Illinois Public Media programs and staff garner awards
Illinois Public Media’s Prairie Fire nominated for seven Emmys
UPDATE 10/29/2024:
WILL-TV’s Prairie Fire won four Mid-America Emmy Awards, including Best Magazine Program, for its first season. The show also won in the following categories:
- Arts/Entertainment, Short Form: “Preston Jackson." A profile of renowned artist and musician Preston Jackson from Peoria, whose works document the Black experience.
- Diversity-Equity Inclusion, Short Form: “Operation Wild Horse." A visit to Operation Wild Horse, a nonprofit organization that partners wild mustangs and burros with U.S. military veterans.
- Human Interest, Short Form: “Susannah Scaroni." The remarkable journey of Paralympian Susannah Scaroni—from her days growing up to adapting to life in a wheelchair to the winner's circle of the 2023 Boston Marathon.
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Prairie Fire, a WILL-TV program featuring cinematic documentaries, profiles, and performances from downstate Illinois, has been nominated for seven Mid-America regional Emmy awards, including Best Magazine Program, in the first season of its reboot. The show, which first debuted in 1992 and ran until 2009, was rebooted last year by Illinois Public Media.
Other nominations Prairie Fire received from the Mid-America chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences include Arts/Entertainment-Short Form; Informational/Instruction- Short Form; Entertainment - Short or Long Form; Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - Short Form; Human Interest - Short Form; and Musical Composition/Arrangement for its theme song.
The winners will be announced on October 26 at a ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri.
The second season of Prairie Fire returned September 19 and airs the third Thursday of every month. It can be watched on WILL-TV, or on demand on YouTube or with the PBS App.
IPM staff Jill Clements and Reginald Hardwick honored with local NAACP awards
(Photo by Dominique Gill.)
Illinois Soul station manager Jill Clements and IPM news and public affairs director Reginald Hardwick were honored with local NAACP awards for their efforts to launch Illinois Soul 101.1 FM, a new radio station from IPM amplifying Black voices.
The two were among six community members that were recognized at the NAACP’s Champaign County branch’s annual Freedom Fund celebration, held September 28.
Clements was honored with the Media Trailblazer Award for leading the development of the groundbreaking venture of Illinois Soul. The station was lauded for amplifying Black voices and culture, along with R&B music throughout central Illinois and online, with the power of public media.
Hardwick, Illinois Public Media’s director of news and public affairs, was honored with the Media Expansion Award.
He was also a driving force behind the launch of Illinois Soul, which Hardwick says is “reaching and representing Black communities over the air in Champaign County in a way that was long overdue.” He also manages The 21st Show, a live weekday public radio talk show that brings news, culture, and stories that matter to Illinois.
Hardwick has won seven regional Emmy awards, and says he is intent on building a news team that is “smart, diverse, and empathetic.”
IPM receives two INBA awards
The Illinois News Broadcasters Association has honored two Illinois Public Media programs with 2024 Crystal Mic Awards. The awards were presented September 21 during the organization’s fall convention in East Peoria.
An episode of Dialogue, a new community affairs program airing on Illinois Soul and hosted by Kennedy Vincent, was honored with second place in Podcasting (small market radio). The episode focused on the Congolese community in Champaign-Urbana.
"There are thousands of people in our region who have immigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said Reginald Hardwick, IPM news and public affairs director. “We don't often know about them because they're quietly operating businesses, churches, and enriching schools in Champaign-Urbana. And they speak French. Kennedy Vincent took time to produce a quality podcast that explored what brought them to the U.S., how their lives have changed in central Illinois, and she was in the kitchen for preparation of a Congolese meal. This is exactly why we created the Dialogue show."
Listen to the episode called "A Dialogue with Congolese Community of Champaign County."
The INBA award for Investigative Reporting (small market radio) was awarded to a piece for IPM News by former intern Farrah Anderson (BS '24, journalism) about inconsistencies in following protocol during domestic violence cases by the Champaign Police. She was a senior at the University of Illinois College of Media when she produced the story in a partnership with the Invisible Institute. The story also was recognized with a regional award from the Society of Professional Journalists and Collaborative Effort from the Public Media Journalists Association. Anderson is now a full-time reporter at WFYI in Indianapolis.
Listen to or read the piece called "Champaign Police investigate ‘agency culture’ of not following domestic violence reporting laws."
Illinois Public Media is a not-for-profit public media service of the College of Media at the University of Illinois.