COLLEGE PARK — Six Capital News Service students and the CNS broadcast bureau at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism were honored with 2024 Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association Awards this month.
CNS swept all of the awards in the college TV bracket and added one more in the college radio competition.
Ricky Podgorski ’25 placed first in one category and second in two others. Cait Kelley ’25, Elana Mutnick ’25, Sydney Nauman ’24, Taylor Nichols ’25 and the CNS broadcast bureau each won one first-place award. Alexa Wootten ’25 added a second-place honor. All won for work published by CNS.
CNS’ live Election Night coverage won for outstanding newscast.
Twenty-seven news organizations in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., submitted 326 entries in the contest, which featured news and sports from 2024. The full list of winners can be found at https://capba.net.
CAPBA is an independent association of local members of The Associated Press, a not-for-profit news cooperative that represents thousands of newspapers and broadcast stations across the United States.
Here is a complete list of the CAPBA Awards won by CNS:
College TV
Outstanding General News
First - Elana Mutnick, "Financial Support for Port Workers After Key Bridge Collapse"
Second - Ricky Podgorski, "Tunnel to Mitigate Flooding in Ellicott City"
Outstanding Feature
First - Sydney Nauman, "Students Create ‘Bike Bus’ to Commute to School"
Second - Ricky Podgorski, "Inspiring Cherry Blossom Tree to Be Removed"
Outstanding Sports Reporting
First - Ricky Podgorski, "Big Ten Expansion Challenges Student-Athletes Academically, Mentally and Physically"
Second - Alexa Wootten, "Wheelchair Bound Teen Defies Odds and Plays Lacrosse"
Outstanding Newscast
First - Capital News Service, "Election 2024 Live"
College Radio
Outstanding Feature
First - Taylor Nichols and Cait Kelley, "Some People Need Abortions Later in Pregnancy – Many Come to Maryland"
For more information, contact:
Josh Land, Communications Manager
joshland@umd.edu