Annual Membership Dues

• Voting Member – $35 (INBA voting membership is offered to all Illinois news broadcasters including Professional, Educator, and Retired members.)
• Out-of-State (Non-Voting) Member – $35
• Student (Non-Voting) Member – $20 (Student membership is offered to Illinois college students enrolled in journalism-related courses and Illinois residents enrolled at out-of-state colleges.)
• Associate Member – $60 (Associate membership is offered to professionals in allied fields such as public relations.)

Members from newsrooms with 5 or more voting members pay a reduced rate of $25 per person. For membership questions, contact Executive Secretary John Kendall at jkendall@week.com. For problems filling out the signup form, contact President Jason Piscia at jason.piscia@gmail.com.

** Click here to visit the signup and payment form. (This link will take you to a Google Form page) **

History of INBA’s Scholarship program

In 1963, the Illinois News Broadcasters Association awarded its first scholarship, a $200 stipend to Alan Morris of the University of Illinois. That began a long tradition of giving scholarships to college students pursuing degrees in broadcast journalism.

The tradition continued in 2024 with the awarding of five $2,600 scholarships to students attending an Illinois college or university or Illinois residents attending an out-of-state college or university.

INBA has granted about 213 scholarships worth nearly $202,000 since 1963.

To permanently fund the scholarship program, the INBA formed the INBA Foundation, which the Internal Revenue Service designated as a 501(c)3 organization on April 4, 2003.

The Foundation operates autonomously, generating income to fund the scholarships while not participating in the award selection process. A seven-member board of directors oversees its management, with its goal to maximize income while achieving equity growth primarily through contributions. Donors include companies, families and individuals with broadcast interests; other foundations; and corporations. The INBA Foundation retains an asset manager to supervise its moderately conservative portfolio in the American Funds family.

To donate online to the Scholarship Fund, visit our secure payments page.

In this INBA Podcast, Margaret Larkin speaks with WGN Radio’s Dave Schwan.

After 45 years in radio news, Schwan is at the height of his career at WGN Radio where he is also on the air with Dean Richards. He talks about anchoring and reporting in Chicago, why he loves doing radio news, hosting the Grant Music Festival concerts and jazz network for WFMT, his mentors, advice, writing, and more. This is from a livestream that Dave did with Margaret Larkin.

The Illinois News Broadcasters Association today accepted the resignation of Mike Miletich as president of the organization.

Mike directly addressed the board of directors during its quarterly board meeting on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, related to an on-air incident which led to the end of his employment with WGEM-TV.

With a mission to educate and support professional and student journalists, we see the value of learning from his experience and moving forward together with Mike.

We are grateful that he will remain a valued member of the INBA, and we respect and accept his decision to step away from his role as president to ensure that the important work of the organization continues with the full faith of our board, its members, and the trust that is necessary to serve the public.

Immediate Past President Jenna Dooley will serve as interim president until the next election.

• The INBA Board of Directors

In this podcast, Margaret Larkin interviews Jeff Burnett, a producer at WTHR in Indianapolis. Burnett is an Illinois native, with a non-traditional path to broadcast journalism.

Burnett talks about why he delayed going to college and what he learned from working at places like Walmart. Burnett participated in ISU’s TV-10 program and graduated from the Public Affairs Reporting Program at University of Illinois-Springfield.

He previously worked as a producer at WEEK-TV in Peoria and WHAS11 in Louisville.

What drew him to journalism was his interest in music and radio. From there, Burnett said he chose his college where he could get experience in Top 40 radio. To learn how he worked his way from ‘Jeff Jams’ on the radio to TV news producer, take a listen.

Where to enter

https://rockourawards.com/register

In the dropdown, for “Select State” choose: Illinois News Broadcasters Association

FYI: Large Market stations include Chicago and St. Louis. Small Market entries are for stations serving an Illinois audience outside of the Chicago/St. Louis metro markets. Entries can include border markets in Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Indiana which have a signal in Illinois. Our awards platform is Rock Our Awards and payment is made through PayPal on the Rock Our Awards portal. You can also pay by check made out to “INBA Awards” sent to Tanya Koonce/INBA Treasurer, 1470 N. Main St. East Peoria, 61611.

