My in-depth reporting has earned several distinguished awards, including first place in the 54th Annual Hearst Journalism Awards program, and a regional Edward R. Murrow award.
My reporting received top awards, over a record 52 entries in the 54th annual Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Radio News & Features Competition.
Two stories formed my winning entry. The first, “ What does your local VFW have in common with your church?“, aired on KBIA-FM, an NPR Affiliate, and was created as part of Project 573, a series of stories focused on a single issue, which are published by multiple newsrooms. The project receives its name from the area code which includes Columbia, Mo.
Project 573 focused on the growing number of Americans who did not affiliate with a specific religion, and was coordinated by Missouri School of Journalism Professors Jacqui Banaszynski and Reuben Stern.
The second entry “Rural Missouri town now a ‘ghost of a past settlement,” focused on a small Missouri town, Goss, Mo., which had dwindled to a population of zero. Here, I explored how this small town fits into larger population shifts. Although Goss is located alongside a railroad, roads improved following World War II, and Goss residents drove elsewhere for errands. One by one, the stores in Goss closed up.
The prize included a $2,600 award.
Audio of both stories is available on this website, under the KBIA News section.
Please note: The audio featured on this website are longer versions of the stories than were submitted to the Hearst Awards Program.
The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) also presented KBIA-FM with three Edward R. Murrow Awards. I stood among one of the many journalists contributing to KBIA-FM’s success, with his story “ Rural Missouri town now a ‘ghost of a past settlement.”
I worked with KBIA Producer Kristofor Husted on the story.
The Missouri School of Journalism presented Lukas with the Mastering the Method award for radio excellence.
“The judges said both of Udstuen’s features were examples of what public radio does best – using great writing, natural sounds and scenes to explore a unique, under-reported aspect of our culture,” according to the Missouri School of Journalism.
The entry consisted of two stories: “What does your local VFW have in common with your church?” and “Rural Missouri town now a ‘ghost of a past settlement.”