WKMS received some of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association’s top honors in the College Radio division at the KBA’s 2026 Excellence in Broadcasting Awards ceremony on Oct. 25 in Louisville.
WKMS won the College Radio Program of the Year award for the second year in a row. The honor recognizes the best overall radio program at a Kentucky college or university – highlighting an outstanding level of thoroughness from the station’s college interns and volunteer hosts in news reporting, production, promotions, listener interaction, digital content, social media content and overall delivery.
Station Manager Asia Burnett said that the award is one of the most meaningful the team could win because it shows the station’s commitment to one of its most important missions: educating the next generation of journalists.
“Since its inception in 1970, WKMS has centered students in the station’s newsgathering, music programming, hosting and more. It’s an honor to serve our region, but also to grow the skills of these amazing students who go on to lead in their fields all across the country,” Burnett said.
Additionally, three current and former WKMS news interns were recognized individually for their work produced between May 2025 and April 2026.
Will Darnall, a junior at Murray State University majoring in English (Philosophy Track), was named the KBA’s College Radio Student Broadcaster of the Year. This award honors a student who demonstrates outstanding communication skill, innovation, audience engagement and professionalism in radio broadcasting. Darnall has been with WKMS since March 2025.
Shelby Bloomer, a Murray State alum who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in May 2026, received the KBA’s College Radio News Reporter of the Year award – which recognizes a student’s abilities to report on hard news issues in addition to their communication skills, innovation and professionalism. Bloomer spent three semesters in the WKMS newsroom prior to her graduation.
Annabelle Massa, a junior majoring in visual communications at Murray State, received top honors in KBA’s college radio newscast/coverage category for a local newscast she hosted in March 2026 during All Things Considered. She worked for two semesters in the WKMS newsroom, and currently hosts the show “Folk-ish” that airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. on WKMS Music (HD-3) through WKMS’s Radio 101 program.
WKMS staff members, along with the station as a whole, were also named finalists in several other KBA awards categories. Those finalist honors, recognizing the top three finishers in each category, include:
- Radio: Overall Digital Presence
- Radio: Behind the Scenes (Shelby Ashley)
- Radio: News Reporter of the Year (Hannah Saad)
- Radio: Broadcast Leadership Award (Asia Burnett)
- College Radio: Overall Digital Presence
- College Radio: News Reporter of the Year (Will Darnall)
- College Radio: Newscast/Coverage (Will Darnall)
WKMS is able to offer paid internships to Murray State University students through the support of donors who give to the station.
