UA-Housed Alabama Public Radio Wins National Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Pat Duggins, news director at Alabama Public Radio, housed in The University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences, has won a national PRNDI award from Public Radio News Directors Inc.

The judges called Duggins five-part series “Oil & Water: Recovering from the Spill” a “great mix of affected voices, ambient sound, and writing that conveys the aftermath of one of America’s worst oil spill disasters. Smart, engaging storytelling.”

The series, which covered the aftermath of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, won a first-place award.

“APR took a calculated risk by spending a year investigating the actual long-term impact of the oil spill on Alabama’s coast,” Duggins said. “It’s very flattering to have this effort recognized with a prestigious national award.”

This was APR’s first PRNDI award in more than a decade.

“Alabama Public Radio, like public radio stations across the country, pursues what some might consider old-fashioned notions of journalism,” said Elizabeth Brock, director of the Center for Public Television and Radio.

“To have our work recognized by the Public Radio News Directors Inc. — a group composed of industry leaders who are committed to the highest standards of journalistic excellence — is a great honor,” Brock said. “We owe this achievement to the listeners and supporters of Alabama Public Radio who help make it all possible.”

Alabama Public Radio is listener-supported radio that broadcasts from the Tennessee Valley to the Gulf Coast. For more information, visit the APR website.