WCBU Earns First-Place Honors by Illinois News Broadcasters Association

WCBU, the National Public Radio member-station in Peoria owned by and licensed to Bradley University, has earned first-place honors in the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) Crystal Mic Awards. The station earned first place in Best Station for Overall Excellence (Small Market) and Best Digital Presence, recognizing the station’s website, social media and podcasts.

This statewide recognition comes two years after Bradley and Illinois State University (ISU) entered into an agreement whereby WGLT (ISU’s public radio station) handles day-to-day operations at WCBU. WCBU continues to operate a growing newsroom in Peoria, with its reporters and studios based at Morgan Hall at Bradley.

Currently, WCBU has four full-time newsroom staff located on campus. This includes News Director Tim Shelley (Bradley class of 2013), journalists Joe Deacon and Hannah Alani and host Daniel Musisi. The station also has two half-time journalists/newscasters, Kristin McHugh and Jody Holtz (Bradley class of 2021). Part-time interns, correspondents and the station's corporate support director, Anna Chumbley, are based in Peoria as well.

“It’s gratifying to receive this kind of recognition from our peers, especially at this point in our turnaround,” said general manager R.C. McBride. “The WCBU newsroom—our full-time reporters, hosts, correspondents and interns—served the Peoria community admirably last year through a series of crises, and we’re proud to have earned this recognition.”

WCBU, with support from individual donors and underwriters, has drastically increased local content since the 2019 change in operations. The launch of its daily morning podcast On Deck and the upcoming launch of its news magazine All Things Peoria helps to continue to make this possible.

WCBU will be recognized Sept. 25 at the INBA’s fall convention in Rockford, Ill.