Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM earns Communicator and Hermes awards

Rowan Today, May 25, 2021

Rowan University’s celebrated and long-running radio station recently added to a long list of student and staff accomplishments with highly prestigious awards.

Just this month, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM received two Communicator Awards from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts and four in the annual Hermes Creative Awards international competition.

Together: An Audio Documentary on Latino Immigrants in South Jersey , which detailed the struggles of Latino immigrants in South Jersey, collected an Award of Excellence in the AIVA competition’s Production category.

Co-produced by Adam Clark and Ralph Quidone, this is the fifth accolade for the documentary. During the past year, “Together” also earned honors from the Hermes Creative Awards, Broadcast Education Association, Garden State Journalists Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. 

Clark and Quidone created the piece in Radio Production, a course taught by WGLS-FM Assistant Station Manager Leo Kirschner.

The series Rowan Rising received an Award of Distinction in the Educational Institution podcasting division. The entry featured an interview with Rowan’s Dr. Jenny Rich, an assistant professor in the College of Education and co-director of the Rowan Center for the Study of Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights.  

Showcasing members of the Rowan community, the series, which was hosted by R.J. Tallarida, vice president for University Advancement, also won a Hermes Creative Award in May. 

The Communicator Awards recognizes excellence in communication in an annual competition that is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts.

“The Rowan Report Election Night 2020” special won a Platinum Award in the Audio Program category. Hosted by Rowan Radio News Director Katie Francis and Jack Brennan, the station’s news department provided coverage of local elections and the race for the President throughout election night. The show also examined some of the top issues heading into election season including COVID-19, social injustice and the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey.

“The Social Media Effect” earned a Gold Award for Audio Program. Co-producers Alexandra Cann and Rylee Meyer created the feature about the negative impact of social media and how young adults can overcome it.

“Together: An Audio Documentary on Latino Immigrants in South Jersey” also garnered a Gold Award in the Audio Program category. Previously, the Broadcast Education Association, Garden State Journalists Association and the Society of Professional Journalists recognized the documentary.

“Rowan Rising” also earned a Gold Award in the Hermes Podcast Episode division.

A trainer of broadcast professionals for more than 50 years, Rowan Radio has won 338 regional and national awards since 1993.