KRWG Public Media, Las Cruces' public broadcasting for television and radio, earned nearly two dozen awards at the 2024 New Mexico Press Women (NMPW) Conference. KRWG's eight first-place winners will now compete in the national contest. Awards were given for radio, television, digital and student reporting.

KRWG's first-place winners Jonny Coker, K.C. Counts, Angelina Malone, Anthony Moreno Noah Raess, Evelyn Sandoval, Christian Valle and Leora Zeitlin will go on to compete nationally. The National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) will announce those winners at their conference in June in St. Louis.

The 2024 NMPW conference recognized the longevity of its organization with the theme "Profiles in Courageous Communicators: Celebrating 75 Years of New Mexico Press Women." Organized in 1949, NMPW is an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, a network of professional journalists and communicators that promotes the highest ethical standards.

KRWG Public Media, a public service of New Mexico State University serving southern New Mexico and far west Texas, also was awarded first place as an organization.

"These awards are a testament to our content team's dedication, talent and commitment to producing high-quality, impactful content for the entire region," said Adrian Velarde, KRWG general manager. "This recognition reflects the collective strength of our entire team, and I'm incredibly proud of everyone's contribution."

The following KRWG team members received NMPW awards:

Valle, KRWG television production manager, was awarded first-place honors in special programming in television for the documentary "Clara Belle Williams: New Mexico Pioneer in Education." The documentary shares the inspiring life story of the first African American graduate from New Mexico State University. Valle also won an honorable mention for a television segment on cooking tamales.

Counts, KRWG "Morning Edition" host, was awarded "Best Radio Newscast" for her November 8, 2023 newscast covering election results for the region. Counts, who also serves as FM operations manager, was recognized with a second-place award for hosting and producing the "Voice of the Public" call-in program about immigrant advocacy, which she shares with co-producer and FM engineer Mark Johnson. Counts also won an honorable mention for her "Newsmakers" television interview with Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ignacio Ruíz.

KRWG Public Media's digital content won multiple awards this year. Coker, a multimedia journalist, won first-place in web feature news reporting for his coverage of the humanitarian crisis at the border. Coker was also awarded second-place for his radio news story on Virgin Galactic sending private astronauts to space for the first time. KRWG social media specialist Angelina Malone took home two first-place awards for both her web and social media campaigns for "Talkin' Tamales", a KRWG live FM call-in program. She won two second place awards as well: one for KRWG's social media presence and a second for KRWG Public Media's website.

Zeitlin, who hosts "Intermezzo," won a first-place award for her two-part FM interview with national chess master Lior Lapid on chess and music. Zeitlin also took home an honorable mention for an interview about "celestial music" featured by the Las Cruces Symphony.

Moreno, KRWG content director, and Sandoval, former senior television producer shared first-place honors for a television talk show for an episode of "Fronteras A Changing America" that featured an in-depth look at local lowrider culture and a conversation with award-winning author Denise Chávez.

Raess, an NMSU student and KRWG Public Media Scholar, took home a first-place collegiate honor for his reporting for television on border trade fueling Santa Teresa's growth in southern New Mexico. Raess was awarded second-place for a television profile featuring race car driver Drew Cassidy. He won second-place in radio for his coverage of the fentanyl crisis in Las Cruces.

"Fiesta" and "Puentes" host Emily Guerra was honored for her work in radio with a second- place award for her interview on a film showcasing Holocaust survivors in Cuba. Guerra also won third place for her "Puentes" interview on Latina leadership in the borderland and an honorable mention for her interview with legendary organizer and civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta.

KRWG "All Things Considered" FM host and reporter Scott Brocato was awarded second place for his news feature on the P.A.W.S. Program, a partnership with the New Mexico Corrections Department and Action Programs for Animals. Brocato also won third-place honors for his coverage of a lawsuit filed by residents in Anthony, New Mexico to remove the mayor.

Former KRWG television senior producer Andrea Vázquez won second-place honors for her television story on El Paso author Wally Mayer Cech, who recalled her childhood upbringing in Nazi Germany during World War II.
 
KRWG-FM began broadcasting live from NMSU on Oct. 3,1964. KRWG-TV began broadcasting on June 29, 1973. KRWG Public Media strives to educate and engage community development by providing relevant news, a forum for open discussion and a celebration of the arts while preserving and conveying human and natural history.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/krwg-wins-new-mexico-press-women-awards--advances-to-national-contest/s/4272644f-6b58-4eba-b215-376a966c9b5