WKSU reporter/host Amanda Rabinowitz has been recognized by the Radio-Television-Digital News Association (RTDNA) with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing. The Murrow Awards are considered among the most-prestigious broadcast media awards. WKSU competes in the Large Market division against public and commercial radio stations in major cities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Rabinowitz’s entry now moves on automatically to the national RTDNA contest where it will compete with other first-place winners from large-market radio stations across the country.
The winning entry took listeners on a trip to Northeast Ohio’s racinos. Business has been steady since Ohio’s horse tracks were converted into racinos. The facilities that offer horse racing and slots beat the state’s casinos, but still face marketplace challenges. In her report, Rabinowitz builds a portrait of two worlds at Thistledown - the new, louder, quick turnaround slots and the stately original, interactive horse track. Rabinowitz’s skillful writing carries listeners between the active environments and back to a time when making a bet was as much about a day at the track as it was a chance to win a few dollars.
RTDNA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. The Murrow Awards recognize the best work produced by radio, television and online news organizations around the world and have honored outstanding achievement since 1971. For work created in 2015, RTDNA received more than 4,300 entries, setting an all-time record for the fourth year in a row. Entries in the national awards contest will be judged in May and announced in June.
