Ambrose TV station wins national award

Jonathan Turner
·2 min read

St. Ambrose University’s SAUtv has been named Best College/University Television Station by the Intercollegiate Broadcast System.

The SAUtv team accepted the national award during the 85th-annual Media Awards Ceremony in Times Square, New York City on March 2.

The St. Ambrose group that accepted the national award in New York were (L-R) Ryan Schiestel (junior), Greg Armstrong (clinical instructor), Dave Girgenti (senior), and Dave Baker (operations manager, KALA-FM).
The St. Ambrose group that accepted the national award in New York were (L-R) Ryan Schiestel (junior), Greg Armstrong (clinical instructor), Dave Girgenti (senior), and Dave Baker (operations manager, KALA-FM).

“This award exemplifies the commitment of St. Ambrose University to creating opportunities for applied, hands-on, real-world learning.,” SAU president Amy Novak said in a Monday news release. “Clearly, the experience our students have in producing content in the television environment is preparing them well for the world of work. I’m thrilled that the students and their outstanding faculty are being recognized for this award. It further confirms our university’s effort to developing leaders imbued with a commitment to courage, wisdom, justice and service.”

SAUtv was nominated in the category alongside Auburn University, Ashland University, Lasell University, and University of Santo Tomas. SAUtv and KALA Radio received a total of six IBS Media Award nominations, including “Best News Report” by Dave Girgenti, “Best Sports Report” by Sydnee Horstman, and “Best Newscast” for SAU Weekly.

The university’s KALA Radio station (88.5 FM) received nominations for “Best Station Promo” and “Best Sports Play-by-Play” by Ryan Schiestel, Anna Verry and Jorge Brizuela.

Ambrose students Ryan Schiestel, left, and Dave Girgenti.
Ambrose students Ryan Schiestel, left, and Dave Girgenti.

“Our students work hard all year to develop their skills and passions in the art of visual storytelling,” Greg Armstrong, SAU clinical instructor said in Monday’s release. “We want to foster a creative environment where everyone can learn and understand effective multimedia communication. The Communication and Digital Media Department takes a hands-on approach. Through our classes, our students produce multiple television broadcasts per week which is the best way to learn the craft.”

Intercollegiate Broadcast System received more than 3,000 award entries in all from schools of various sizes from around the U.S., according to SAU.

Both SAUtv and KALA Radio will compete for regional awards this spring: MBJA Midwest Broadcast Journalist Association Awards in Minneapolis on April 5-6, and Iowa Broadcast News Association Awards in Des Moines, on April 20.

To learn more about SAUtv and St. Ambrose University, visit sau.edu.

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