Awards

In recognition of its ongoing mission to preserve the American art form known as jazz and its commitment to producing exceptional and timely programming content, WBGO has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

In 2004 WBGO received the National Arts Club Medal of Honor for the station’s 25th anniversary of “outstanding and pioneering public radio.”

For the past 19 years, the New Jersey State Council for the Arts has designated WBGO as being a “Major Arts Impact” organization, and in January of 2011, WBGO received the Council’s “Citation of Excellence” for a “long history of artistic excellence, substantial programming, broad public benefit and a superior review through the panel (of peers) process.”

Other recent awards include:

2010

  • WBGO named Jazz Week magazine’s Major Market Station of the Year
  • Josh Jackson, host of The Checkout, is named winner of Jazz Journalists Association’s Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Broadcasting
  • WBGO receives PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors, Inc.) Award and is named first-place winner (Division B) in the Best Newscast category for morning newscast and second-place in the Breaking News Category for coverage of the corruption raids in New Jersey
  • Thurston Briscoe, Vice President of Programming and Production is named recipient of the 2010 Don Otto Award by Public Radio Program Directors Association

New York Association of Black Journalists Awards:

  • Doug Doyle and the WBGO Staff win in the Radio Business/Technology Category for The Dollars and Sense of Blackness
  • Andrew Meyer wins in the Radio Science/Health Category for Brick City Urban Farms
  • Andrew Meyer, Terry Sheridan, Doug Doyle, Gary Walker and Steve Adubato Jr. win in the Radio Public Affairs Category for WBGO Journal - President Obama
  • Allan Wolper, Joanna Wolper and Doug Doyle win in the Online/New Media Arts & Entertainment Category for Conversations with Allan Wolper – Annette Gordon Reed

2011

  • Rhonda Hamilton, host of Mid Day Jazz, honored by the International Women in Jazz
  • Sheila Anderson, host of Late Night Jazz, wins Shirley Chisholm Award

New York Association of Black Journalists Awards:

  • Reporter Lanette Espy and producer Doug Doyle win first place in the General Feature – Long Category for Underground Railroad
  • Host Doug Doyle and reporters Andrew Meyer, Gary Walker and Michael Bourne win first place in the Radio Public Affairs Category for WBGO Journal – Porgy and Bess
  • Reporter Joseph Capriglione and producer Doug Doyle win first place in the Education Category for Books and Beyond
  • Doug Doyle’s interview with ESPN’s Chris Broussard took second place in the Sports Category
  • Reporter Monica Miller was recognized in two categories: Arts & Entertainment and Spot News – Newark Cold Case and Remembering Lena Horne

WBGO’s belief in the vibrancy of jazz as a cultural art form, its dedication to educational outreach and its commitment to creating and producing programs that provide entertainment and information while fostering public interest in the arts, has enabled the station to become the premier jazz source in the greater tri-state area.