Questions? Contact Contest Manager H Wayne Wilson: hwilson@mtco.com

Important deadlines

For work completed July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023

Entries accepted starting July 1, 2023

Finalists announced: August 2023

Awards presented: Sept. 9, 2023, at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association Fall Convention in Urbana.

Price per entry

Large Market TV, $45

Small Market TV, $30

Large Market Radio, $35

Small Market Radio, $20

Categories

INBA Crystal Mic Award for Best Station (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Entry should contain parts of locally-originated, regularly-scheduled newscasts aired on any date during the contest period, minus commercials/PSAs. Other components may include separate examples of spot news, features and other work to showcase the overall performance of the news operation. Entry must contain a written overview that lists in bullet-point form descriptions of the included items. All entries should be as they appeared on air without additional voice-over or narration. Entries may be edited.

Time limit: 50 minutes for TV; 25 minutes for radio.

Entry Limit per Station: One

INBA Paul Davis Crystal Mic Award for Best Newscast (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Entry should include one locally-originated, regularly-scheduled newscast, minus commercials/PSAs on any date during the contest period.

Time limit: 25 minutes for Television and 15 minutes for Radio (after commercials/PSAs are removed)

Entry Limit per Station: One

INBA Crystal Mic Award for Best Reporter (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Entry must include at least three non-documentary stories broadcast during the contest period. Stories should demonstrate research and writing skills while also displaying initiative in reporting and performance. The entrant should be an individual who regularly handles daily assignments but may also handle occasional special assignments.

Time Limit: 25 minutes for Television and Radio

Entry Limit: None.

INBA Crystal Mic Award for Best Weather Operation (Large and Small Market Television Only):

Entry, minus commercials/PSAs, may include up to four weather blocks from at least two different individuals aired during the contest period. Presentations should demonstrate knowledge, performance and ability to present useful information to viewers.

Time Limit: 25 Minutes

Entry Limit per Station: One

INBA Crystal Mic Award for Best Digital Presence (Large and Small Market Television and Radio):

Judges will view a station’s website, social media feeds and apps. Judges will consider content, overall appearance, ease of navigation, success at building an online audience and community involvement. Station entries should include a listing of digital offerings and evidence of community engagement.

Other important information

• All entries must be submitted online.

• Entries must be submitted to www.rockourawards.com. Be sure to read the information on the home page concerning the entry process and appropriate file sizes and types.

• Create a profile (username and password) by clicking the “Register” button on the top of the homepage.  Complete the information, click submit and you’ll be taken to the Illinois News Broadcasters Association homepage. 

• From the homepage you can review awards rules, submit an entry, view and edit an entry, or edit your station’s information.

• To enter a category, click “Submit Entry” and fill in the information.  The headline/title should be what you would want shown on a plaque.

• Acceptable file formats to upload to the site are .mp3, .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .doc, docx, .wma, .pdf, .mp4, .wmv and .mov files.

• RockOurAwards.com requires video entries to be linked from YouTube, Vimeo, other video hosting sites, or a station website.  Simply copy/paste the videos URL in the “Add Link” section.     

• Special characters should be avoided in file names.  Stick with letters, numbers, &, dots, dashes and underscores, “NO # or apostrophes” 

• If you have questions, are running into trouble, or need to reset your password, email info@rockourawards.com or call 800-471-1875.

In this very special edition of the INBA Podcast, Margaret Larkin interviews John Drummond. Drummond is a legendary TV journalist who spent three decades reporting for CBS2 Chicago. Drummond earned the nickname “Bulldog” for his tenacious reporting. He is known for his coverage of crime, corruption, and the mob in the windy city. He still returns to what he calls “the magic lantern,” every now and then to provide expert analysis and context to stories on CBS2.

