Nebraska Public Media is celebrating another round of honors for its local journalism and storytelling, earning seven Nebraska Broadcasters Association Pinnacle Awards and a national Edward R. Murrow Award.
Seven Pinnacle Awards for Nebraska Public Media Radio
Nebraska Public Media received seven 2026 Pinnacle Awards from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association, recognizing excellence in radio journalism.
Senior reporter/producer Fred Knapp earned a gold award in the Service to Business, Industry, Government or Education category for "Nebraska Utilities Dealing with Energy Growth," which looked at how utilities are responding to increasing electricity demand.
Nebraska Public Media received six additional awards:
- Silver—Best Spot News Reporting: "Nebraska Wildfires," by Jackie Ourada, Andy Hermann, Scott Koperski and Macy Byars
- Silver—Best In-Depth or Investigative Story: "Murder-Suicides Surge in Nebraska," by Molly Ashford
- Silver—Best Continuing Coverage of a News Story: "UNL Proposes Academic Program Eliminations," by Jolie Peal
- Silver—Best Multiplatform Journalism: "Grand Island Middle Schools Football Rivalry," by Aaron Bonderson and Jolie Peal
- Bronze—Service to Children: "Online Learning on Snow Days; Others Sled Away," by Jolie Peal
- Bronze—Best Spot News Reporting: "Omaha ICE Raid," by Kassidy Arena, Molly Ashford and Fred Knapp
The Pinnacle Awards have recognized excellence in broadcasting and service to Nebraska communities since 1958. The 2026 awards were presented Aug. 12 in Lincoln.
Together, the seven awards highlight the range of Nebraska Public Media’s journalism — from stories focused on Nebraska's unique communities to reporting on issues that impact the entire state. They also reflect an important part of public media’s mission: providing reliable, in-depth reporting that helps Nebraskans understand what is happening in their communities and across the state.
Rescuing Japanese Hall Earns National Murrow Award
Nebraska Public Media also earned a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Rescuing Japanese Hall, an episode of the local storytelling series Nebraska Stories. The program won in the Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion category in the Small Market Television division. The story had previously won in the regional Murrow awards before advancing to the national competition.
For more than a decade, Nebraska Public Media documented efforts by Nebraskans of Japanese heritage to preserve Scottsbluff’s Japanese Hall, built in 1928 as a gathering place for the region’s Japanese community. The episode follows the hall’s relocation and restoration while sharing the story of Father Hiram Kano and more than a century of Japanese American history in Nebraska.
The production team included Kay Hall, Sage Reiger, Justin Cheney, David Koehn, Tyler Kersting, Christian Champoux, Sam Brodersen, Tiffany Johanson, Emily Kreutz, Lee Lohrberg, Ryan Messman, Nathan Todhunter, Arthur Jones, Jerrad Stutzman, Lyle Newburn, Sandra Reddish, Michele Wolford, Scott Beachler, David Barry, Werner Althaus, Tina Murphy and Gavin Felix.
The Edward R. Murrow Awards, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, have recognized outstanding achievements in electronic journalism since 1971 and are among the most respected honors in broadcast and digital journalism. The award is one of the most prestigious in broadcast and digital news, and will be presented at the Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala in New York City on Oct. 12.
The recognition is not only a testament to strong production and storytelling, but also to the values associated with the Murrow Awards: accuracy, integrity, public service and journalism that helps audiences better understand their communities. Nebraska Public Media is proud to share these values and to produce journalism that informs Nebraskans, reflects their experiences and strengthens connections across our state.