Awards and Accolades

Received awards by year:

2024 AWARDS

National Educational Telecommunication Association (NETA)

Dream School: A Journey to Higher Education, winner for Content/Education
The Face of Immokalee: Public Art for Social Change, winner for Content/Visual Arts
Reflections of a Colored Girl Podcast, winner for Radio/Local Storytelling

Suncoast EMMY Awards
Nominated in three categories:

Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association in small market radio

Tragedy Strikes the Tight-Knit Immokalee Community” winner for Feature Reporting
The Last Ride, winner for Podcast
After Ian: Anniversary Hurricane Special, winner for News Documentary

Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Awards

More than 100 march across Florida to protest modern slavery, first place for Political Reporting
“Documentary delves deep in Fort Myers Boxing Club Legacy,” finalist for Sports Reporting
After Ian: Anniversary Hurricane Special,, finalist for Public Affairs Documentary
Dispatches from Kimberly’s Reef, finalist for Climate/Environmental Series

Society for Professional Journalists, Second place

Water Quality Report, Blog Writing
Environmental Reporting
The Last Ride

Florida Society of News Editors

The Last Ride, First Place for Podcast

2023 AWARDS

National Educational Telecommunication Association (NETA)

“From recreational pontoons to the Cajun Navy, Pine Island evacuation draws strong, mixed emotions,” winner for Radio News & Public Affairs story 
The Last Ride was a finalist for podcast
Overall Excellence in Content, top award

Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Awards

Overall Station of the Year for Radio
Feature in Hard News
General Assignment - Long

Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association in small market radio

Hard Feature
Overall Excellence for small market radio station

SWFL PRSA Chapter and SWFL Press Club Award

Annual award

Florida Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ) awards

WGCU Environmental Reporter Tom Bayles, winner of two runner-up news awards

Podcast Awards

The eight-part series, The Last Ride podcast produced in partnership with WGCU, The Naples Daily News/The News Press, garnered several awards over the past year: Best of Gannett for Audio Storytelling (national), First Place for Florida Society of News Editors (FSNE), and Finalist for Society for Professional Journalism.

Naples International Film Festival

The Face of Immokalee: Public Art for Social Change won Best Florida Film

Public Media Journalism Awards

The Face of Immokalee won second place

2022 AWARDS

Suncoast Emmy Awards Nominations for Documentaries

A Force for Freedom: The Robert Hilliard Story
Lure of Lovers Key - local independent documentary

2021 AWARDS

Six Regional Edward R. Murrow awards
WGCU won three awards for individual reporting and three as part of the Florida Public Media collaboration on the series “Class of COVID.”

“Groups Accuse Glades Detention Center of Abuse,” by Cary Barbor, in the Hard News category
“Sept. 11 Twenty Years Later / SWFL Looks Back,” by the WGCU staff, in News Documentary
“Dunbar High School Band Director Brings Show Style Marching to Fort Myers for First-Ever Jamboree,” by Tara Calligan, for Excellence in Sound.
The “Class of COVID” series by Florida Public Media
“Finding the Lost Children of Migrant Farmworkers," in the Investigative Reporting category
“Class of COVID-19: An Education Crisis for Florida’s Vulnerable Students,” for News Documentary and News Series