Awards for 'College Stories,' WGLS-FM

The Whit Online, 10/16/08

The National Student Production Awards nominated six Rowan students radio productions for several awards. Nominated productions are 89.7 WGLS-FM Web site for the best student media Web site, the WGLS-FM station for best documentary for the production "Fading Farms and Saving Face: Saving the Garden State," and "College Stories," four shorts from Professor Keith Brand's sound communication class, for best feature.

"'College Stories' is an idea that's been brewing in my head for awhile," said professor Keith Brand.

"College Stories" began as a classroom project meant to teach the students how to create radio productions. The professor had considered for years the idea of taking a handful of the shows that all seemed to convey the same theme: family.

Though the productions are all related in their theme, they are tremendously different in subject matter. Lisa Dimaulo's story dealt with her mother's illness and how her family managed to deal with it. Tina Yangello's feature revolved around her trying to cook Easter dinner for her family and finding out that she is not beyond her family's help. Both of these stories are a massive departure from Stephen Hanulec's piece titled "The Last of The Hanulecs," the story of a young man who comes to understand that he is the last in his family line and his responsibility to carry on the family name. Lastly, there is Dan Angelucci's production, which covered just how "normal" his family is and how this is such a massive departure from what others have gone through in their lives.

Rowan Radio general manager, Frank Hogan, said the staff at WGLS-FM is "extremely proud to be representing Rowan University at the national convention." The website is run collectively by the WGLS-FM staff.

The last of the nominations went to the WGLS-FM radio station for their documentary "Fading Farms and Saving Face: Saving the Garden State," a documentary that covers the rapid destruction of the New Jersey farmland in pursuit of urbanization. Senior radio, television, film major Julia Giacoboni and Rowan alumni Brian Kanady produced this project because it was very personal to them, having grown up in rural parts of the state.

The documentary argues that urbanization isn't necessarily a good thing and that towns sacrifice a lot of their identity when they make the decision to allow outside companies to come in and transform the town to fit their liking.

"We tried to say in the film you don't have to build a Wal-Mart in a field," said Giacoboni.

The National Student Production Awards will take place before the National College Media Conference held in Kansas City, Mo. Oct. 29-Nov. 2.