But Drummond didn’t start in the big city. He’s from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and he got his first news job doing radio in Iowa.

He said the first time he watched TV was in 1948 and remembers it was “fascinating.” Despite that, it’s not the career he originally wanted.

Drummond was enthralled by the radio broadcasts of WWII and joined the Air Force for four years. He even considered a career in Navy intelligence. After his service he contemplated getting a law degree because of his interest in high school debate.

Ultimately, he got his start in radio and made the transition into TV for a better paycheck; he had a family of three children to support. Drummond said he welcomed the change, adding you have to be “a ham” to work in TV. He had aspired to work in the Twin Cities, but found an opportunity in Chicago and jumped at the chance.

The “Bulldog” gave us some insight on his favorite stories he’s covered in Chicago, including the mob. He said in his career, Chicago had the most powerful mob faction in the country.

If you love history and perspective, this is an episode you can’t miss.

In this podcast, INBA’s Margaret Larkin speaks to Charlie Meyerson about his decades-long career in Chicago news. Meyerson has worked for WGN-AM, WXRT, WNUA, and FM News. He also worked for the Chicago Tribune. Now, he runs his own free email newsletter called Chicago Public Square, where he curates important highlights of the day’s news for subscribers. He also works for Rivet Radio.

Meyerson talks about the challenges with getting younger audiences to listen to radio and how to make money in today’s world of digital news. Despite those challenges, he says he still thinks it’s a great time to get into the communications business. Hey says nowadays, “One person can communicate with thousands of people daily.”

In this podcast, WBBM’s Margaret Larkin interviews NBC5 Chicago veteran reporter Phil Rogers.

Rogers joined WMAQ in 1991, and before that he worked at WBBM Newsradio, KOMA-AM in Oklahoma City, and KVRO-FM in Stillwater, OK.

Rogers talks with Larkin about the news stories he’s covered all over the world throughout his career including Olympic games, conflicts in the Middle East, and the Sandy Hook massacre.

Rogers also dives into how much transparency among public agencies has changed through the course of his career, specifically in Chicago. Spoiler alert: he says it has changed dramatically, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear how he keeps doing the work he does.

To budding journalists, Rogers said, “News isn’t very hard,” adding that 99% of the job is just reporting what happens. He says what interests him is finding the information he’s not supposed to know about. He also talks about how stories can be unpredictable, “News a lot of the time involves things that don’t pan out,” he said, “You’re there to tell the story that you have not the story that you want.”

For journalists hungry for conversations on transparency, public records, and investigative work, this is the INBA podcast for you.

The INBA is thrilled to release the winners of our second annual INBA Crystal Mic Awards. The awards will be presented at our Fall Convention in Bloomington on Saturday, Oct. 8. To register, head to our Eventbrite link. You can also book a room at the Parke Regency Hotel and Conference Center at our group rate through Sept. 16. To book now, click here.

Small Market Radio

Best Station                          

1st place               WCBU-FM, Peoria                                              

2nd place              WNIJ-FM, DeKalb

Best Newscast                     

1st place               WGLT-FM, Normal                                              

2nd place              WLBK, DeKalb

Best Reporter                      

1st place               Joe Deacon, WCBU-FM, Peoria                                        

2nd place              Lyndsay Jones, WGLT-FM, Normal

Breaking News                     

1st place               WMBD, Peoria, “BioUrja Ongoing Disaster”                                  

2nd place              WILL, Urbana, “Rare December Tornado Hits Coles County”

Best Digital Presence         

1st place               WVIK-FM, Quad-Cities

2nd place              WNIJ.org/Hola, DeKalb

Investigative Report           

1st place               WNIJ-FM, DeKalb, Peter Medlin, “Water Woes”

2nd place              WIUM-FM, Macomb, Jane Carlson, “A One Hospital Town”

Sports Report                      

1st place               WILL, Urbana, “Women’s Basketball Hires Shauna Green As Head Coach”

2nd place              WIUM-FM, Macomb, Jane Carlson, “A National Champion”

Use of Sound                       

1st place               WTAX, Springfield, “Fair Fare”

2nd place              WVIK-FM, Quad Cities, “Do You Want To Work On The Railroad?”

