103.5 FM Takes 11 Awards at Media Fest

Wisconsin Community Media has announced this year’s winners in the radio categories of the 2018 Best of the Midwest Media Fest.

The Sun Prairie Media Center is thrilled to announce that no fewer than eleven awards have been won by producers of original shows created for 103.5 FM. All but one of the programs were produced at the 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio studios underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie.

“Flashpoint” was singled out as “Best in Show” in the radio category. “Flashpoint” is produced by the Sun Prairie Fire Department and features Chief Christopher Garrison and Lieutenant Becky Gruber talking about a myriad of topics related to fire safety and prevention. 

About his show, Chief Garrison said, “the number one mission of the Sun Prairie Fire Department is to serve and protect our community through education, prevention, preparedness and response. Every day I get in my car and turn on the radio, so I’m thinking many of our residents also do the same. What better way to get out our message than through the power of radio! If a resident would like to be informed of the levels of service we provide, receive home fire safety tips to keep their families safe, and discern how their tax dollars are being spent to keep them safe, tune in to Flashpoint Friday mornings on 103.5 FM!”

Elsewhere, producer/host Mark Gonwa won no fewer than five awards for his music programs: “Song Archaeology,” a program dedicated to telling the stories behind the songs, received an excellence award, while “Take Immediate Cover” and “Now You Know” scored achievement awards, and “Made in America” and “Fully Funktional” earned merit awards.

The new program “Council Playback” received an excellence award for its bi-monthly review of city council happenings.

Other programs scoring achievement awards: Rex Owens’s “My World and Welcome To It,” an hour of interactive discussion with Wisconsin authors, editors, publishers, and book lovers, and “Homeroom,” a show produced by and about the Sun Prairie Area School District.

Finally, merit awards were collected by Caprise Waak for on-air personality for her music program “Play Anything,” and by father and son team Jamison and Logan Rabbitt for their “It’s Time for 5″ show.

“I think we have the best volunteers, and I’m pleased that the judges of the Best of the Midwest Media Fest agree!” said 103.5 FM Production Manager Lisa Wolf. “We’re honored to have received so many awards, but not totally surprised. I’m constantly in awe of the dedication, intelligence, and integrity of our volunteers. Next year, I’d like to challenge all of our radio hosts to submit a program to this contest. I think we could take home even more awards in 2019!”

Need to catch up on these shows? Check them out on demand at sunprairiemediacenter.com/103-5. Shows are also available for listening on demand on the free 103.5 FM app available at the App Store or at Google Play.

And for any businesses that have been thinking about underwriting 103.5 FM programming, there has never been a better time to do so. Special rate pricing for all eleven award-winning shows is now available! Go to sunprairiemediacenter.com/underwrite for more details!

To be eligible for an award, a program must have been produced and/or distributed through the facilities of a community media center and premiered on a cable access channel, community radio station, or its website.