Hillsdale College Students Win National Broadcasting Awards

Hillsdale College students placed in three categories in the College Broadcasters, Inc., National Student Media Convention Awards.

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HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale students took home three national awards in the College Broadcasters, Inc., National Student Media Convention Awards. The winners were announced at the National Student Media Convention, which was held in Denver Oct. 22-25.

“I’m very proud of our students for their well-deserved recognition,” said Scot Bertram, general manager at WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. “WRFH gives our journalists hands-on experience with every part of radio broadcasting and audio production, and it is exciting to see their efforts pay off.”

“WRFH gives our journalists hands-on experience with every part of radio broadcasting and audio production, and it is exciting to see their efforts pay off.”

Three students took home awards in the audio division. Lauren Smyth ’25 took second place in Best Newscast or Sportscast for her newscast from February 2025. Luke Miller ’27 took third place in Best Documentary for his audio documentary “Alamo of the Pacific.” Erin Osborne ’25 won fourth place in Best Feature News Reporting for her report on Hillsdale’s “Battle of the Bands.”

Hillsdale College students have been named CBI finalists every year since 2018 and have taken home seven first-place awards.

CBI is a member-driven organization serving students and advisers of college and high school electronic media outlets, according to its website.

WRFH is the student-run radio station of Hillsdale College. Since its founding in 2016, students have created thousands of hours of content and hundreds of episodes of radio shows on topics from sports and politics to poetry and astronomy. Hillsdale students and WRFH have earned seven first-place awards from Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc.; eight from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System; and 31 from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 7.5 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.

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Media inquiries may be directed to:
Emily Stack Davis
517-607-2730 (work)
517-803-3745 (cell)
[email protected]
For all other inquiries contact Hillsdale College at 517-437-7341.