Documentary on farming wins top prize in Philadelphia Press Association contest

May 29, 2008

Competing against entries by established broadcast professionals, a student-produced Rowan Radio documentary on preserving New Jersey's farms took first-place honors in the Philadelphia Press Association's (PPA) annual awards competition.

"Fading Farms and Saving Grace: Preserving the Garden State," co-produced by Julia Giacoboni and Brian Kanady, won first place in the PPA's radio enterprise division. Documentaries by KYW Newsradio and WNPV Radio finished second and third respectively in the category.

The PPA award is the fourth major honor won by "Fading Farms and Saving Grace," which explores the current state-and possible future-of New Jersey. The documentary also won second place in the in-depth radio reporting category of the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards.

Earlier this year, the segment won a first-place award from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) and a 2008 bronze Summit Creative Award from the Summit International Awards, which includes thousands of submissions from 25 countries.

An Upper Pittsgrove resident, Kanady recently earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Rowan.

Giacoboni, a junior from Cedarville, is majoring in radio/television/film.

The documentary aired on Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM. A podcast of the award-winning segment is available here: www.rowan.edu/today/data/cast/RDfarms.mp3.