A focus on community service is already paying off for a six-month-old online station in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Radio Project, which I profiled back in October, just won two Regional Edward R. Murrow awards presented by The Radio Television Digital News Association. Regional award winners then have a shot at a national award, which will be judged in May.
PRP won best audio news series in the small online news organization category for its Community Voices series. That five-part series profiled local non-profits like the Portland Rescue Mission and Meals on Wheels.
The station also won for best website for a small online news organization.
The mission of PRP is to broadcast online using a public service model that more closely resembles local radio in the days before Reagan-era deregulation and the Communications Act of 1996. The station mixes an emphasis on local music with public affairs and news programming.
PRP will also be taking to the airwaves in collaboration with LGBTQ-focused Wild Planet Radio, which was just awarded a LPFM construction permit. The two stations will timeshare a signal at 99.1 FM, with PRP broadcasting 3 AM to 3 PM and Wild Planet taking over from 3 PM to 3 AM.
