KYUK has received regional and statewide awards for journalism produced in 2020. KYUK won three 2020 Regional Edward R. Murrow awards and six 2020 statewide Alaska Press Club awards.
The Murrow Awards are awarded by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), and are considered to be among the most respected journalism awards in the world. The RTDNA describes the awards as "the embodiment of the values, principles and standards set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism." KYUK will be advancing to the National Murrow award competition.
KYUK’s 2020 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards
Continuing Coverage
- Title: A Tale Of Miraculous Rescue, Young Heroes, And A Mother’s Belief In Her Boys
- By Greg Kim
Description: In February 2020, four children from the Western Alaska Village of Nunam Iqua became lost during a winter storm. Temperatures plunged below freezing, and winds rose to 40 miles per hour. Local search and rescue teams and the U.S. Coast Guard looked for the boys for over 24 hours. This is the story of a miraculous rescue, the power and heroism of young boys, and a mother who says she’d let the boys do it all over again.
News Series
- Title: Starting Over: The Trials And Triumphs Of Building A New Village
- By Greg Kim and Katie Basile
Description: The Western Alaska residents of Newtok are referred to as the first U.S. “climate refugees.” Due to melting permafrost and flooding, Newtok, home to 350 Yup’ik Alaska Natives, has been forced to build a new village 9 miles away. Around a third of the village has already moved. This series looks at life after leaving one’s home, the advantages and struggles of living in a new village, the jealousies that creep in amongst those left behind, and how the things that bring joy to a child stay the same no matter where they live.
Sports Reporting
- Title: Chefornak Boys And Girls Both Win LKSD District Basketball Championship To Go To State
- By Greg Kim
Description: In rural Western Alaska, the Lower Kuskokwim School District Basketball Tournament concluded in nail-biting fashion. Both championship games came down to one possession, with the girls’ game going into double overtime. In both the boys and girls championship matches, Chefornak matched up against Toksook Bay. Chefornak came out on top in each contest, and the Chefornak Shamans and Lady Shamans headed to state.
Newscast
- Alaska Public Media in Anchorage won an award for Best Newscast for its statewide newscast aired on Dec. 2, 2020, which included a story from KYUK’s Greg Kim. KYUK as an organization did not receive the award for this newscast, but we are proud to be one of the five Alaska public radio stations that contributed reporting.
- Newscast: Alaska News Nightly, December 2, 2020
- KYUK Story by Greg Kim: 37-Year-Old Man In Pilot Station Dies From COVID-19; Weather Prevented Him From Reaching Hospital
Read the full list of 2020 Regional Edward R. Murrow awards.
KYUK’s 2020 Alaska Press Club Awards
Best Investigative Reporting in All Media
- Second Place
- Title: LKSD Said It Was Blindsided By Principal's Arrest. Except He'd Been Investigated Twice Before.
- By Greg Kim with KYUK, Kyle Hopkins with Anchorage Daily News, and ProPublica
Best Alaska Outdoors Reporting in All Media
- First Place
- Title: Nunam Iqua Boys Say They Got Lost In Snowstorm While Chasing A Fox
- By Greg Kim
Best Feature Photo in All Media
- Third Place
- Title: Proposal at the K300 Finish Line
- By Katie Basile
Credit Katie Basile / KYUK/KYUKMusher Matthew Failor proposes to his girlfriend, Liz Raines, after finishing the Kuskokwim 300 in second place on January 19, 2020 in Bethel, Alaska. She said yes!
Best Single Story Reporting in Radio
- Second Place
- Title: A String Of Attacks Leaves Dozens Of Bethel Chickens Dead
- By Greg Kim
Best Sports Reporting in Radio
- Second Place
- Title: Chefornak Boys And Girls Both Win LKSD District Basketball Championship To Go To State
- By Greg Kim
Best Sound-Rich Feature in Radio
- Second Place
- Title: In Mertarvik And Newtok, Nothing Gets In The Way Of Basketball
- By Greg Kim
