WDIY staff and volunteers were in Harrisburg on Thursday, October 16 for the Pennsylvania News Media Association's 2025 Professional Keystone Media Awards, held at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel. The station walked away with 17 awards, a new record for WDIY at a single award ceremony.
"These prestigious honors celebrate the journalists and newsrooms across Pennsylvania who go above and beyond to inform, inspire and uphold the First Amendment," the PNMA said in an announcement on Facebook.
WDIY's awards were in the Radio II division that includes all radio stations throughout the Commonwealth outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The station's wins include placing first in 7 categories, as well as being named 'Outstanding News Operation' for the Radio II division. WDIY's 17 awards were also the second highest total number of awards for a single radio station out of all the stations recognized.
In her acceptance speech for the Outstanding News Operation award, recognized the work of WDIY's staff and volunteers, as well as WDIY's role in the community.
"This award is a testament to the hard work of my staff of four and over 100 volunteers who power our airwaves with community-curated music and community affairs programs," WDIY Executive Director Margaret McConnell said in her acceptance speech for the Outstanding News Operation award.
"This is an important part of connecting our community in the Lehigh Valley, and it's one of the reasons that public media is so important across the entire country. It is a connector, and it is an outlet for voices who would not be heard otherwise."
A list of WDIY’s awards is below.
Outstanding News Operation (Broadcast)
- Radio II: WDIY 88.1 FM
Best Continuing Coverage
- First Place: President Biden's Emmaus Visit - James Zipprodt and Mike Flynn
- Second Place: PPL Tower Sale - James Zipprodt
Best Series
- First Place: A Closer Look - Laurie Hackett and James Zipprodt
- Second Place: Twenties Toolbox - Grace Mansfield and James Zipprodt
- Honorable Mention: Let's Talk - Hasshan Batts and James Zipprodt
Best Feature
- First Place: Gov. Shapiro Visits Emmaus for Film Screening - Mike Flynn
- Second Place: New Da Vinci Science Center Filled with Excitement Ahead of Opening - James Zipprodt
Best Documentary
- Second Place: "Neighborhoods Are the Life Blood of a Community" with Mayor Sal Panto | Valley Voices - Margaret McConnell and James Zipprodt
- Honorable Mention: Telling the Story of Road Safety in Allentown with Mayor Matt Tuerk and Jaime Lavin | Valley Voices - Margaret McConnell and James Zipprodt
Best Digital Presence
- First Place: WDIY website, app, and digital strategies - Shamus McGroggan
Best Use of Photography
- First Place: WDIY Tree Planting in Coopersburg's Meadow Park - Shamus McGroggan
- Second Place: WDIY Listener Fall Foliage Photos 2024 - Shamus McGroggan
Best Use of Sound
- First Place: New Da Vinci Science Center Filled with Excitement Ahead of Opening - James Zipprodt
- Second Place: New Economic Development Funding Helps Sites Like Bethlehem Steel - James Zipprodt
- Honorable Mention: Local Thoughts on the Presidential Emmaus Visit - Mike Flynn
Podcast (Broadcast)
- First Place: Young Valley Leaders - Louis Holzman, Matthew Kacyon, and James Zipprodt
A complete list of the 2025 winners in all radio, TV, and newspaper categories is available at the Keystone Media Awards website.
According to an announcement on the PNMA's website, the organization received 2,513 entries from 119 different news organizations across the Commonwealth for this year's contest.
The recognition in the Keystone Media Awards comes on the heels of WDIY being awarded an Excellence in Broadcasting Award in April for the station's bilingual podcast, Charla Comunitaria, for 'Outstanding Public Affairs Program/Program Series'. The Excellence in Broadcasting Awards are given annually by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
