Two University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications students placed in the top three in the Hearst Journalism Awards radio competition.
Junior Tommy Rezac of Valparaiso placed second, and senior Evan Hummel of Lincoln placed third.
Both winners will advance to the Championship in San Francisco in June.
Rezac is currently a news and sports reporter and producer at 1400 AM KLIN in Lincoln and KRNU sports staff director. Previously, he was an intern at the sports office at KLKN-TV Channel 8 in Lincoln.
He is also a member of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln chapter of the National Broadcasting Society and Friends of KRNU and serves on the COJMC Student Advisory Board. Additionally, Rezac works with BTN Student U Productions and the Newman Center Lectors and Readers.
His winning piece is a news package story exploring the possibility of serving alcohol at Pinnacle Bank Arena during basketball games included interviews with a member of the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency who did a study on the effect of alcohol sales, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler, NU Regent Tim Clare and several University of Nebraska–Lincoln students.
Hummel is currently an intern at 93.7 The Ticket and does KRNU broadcasts for Husker basketball, football and baseball. Previously, he held an internship at KLKN Channel 8. He is a member of the Broadcast Education Association and the Asian American Journalist Association.
He submitted two pieces. One was a story on sex trafficking in Nebraska and what the state is doing to combat the problem. He interviewed a victim who is now a victim advocate. The report covers her story and Attorney General Doug Peterson’s efforts to fight the issue.
His second submission was on the recently passed Dreamers Drivers License law. He followed the journey of someone in Omaha who was able to get a license thanks to the law and the impact it had on her.
The 2015-2016 Hearst Journalism Awards Program is held in 108 member colleges and universities of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication with accredited undergraduate journalism programs. The awards program consists of five writing, two photojournalism, one radio, two television and four multimedia competitions. The program awards up to $500,000 in scholarships, matching grants and stipends annually.
https://soundcloud.com/bmccoy2/alcohol-at-unl-sports-events
https://soundcloud.com/bmccoy2/hummel-dreamers-contest-entry
