April 1, 2006

Vermont Public Radio has been honored with four 2006 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for outstanding news coverage. VPR was honored in the categories of continuing coverage, investigative reporting, hard news feature, and feature reporting.

VPR's continuing coverage of last year's tragedy on Lake George in which 20 elderly tourists died when a tour boat capsized took top honors in that category. VPR's Susan Keese, Nina Keck, Steve Zind, Mitch Wertlieb and Steve Delaney contributed to the stories and interviews.

Keck also filed the reports honored for investigative reporting and feature reporting. VPR's coverage of Middlebury College's suspension of a student for allegedly intruding into a room of another student, which raised questions of race, won the category for investigative reporting. Keck's story on the aging skiers who participate in the masters' competition at Killington won first place in feature reporting.

Keese's story on first-year Dartmouth College medical students holding a memorial service for their cadavers was judged best hard news feature.

In all, 279 news organizations won 606 awards out of an initial pool of more than 3,200 entries. The awards are presented by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). VPR won the prestigious awards in the small-market radio category that included stations in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

VPR can be heard at 107.9 FM in Burlington, 89.5 FM in Windsor, 88.7 FM in Rutland, 88.5 FM in St. Johnsbury, 94.3 FM in Bennington, 92.5 in Manchester, 94.5 in Brattleboro, 95.3 in Middlebury and online at vpr.net.