The Carroll News, WJCU and JCU Studios held their own at the Media Fest conference in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 15-18, taking home 13 Pinnacle Awards for excellent student media. The three outlets were competing against other Division III schools across the country and won in various categories, both for journalism and audio work.
The Carroll News received second place for Periodic Newspaper of the Year for Division III schools and the most recent issue can be found here. WJCU won first place for Audio Outlet of the Year for Division II, III and two-year colleges.
Brent Brossmann, Ph.D., chair of the Tim Russert Department of Communication, praised the student media outlets for their accolades. “We are overjoyed with the success of Blue Streak Media…[the awards are] a tremendous testament to the success of our students, the dedication of our advisers and the work that everyone is putting in.”
In the general news category, both The Carroll News and WJCU were recognized. Anna Maxwell ’27 received an honorable mention for her article “Tariffs forcing JCU students to budget consciously” in the Best General News Story (print/text) category for Division III. WJCU won second place in Best General News Package (audio/video) for “New Owners for Jack’s Deli” by Tate Farinacci ’25.
Both outlets were honored for their coverage of sports, taking third place in two categories. Michael Patterson ’25 was awarded under the Best Sports Game Story (print/web) category in Division III for his article “Blue Streaks cruise to historic 52-7 playoff win.” Gianluca DiGiacomo ’26 was recognized for Best Sports Feature (audio/video) in Division III for “Cleveland Crunch Set to Host MLIS Championship” released on WJCU.
The Carroll News editorial board also won third place for its joint editorial “Why student journalism matters” in the Best Editorial category for Division III schools.
The awards did not stop there. WJCU brought home two audio and two video awards. Farinacci, DiGiacomo and Matt Lyons ’25 earned first place in Division III for Best Podcast with their recording “Cleveland 2025: Still the Mistake on the Lake?” WJCU took home an honorable mention for Mackenzie Jackson ’25, Owen Close ’27 and Maddie Otterman ’26’s “Road Trip Trio” audio promotion under the Best Audio Advertisement category for Division II, III and two-year colleges.
JCU Studios won in two video categories as well. Justin Funkhouser ’25 received third place for Best Video Advertisement for Division II, III and two-year colleges for the JCU Studios promotion. Funkhouser, along with Jenna Kieley ’25, was awarded an honorable mention for Best Long Documentary in Division III for “A Matter of Opinion.”
Finally, Zachary Sinutko ’24, or DJZ13, won first place for Best DJ Personality in Division III and the WJCU Sports Instagram team took home an award as well. Nikolena Samac ’27, Bobby Gerome ’25 and Aidan Houck ’25 won third place for Best Campus Media Engagement in Division III.
Blue Streak Media is continuing to engage the community and receive national recognition for their efforts. These awards showcase the excellence of student media and the dedication of students involved in The Carroll News, WJCU and JCU Studios.
