200 ACE Awards - Promotion/Station Imaging

 Winner: 

Michigan Radio, Ann Arbor - Tamar Charney, Program Director - Listen

Honorable Mention: and

KOPB, Corvallis - Lynne Clendenin,Vice President & Radio Programming   - Listen

WUNC, Chapel Hill - Connie Walker, Program Director - Listen

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Winner - Michigan Radio

Judges Comments

What was your overall impression of the entry?

Outstanding!  I loved the way the reporters talked about their beats in smart ways.  The use of music and audio was great too.  It was also cool to hear how each reporter did a slightly different take in explaining the beat.

Creative combination of imaging and information.

What are its greatest strengths?

It’s a good effort that could be better with some tweaking.  

The reporters sounded smart… you got a sense of personality without going over the top.  The use of audio did a great job conveying the kinds of stories they do and why.  

The genuine voices of the reporters shine through and make these compelling pieces of audio.  This series is a very effective way of educating the audience and imaging the station’s importance/uniqueness.

It communicates the breadth of Michigan Radio’s coverage.

What can others learn from this entry?

By creatively using audio and good writing, you can promote your news department without sounding like a promo.  

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Honorable Mention - KOPB

Judges' Comments:

What was your overall impression of the entry?

The audio postcards were well produced and identified some characters.  I love the OPB audio logo at the beginning of the pieces.

Excellent stories and production

A strong effort.   These promos go beyond communicating a sense of place and create a sense community.  There is delight and surprise in meeting so many interesting people.  

What are its greatest strengths?

The production was really excellent.  Good use of sound.

Genuine stories, genuine voices, excellent production values.

The storytelling captures my attention.  The sound is great.   These are great examples of how to communicate a lot in a short spot.  

What can others learn from this entry?

Excellent production can help spots jump out at listeners.  

This is not promotion in the traditional sense.  It is intentionally and appropriately understated promotion.  It communicates a feeling more than it promotes an image.  The value is in the cumulative effect.  It takes discipline and time for this approach to pay off.

Honorable Mention - WUNC

Judges' Comments:

What was your overall impression of the entry?

 

I really like the way WUNC showcases a wide range of voices from the community.  The listeners do a good job conveying what they like about the station. 

 

Nice variety of stories and voices

 

A solid effort.  

 

What are its greatest strengths?

 

This got beyond the usual suspects!  The diversity of types of voices and backgrounds was great.  They weren’t all professionals and everybody didn’t sound like they wanted to be public radio hosts themselves.  We heard people with a range of accents and backgrounds.  

 

The genuine-sounding voices came across very strongly with their stories.

 

This campaign is consistently good across multiple spots.  

 

What changes would you recommend for improvement?

 

The music was catchy but a little grating after hearing it a few times.  This wouldn’t have happened to a listener, though, so this is just a judge problem. 

 

I’d suggest additional production elements to add texture and to avoid a formulaic sound in the campaign.  Some voices didn’t come across as genuine in the My Source tag – I’d suggest using only the ones that sound natural throughout.

 

Some of the edits are a little choppy

 

What can others learn from this entry?

 

That there’s value to digging a little deeper to find a range of people from your listening audience.  Hearing a wide range of people say why they value your station enhances your community service.