Kentucky Wesleyan College’s FM radio station WKWC 90.3 and the Keith and Vickie Sharber Communication Arts Program earned two awards at the Broadcast Education Association’s (BEA) Festival of Media Arts. The program has won awards in the competition for five consecutive years.
BEA, an international academic media organization, recognizes excellence in media production and career development for educators, students, and professionals. This year, the competition featured 2,285 entries from more than 300 colleges and universities.
Kentucky Wesleyan communication arts majors Embry Burgess and Daylin Tolgo, both juniors, took third place in the Student Comedy or Drama competition, which highlights radio dramas and theatre-style productions. The duo produced their winning segment in KWC’s audio production class in 2024, taught by Instructor and WKWC Manager Derik Hancock.
Hancock also received an Award of Excellence in the Long-Form Production category in the Faculty competition. His submission featured a radio documentary, Rushmore Revisited, which was adapted for radio by Hancock and Brett A. Mills from a script written and arranged by Mills. The production, presented by WKWC and Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, was directed and produced by Hancock and featured voice actors from Theatre Workshop and KWC students.
“To be recognized by the BEA is an amazing accomplishment for colleges and universities,” Hancock said. “The competition in every category was intense this year, and this is quite an honor.”
He also praised his students’ achievements.
“I am very proud of Embry and Daylin and of all the KWC students who competed,” Hancock said. “We believe in every student and support their hard work.”
Other Kentucky Wesleyan students who submitted entries included junior Shanel Benjamin and freshmen Sam Hardesty and Daniel Hatcher, who competed in news, sports, and podcast categories.
“I am proud of the work our students are doing within our Communication Arts Program,” said Dr. Andrew Bolin, division chair of Fine Arts and Humanities and program coordinator and professor of the communication arts program. “We are a training ground for students to get real-world experience in the world of digital media; it is exciting to showcase what they and faculty are doing on an international stage with recognition for their efforts.”
For more information about WKWC and to listen to student-produced shows and podcasts, visit WKWC.org.
