Four students recording the Making Waves podcast

Fall 2019 — "Making Waves," a podcast collaboration between KBVR-FM and the Asian & Pacific Cultural Center, was honored by the College Media Association as one of the best student media podcasts in the country. "Making Waves" was one of five podcasts nationwide to be honored in the 2018-19 CMA Pinnacle Awards, which recognizes the top work in all of college media. At the ACP/CMA Fall National College Media Convention, held in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 31-Nov. 3, it was announced that the podcast won first place in the Best Podcast category in this year's Pinnacle Awards.

"Being named as a finalist in the Pinnacles is huge in terms of accomplishment," CMA President Chris Evans said. "We had thousands of entries. Competition is fierce, and OSU students have now been ranked among the top student media outlets in the country. Media professionals serve as judges, and they do tend to have exacting standards. When the winners are announced in October at the National College Media Convention in Washington, D.C., it’s going to be an exciting time. There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by all these finalists and seeing who takes home the top prize."

"Making Waves" was created by OSU students Audrey Kadoya, Erica Suh and Sophia Kea, and explored topics of identity, race and the Asian and Pacific Islander experience. KBVR-FM staff, including podcast director Melinda Myers and station manager Roman Battaglia, assisted with the production."It was really nice to have the opportunity to be able to share our experiences on a different platform and be able to highlight a variety of subjects," Kea said. "I think the podcast allowed individuals to learn from each other as well as connect on a common level; through the sharing of personal experiences and the acknowledge of shared values, I think Making Waves was able embody our goal while also being lighthearted and fitting for the OSU community." 

All ten episodes of "Making Waves" can be viewed on KBVR-FM’s Facebook page. The show also airs weekdays at 9 a.m. on KBVR, and can be heard over the air on 88.7 FM in Corvallis or streamed on KBVR’s website.

"Making Waves was our first foray into video podcasting and it’s been a great way to inform people about how Asian-American and Pacific Islanders navigate Oregon State," Battaglia said. "I’m excited for the awards ceremony and I hope that our work that we’ve done over the past 54 years will show our dedication to the local Corvallis community and to college radio."

Additionally, Orange Media Network’s other mediums and publications were also honored by CMA in the Pinnacle Awards, with The Daily Barometer winning third place for Best Editorial, KBVR-TV and OMN’s creative video team winning third place for Best TV Promo/PSA, DAMchic and OMN’s creative design team receiving an honorable mention for Best House Ad, and KBVR-FM receiving an honorable mention for best four-year college radio station. OMN is an experiential learning lab available to all students at Oregon State University. To learn more and get involved, visit OMN’s website and click on the get involved tab.