Texas Public Radio was honored by the Houston Press Club with ten Lone Star Awards on Saturday, June 25, including three first place wins. The organization’s on-air and online efforts were acknowledged in the categories of public affairs, hard news, soft news, talk show, politics, and feature reporting. The Lone Star Awards are a statewide contest recognizing the best radio, television, and online journalism in Texas.
TPR’s News Director, Shelley Kofler, was awarded a first place trophy in the Hard News category for her report about property owners concerned over the new Vista Ridge pipeline project. In the same category, David Martin Davies received third place for his story “Operation Lone Star Brings Emergency Medical Care To The Border.”
Kofler and reporter Joey Palacios shared first place in the Public Affairs category for their series on the 2015 San Antonio mayoral election, “Looking For A Leader.” David Martin Davies won second place for his story about the early 20th century Slocum Massacre in East Texas.
Ryan Poppe was awarded a first place trophy in the Politics and Government category for his story “Lawmakers Push to Reclaim Control Over College Tuition Rates.” The judges’ commented on his entry, “This reporter gets his beat.”
In the Soft News Feature category, Jack Morgan won second place for his story about how World War II affected the history of San Antonio’s sunken gardens. David Martin Davies won third place for his profile of Sister Mary Elizabeth of the Eagle Ford. Davies also received a second place trophy in the Radio Series category for his special report, “Concussions and Repercussions.”
Davies shared a second place win with Paul Flahive and TPR intern Elena Souris in the Talk Show category for an episode about how Alzheimer’s disease is being depicted through art.
TPR’s Nathan Cone received a third place award in the Internet News Feature Story category for a report on documentarians the Ross Brothers and their film about the impact of border violence on Eagle Pass and its border twin, Piedras Negras.
Thank you for your support of Texas Public Radio, which makes it possible for us to bring these stories to you! To read and/or hear any of the award-winning entries, follow the links below. To read a list of all winners across the state, click here.
