Mount Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College is honored to announce that students from the Radio/TV and Digital Media department have received two national award nominations from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.
Last year, the Radio/TV department’s TV station, News Channel 15, was named the nation’s “Best Community College TV Station” by the IBS.
This year, five Radio/TV students have been nominated for the IBS’ “Best Video Sports Program,” and one of them was nominated for “Best Commercial.” The announcement came via News Channel 15’s Facebook page.
“Congrats to our Drew Pountain, a top-5 nominee in the category of Best Commercial, and to Ian Klingler, Drew Pountain, Branton Beard, Eli Grimes and Kyler Gammon, as our local sports show, Sports Extra, is a top-6 nominee for Best Video Sports Program.”
Broadcasting Director Kyle Peach wrote on social media, “I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of my students and program! Recognitions like this don’t come around that often! Now let’s go turn those nominations into awards!”
Ian Klingler, a sophomore majoring in Sports Marketing and Media, said, “This nomination proves that the hard work that you put into a show or any work that you do can pay off in the long run.”
The other WVC nominees agreed with Klingler. Even with most sports being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Klingler noted that the Sports Extra team was still able to provide consistent content to their audience.
Kyler Gammon, a freshman Sports Marketing and Media major, said that putting on Sports Extra took a lot of hard work, scheduling and planning.
“Putting on a show isn’t easy,” said Gammon. “You have to make sure everyone is on the same page so everyone’s ideas are expressed, and with Sports Extra, we did a tremendous job at that.”
Freshman Radio/TV and Digital Media major Eli Grimes agreed, adding, “We also find ways to connect with our audience and make it feel as though we’re just a group of guys who sat down to talk about sports with you. When you add that element, it becomes so much more enjoyable to watch.”
In an email, Peach explained that Sports Extra is entirely student driven and has a local focus.
“It is unique in that there aren’t any other weekly shows on TV in our region focusing entirely on southeastern Illinois sports. It’s also unique in that our students are 100% responsible for creating the content for the show,” said Peach. “While all of the students involved with Sports Extra have played a role in the show receiving this recognition, special recognition goes to Ian Klingler— who serves as the main producer of the show. Under his leadership, the show has continued to grow and improve.”
Sophomore Radio/TV Broadcasting major Drew Pountain agreed with Peach.
“The work that Ian does to prepare Sports Extra is unmatched! He goes into detail and puts together our stories that we talk about. He is the man!”
However, Peach had no less praise for Pountain, whose commercial was nominated for the IBS’ “Best Commercial.”
“It has been a pleasant surprise to see Drew’s growth as an editor. He has a passion for sports broadcasting, but I think he’s also found a love for editing – something I’m not sure he expected,” said Peach. “This spot showcases his ability to not only have a vision for what he
wants a project to be, but it also shows he has developed the skills to turn that vision into reality. I couldn’t be prouder of him”
Pountain is justifiably proud of, and simultaneously humbled by, his nomination.
“For me personally, I worked extremely hard on this commercial, all summer long. I am just extremely humbled to be a part of this group, and I hope I can bring home the gold not only for me, but also for our program,” said Pountain.
Peach stated that having students nominated for prestigious national awards like this is rewarding for him, both as an educator and as a media professional.
“It speaks to the credibility of the education we provide our students. It also gives our program national recognition. In essence, it says the Radio/TV program at Wabash Valley College is elite, among the nation’s best,” he said.
“It is also very rewarding for me personally. It suggests that we are doing things the right way… This group looks at projects they’re assigned not just as class assignments but as potential demo reel content. We wouldn’t be able to compete for national awards if they didn’t care about the quality of their work.”
What started as a simple idea of students coming together to produce a show has turned into a potentially award-winning reality for this group. WVC wishes Ian Klingler, Drew Pountain, Branton Beard, Eli Grimes and Kyler Gammon the best of luck in their endeavors!
Award winners will be named during the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System’s virtual conference on March 2 – 6.