Best Writing                         

1st place               WTAX, Springfield, Dave Dahl

2nd place              WNIJ-FM, DeKalb, Yvonne Boose

Large Market Radio

Best Station                          

1st place                WBBM-Chicago                                   

Best Newscast                     

1st place               WBBM-Chicago                                   

2nd place              WLS-Chicago

Best Reporter                      

1st place                Lisa Fielding, WBBM, Chicago                                          

2nd place              Eric Schmid, KWMU, St. Louis

Investigative Report           

1st place                KWMU, St. Louis, “Lack Of Tornado Safe Rooms For Metro East Warehouses”

Sports Report                      

1st place                WBBM, Chicago, “Sports Report with Jeff Joniak”

Use of Sound                       

1st place                KWMU, St. Louis, “This app lets you see what Cahokia Mounds looked like 1,000 years ago”

2nd place              WBBM, Chicago, Lisa Fielding

Small Market TV

Best Station                          

1st place               WREX-TV, Rockford                                            

2nd place              WCIA-TV, Champaign

Paul Davis Best Newscast                  

1st place               WREX-TV, Rockford                                            

2nd place              WGEM-TV, Quincy

Best Reporter                      

1st place                Mike Miletich, WGEM-TV, Quincy                                    

2nd place              Shelby Kluver, WQAD-TV, Moline    

Breaking News                     

1st  place              WGEM-TV, Quincy, “Firefighters Battle Fire And Ice”

2nd place              WIFR-TV, Rockford, “Jury Finds Floyd Brown Guilty Of Second Degree Murder”

Best Digital Presence         

1st place               WREX-TV, Rockford

2nd place              WMBD-TV, Peoria

Investigative Report           

1st place               WEEK-TV, Peoria, Kyle Beachy, “Panhandling in Peoria: How A Pandemic Has Fueled A Problem”

2nd place              WAND-TV, Decatur, Deron Molen/Eric Ahola, “Transferring Trauma”

Sports Report                      

1st place               WQAD-TV, Moline, “La Panterita”

2nd place              WEEK-TV, Peoria, “All-American Hometown Hero”

Use of Video                        

1st place               WQAD-TV, Moline, “John Deere Strike”

2nd place              WMBD-TV, Peoria, “Destination Illinois: Bob & Tom Excellent Adventures”

Best Writing                         

1st place               WIFR-TV, Rockford, Mike Garrigan

2nd place              WQAD-TV, Moline, Josh Lamberty

Best Weather Operation

1st place               WGEM-TV, Quincy

2nd place              WREX-TV, Rockford

Large Market TV

Best Station                          

1st place               KSDK, St. Louis                                    

2nd place              WLS-TV, Chicago

Paul Davis Best Newscast                  

1st place               KSDK, St. Louis                                    

2nd place              WLS-TV, Chicago

Best Reporter                      

1st place                PJ Randhawa, KSDK, St. Louis                                           

2nd place              Emily Manley, KTVI, St. Louis

Breaking News                     

1st  place               WGN, Chicago, “Oak Brook Mall Shooting”                   

Best Digital Presence         

1st place               WLS-TV, Chicago

2nd place              KSDK, St. Louis

Sports Report                      

1st place               KSDK, St. Louis, “Justin Hardy Story”

2nd place              WGN, Chicago, “Ukrainian Boxers”

Use of Video                        

1st place                KSDK, St. Louis, “Stone Carver”

Best Writing                         

1st place                KSDK, St. Louis, Mike Bush

Best Weather Operation

1st place                WLS, Chicago