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KUNC News takes home four national awards for local journalism produced in 2024

KUNC News received four national awards for broadcast journalism at the 2025 annual Public Media Journalism Association (PMJA) conference in Kansas City, MO, last month.

KUNC was recognized for its education reporting, its spot news coverage, sports feature and for an interview on its daily podcast and radio show, In the NoCo. The awards were for work produced in 2024.

“KUNC News is committed to providing trusted, thoughtful journalism that reflects and serves our communities,” said Michael Arnold, KUNC’s Chief Audience and Content Officer. “These awards are a powerful reminder of the impact local stories can have.”

KUNC News won First Place in Education Reporting for Leigh Paterson’s Jan. 3 story, “Chronic absenteeism is plaguing Colorado schools. Here’s what two districts are doing about it”.

Colorado kids are missing a lot of school. Rates of chronic absenteeism across the state have been rising for years. Districts across Northern Colorado are scrambling to get these students back in class.

The story details the number of students who are chronically missing school in Colorado and the reasons why, while offering possible solutions that other districts are using.

KUNC News also was awarded First Place in the Interview category for In the NoCo’sAfter guilty verdicts in Boulder mass shooting trial, a victim's daughter looks back”.

A jury on Monday found the man who killed ten people at a Boulder King Soopers guilty on all counts – including 10 counts of first-degree murder. And a judge sentenced the shooter to 10 consecutive life sentences. For the victim’s families, the decision was a milestone. We talk with one of those family members, on today’s In The NoCo.

The 9-minute interview is with Erika Mahoney, who lost her dad during the Boulder King Soopers shooting on March 22, 2001. The show’s host, Erin O’Toole, interviewed Mahoney shortly after the verdict was announced.

KUNC also won First Place in the highly coveted Spot News category. Emma VandenEinde won for her piece, “Great American Beer Fest puts the hops back into a flat outlook on the industry”

The Great American Beer Festival in Denver drew tens of thousands of people to try more than 2,500 types of beers. But the industry has recently struggled with production and sales.

In the story, VandenEinde attends the 42nd annual Great American Beer Festival at the Colorado Convention Center, speaking with people about beer, brewing and the troubled state of the industry.

KUNC’s Rachel Cohen, who is assigned to the Mountain West News Bureau collaboration, also was recognized by PMJA in the Sports Feature category for her work. Rachel won second place for her story, “People are bucking stereotypes and creating safe spaces at the longest running gay rodeo,” which looks at the history and culture around annual rodeo events for LGBTQ+ people, which have been happening for 41 years in Colorado.

The Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo is an event that challenges the hyper-masculinity associated with rodeos and Western ranching culture.

“KUNC continues to be recognized for its robust local news coverage and its focus on issues important to our audiences,” said Executive News Director Sean Corcoran. “These awards speak to the quality of the audience-supported work we do.”

KUNC is NPR News, Colorado Stories, kunc.org. Broadcasting at 91.5 FM and a network of 19 stations and translators around the state — including 91.7 in Denver and west metro; 102.7 FM in Boulder, 88.5 FM in Steamboat Springs, 90.7 FM in Breckenridge, 99.7 FM in Eagle, 90.9 FM in Vail, 88.1 FM in Dillon and 91.9 FM in Grand County, as well on smart speaker, via KUNC mobile app, and streaming at kunc.org. You can support KUNC at KUNC.org/donate.