WBFO 88.7FM Wins 2008 PRNDI Award

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- WBFO-FM 88.7, a major public service of the University at Buffalo, received a first place award at the 2008 Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI) annual awards banquet on Saturday, July 19, 2008, at the Renaissance M Street Hotel in Washington, DC.

WBFO' s winning call-in program "The Jihad Next Door" was hosted by news director Mark Scott and aired on September 20, 2007. The book's author, Dina Temple Raston read excerpts from her book, was questioned by Scott and took calls from listeners.

In her book "The Jihad Next Door," NPR's FBI Correspondent Dina Temple Raston explores the case of the "Lackawanna Six." She traveled to Buffalo and joined WBFO News Director Mark Scott for a one-hour news special, in which she presented her argument that these six men were not terrorists but wayward individuals looking for some direction in their lives. Temple-Raston describes how the six men were influenced by a known terrorist, Kamal Derwish, who enticed them to travel to Afghanistan – a decision they regretted upon arriving at the camp.

The PRNDI awards are the only national awards program which recognizes outstanding public radio news reporting at local stations. The year's contest covers work produced in 2007. Out of nearly 1000 applicants, a total of 48 First Place awards were presented to 42 public radio stations. The full list of winners is posted on the PRNDI website at http://www.prndi.org.

WBFO 88.7FM reaches an audience of approximately 100,000 people per week through its main signal in Buffalo and through repeater stations WUBJ 88.1FM in Jamestown and WOLN 91.3FM in Olean. WBFO news department offers comprehensive coverage of regional and world-wide 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. For more information about WBFO, please go to http://www.wbfo.org.

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.