UNIVERSITY PARK — WPSU-FM is the recipient of multiple state and national awards for outstanding work in radio journalism, including honors for use of sound and environmental reporting.

The station received a 2025 Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters award and three awards from the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA), reflecting WPSU-FM’s commitment to high-quality, community-centered reporting.

Among the PMJA honors, News Director Emily Reddy earned first place for her use of sound, which is an essential element in radio journalism where audio must carry the full weight of storytelling. The story was “Worried about gas stoves? State College induction cooking class explores an alternative.”

The PMJA also awarded second place for Reporter Anne Danahy’s feature story that explored climate and environmental themes at the PA Firefly Festival. Reddy pointed out that natural sound from a firefly was not an option, so Danahy had to find other ways to engage listeners. The story was “At PA Firefly Festival in Forest County, visitors and researchers experience synchronous fireflies.”

Reddy’s team also collaborates with Penn State students to teach the art of storytelling through sound and other media. Erell Williams was an intern at WPSU and a student in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications when she worked on an award-winning story with Reddy and WPSU Reporter Sydney Roach. In this instance, it was their use of photos and video on social media that won an award from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters for Outstanding Radio Use of Digital Media. The story was “Presidential candidate Donald Trump rallies voters in State College.”

Reddy captured second place for Interview with “John Sanchez on growing up an ‘urban Indian,’ learning his culture and bringing it to State College.”

WPSU-TV, a PBS member station, serves 24 counties in central Pennsylvania and reaches 515,000 households, and WPSU-FM is accessible to more than 450,000 listeners in 13 counties. The public media station also includes WPSU Digital Studios, which offers original web series that explore science, arts, and culture.