KKSM Radio students and staff are in New York City for the 2019 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) awards. This year’s nominations include Palomar’s third consecutive nomination for Best Community College Radio Station.
SAN MARCOS, CA ― Palomar’s highly decorated, student-run radio station, KKSM, was nominated for a record 16 nominations by the IBS in its national competition, with two additional nods to the Digital Broadcast Arts program at the college. The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Saturday, March 2 in New York City, and Station Manager Zeb Navarro traveled with students to New York this week.
Named Best Community College Radio Station in 2017 and nominated again last year, Palomar’s KKSM radio station (AM 1320) was up for the top honor, and fielded 15 other award nominations.
Among the nominations, Kristina Thomas was named a finalist for Best Program Director, and for the second year in a row, Lydia Arguello was nominated for Best Audio Engineer; Arguello remains the first and only woman to be nominated in this category.
“These nominations mean that we are in the top 5 percent in the country for broadcast programs,” said Station Manager Zeb Navarro, who was also up for an award. “We are competing against four-year schools, faculty, volunteers, and students in these categories and just to be nominated is a true honor. It demonstrates the hard work and effort of the KKSM staff and students in producing quality, professional content.”
Regarding the number of nominations, Navarro added: “Did I mention this is our biggest haul yet?”
The finalized nominations, announced in January, include for KKSM:
• Best Foreign Language Program: Ernesto Garcia for “El Comi Reloaded”
• Best PSA: Jake Hardison for “U.S. Navy”
• Best Underwriting Spot: Machelle Noel, Colette Coyle, Nubia Gonzalez, Jake Hardison, and Palmer Byrd for “Farmers Insurance”
• Best Use of Video in a Radio Studio: Rob Blackwell and Kory Almryde for “Not So Serious Radio presents Taken by Canadians”
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• Best Use of Social Media, Other: Rob Blackwell for “Not So Serious Radio Spotify Playlists”
• Best Public Affairs Event/Promotion: Jennesh Agagas for “Palomar College Law Enforcement Outreach Event”
• Best Community Outreach Event: Jennesh Agagas for “Palomar College Law Enforcement Outreach Event”
• Best On-Air Pledge Drive: College Radio Day Pledge Drive
• Best Overall On-Air Schedule
• Best Music Library/Playlist
• Best Staff Training Method: Zeb Navarro for “DBA135 Module 2: The Sex Lives of Audio Cables”
• Best Station Facilities
• Best Station Blog
In addition to KKSM’s nominations, Palomar’s Digital Broadcast Arts program fielded two nominations from the IBS:
• Best TV Talk Program: Brooke Reotutar for “Palomar Live”
• Best TV Commercial: Peter Stoll for “Palomar College Photography”
KKSM is a 500-watt station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from the Palomar College campus in San Marcos, California. The station can be found on the radio dial at 1320 AM, simulcasts on Cox Digital Cable Channel 957, and is available worldwide on the web. For more information about Palomar College’s Digital Broadcast Arts program, go to http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/dba.Media contacts:
Laura Gropen, Public Affairs, lgropen@palomar.edu, 760-744-1150 x2152
Tom Pfingsten, Public Affairs, tpfingsten@palomar.edu, 760-744-1150 x2960
Zeb Navarro, KKSM, znavarro@palomar.edu, 760-744-1150 x2442
