WBFO 88.7 FM Wins 7 New York State Associated Press Awards

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- WBFO 88.7 FM, the University at Buffalo's National Public Radio affiliate, won seven awards -- including three first-place honors -- at the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association's annual awards banquet held recently in Saratoga Springs.

Members of the WBFO news team are Mark Scott, news director; Eileen Buckley, assistant news director and news producer and reporter; and Joyce Kryszak, cultural affairs reporter and producer.

"The WBFO news team was recognized for its creativity, great writing and strong production values. This year, WBFO won more AP awards than any other station in the Class 2 Radio category, which includes Buffalo stations, as well as those in Rochester, Syracuse and Albany-Schenectady," said Carole Smith Petro, associate vice president and WBFO general manager. "The talent and energy of our news team allows WBFO to bring first-rate local news reporting to Buffalo/Niagara and the Southern Tier each and every day."

WBFO won awards in the following categories:

Best News Special/Documentary: First Place, "The Jihad Next Door," Mark Scott.

Best Interview: First Place, "The Capozzi Family," Eileen Buckley.

Best Continuing News Coverage: Special Mentions for "The Bike Path Killer, "Eileen Buckley, Joyce Kryszak and Mark Scott, and for "The Lynn Dejac Case," Joyce Kryszak, Eileen Buckley and Mark Scott.

Best Enterprise Reporting: Special Mentions for "Meet Neil Sanders," Eileen Buckley, and for "Homemade Pet Food," Joyce Kryszak.

Best Feature: First Place, "The 'Real' Real World," Joyce Kryszak.

In the past decade, the WBFO news department has received 46 Associated Press Awards, including the 2006 Steve Flanders Award, named in memory of a New York City radio reporter who died of a heart attack while on his way to a City Hall news conference in 1983. The Flanders award -- the AP's highest radio honor -- is given to the station in New York with the most top finishes in the competition among news stories aired during the calendar year.

WBFO 88.7 FM, a public service of the University at Buffalo, is Western New York's most listened to National Public Radio (NPR) station. It reaches an audience of almost 100,000 people through its main signal in Buffalo and through repeater stations WUBJ 88.1 FM in Jamestown and WOLN 91.3 FM in Olean. The WBFO news department offers comprehensive coverage of regional and worldwide news. The station also offers a depth of programming not available elsewhere in the community, including NPR/PRI news and entertainment programs, public and cultural affairs programming and jazz and blues.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.