall men’s basketball versus Western Kentucky University at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, Saturday, January 12, 2019. The students calling the men’s basketball game broadcast over FM 88.1 were:
Color commentator
Producers
Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania;
Wesley Steele, a sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky and Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Promotion
“WMUL Cult” an in-house promotional announcement broadcast in WMUL-FM’s Promotion Announcement rotation Thursday, September 26, 2019, and is still in rotation was written and produced by Zane Bowles, a junior from Sandstone, West Virginia and features the primary voice talents of Zane Bowles, and the background cult chanting talents of David Adkins, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia; Derrick Bowen, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia; Haley Brown a freshman from Weirton, West Virginia; Andrew Corliss, a sophomore from Evans, West Virginia; Ashley Ross, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia; Tristan Shepard, a junior from Prichard, West Virginia; and Wesley Steele, a sophomore from Flatwoods, Kentucky.
Honorable Mention Award Winning Entries
Social Media Marketing: Twitter
WMUL’s Station Twitter account is recognized for its use during station events, for coverage of campus/community news and updates from the local music scene throughout the academic year. The Twitter account was overseen in 2019-2020 by Makaylah Wheeler, WMUL-FM news director and executive director, Spencer DuPuis, Contest Coordinator, Landon Mitchell, music director, and Tyler Kennett, social media coordinator.
Social Media Marketing: Twitter
WMUL’s FM 88 Sports Twitter account is recognized for its use during sporting events and continual coverage of Marshall sports throughout the academic year. The Twitter account is overseen by all members of the FM 88 Sports Staff.
Social Media Marketing: Instagram
WMUL’s FM 88 Sports Instagram account is recognized for its use during sporting events and continual coverage of Marshall sports throughout the academic year. The Sports Instagram account for 2018-2019 was overseen by Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia; Nick Verzolini, a junior from Stewartstown, Pennsylvania and Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia.
Audio Newscast
The “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88” broadcast Wednesday, November 06, 2019. The students who participated in this newscast are:
Anchor
Anchor
Weather Anchor
Sports Anchor
Makaylah Wheeler, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia;
Ethan Edmond, a freshman from Belington, West Virginia;
David Adkins, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia;
Alexandra Warrington, a senior from Bristow, Virginia
Audio Podcast Single Episode
“House Fire Shows Community’s Kindness” written and produced by Makaylah Wheeler, a junior from Huntington, West Virginia, broadcast during the “5:00 p.m. Edition of Newscenter 88,” Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Audio Podcast Single Episode
“Kereon Merrell Named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week” written and produced by Spencer DuPuis, a senior from Leesburg, Virginia, broadcast during “Herd Roundup,” Friday, November 01, 2019.
Audio / Radio / Podcast Promotion
“WMUL Sports Flavor Parlor” an in-house promotional announcement broadcast in WMUL-FM’s Promotion Announcement rotation Thursday, December 2, 2019, and is still in rotation was written and produced by.
Tyler Kennett, a sophomore from Rock, West Virginia.
YouTube Video
WMUL-FM’s Classroom Concert Series—featuring Maggie. The live interview was conducted by host of the program Austin Creel, a recent graduate from Parkersburg, West Virginia. The producers of the playing and singing recording session were Sam Adkins, recent graduate from Huntington, West Virginia, and Michael Stanley, WMUL-FM’s Operations Manager from West Hamlin, West Virginia. The program was posted online Thursday, February 14, 2019.
The dotCOMM Awards are administered and evaluated by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The dotCOMM Awards are an international competition created to honor excellence in web creativity and digital communication.
Entries are judged at random. They are not grouped by the categories. Each entry is viewed and discussed individually. The judges are experienced professionals who have had projects similar to anything that is submitted. The judges are cognizant of what an entrant has to work with and make their evaluations accordingly. All entries are judged on a point system. Entries receiving scores between 90-100 points are Platinum winners. Entries with 80-89 points are Gold Winners. Entries scoring from 70-79 receive an Honorable Mention certificate.
There were more than 2,000 entries in the 2020 dotCOMM Awards Competition from throughout the United States and many other countries. The dotCOMM Awards offer three levels of award recognition. The three levels of winners, which are fourteen percent for Platinum, eighteen percent for Gold and five percent of the total entries for Honorable Mention, are listed on the dotCOMM Awards 2020 website at www.dotcommawards.com.