Indiana State University Newsroom

Student Media broadcasters won four awards in the Indiana Association of Student Broadcasters (IASB).

Ryan Gortney placed first in Radio Air Personality and second in Radio Imaging. Christopher Adkins placed second in Radio Newscast. Adkins and Chris Lopez placed third in Radio Talk Show.
Rich Green, WISU/WZIS general manager, says it is an honor to see his students compete against statewide peers.

"They all put in hard work and it is obviously paying off with these state awards," Green said. "Competing and winning at a state level is great."

According to Green, hard work is not the only factor to winning an award.

"If you get to do what you love and you have passion for it, the judges can hear that and tell that you actually care about your work," said Green. "You can hear the passion in ISU's students."

Ryan Gortney, the production director at WZIS, has spent his life pursuing his passion for broadcasting.
"I have been a music lover and a fan since I was very young so I think my passion and enthusiasm comes across naturally," said Gortney. "My passion is more intense than ever and it will continue to grow as I start my professional career."

Christopher Adkins, WZIS news and sports operations director, is passionate about broadcasting because he is able to talk about topics he enjoys on the Shut-Ins Talk Show, a pop-culture news show.
"Each show with Chris (Lopez) is a time of discovery," said Adkins. "(On the show), I'm not asking Chris a question to prompt an informative response for the audience. I ask him because I genuinely want to know what he thinks about the latest blockbuster."

Chris Lopez, WZIS music director, began accompanying Adkins on Shut-Ins Talk Show in the winter of 2016 after doing podcast work the summer before.

"The best part of the Shut-In Talk Show is that every time we go on air, Chris and I work so well together that our shows are always packed full of geek knowledge, whether it be videogames, movies or TV," said Lopez.

Adkins says he is most proud of his award with Lopez because the Shut-In Talk Show was created by Adkins.

"The Shut-Ins has been a constant experiment and one of my own design," said Adkins. "I brought the idea to Rich as a podcast and when it was approved, I grabbed my sister as a co-host. Since then the show has evolved."

The show began as a prerecorded half-hour show about static topics and has transformed into an hour-long live show dedicated to the latest news.

According to IASBOnline.org, IASB consists of colleges and high schools in Indiana and serves to "promote professional excellence and student recognition in the area of media education."

"There are so many talented individuals in the state of Indiana," Green said. "Students work on script writing, editing and producing audio, and entertaining. Students only win these awards because they put so much work into every project they do."

Students interested in learning more about what State's Student Media does should head to ISUStudentMedia.com.

"Anyone interested in gaining real experience needs to come check out WZIS," said Gortney. "It's so much more than a college radio station. It's an entirely legit station, completely run by students."

Contact: Morgan Gallas, strategic communication specialist, Student Media at Indiana State University, (219) 246-1805 or mgallas@sycamores.indstate.edu