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Lander Students Compete for National Broadcast Awards

Two Lander University mass communication majors have written radio documentaries about two devastating experiences in their lives, and both productions are finalists in competition at the annual College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI) convention in Minneapolis, Minn., in late October.

The two documentaries were nominated for national student production awards in the Best Audio Documentary/Public Affairs category.

Ann Scott O'Brian, a senior from Columbia, wrote "Joshua Scott Blankenship," an eight-minute feature that chronicles events leading up to the suicide of her oldest brother for whom the production is named. It also deals with the impact his unexpected death had on her and members of her family. She said Blankenship was a U.S Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq.

In her documentary "A New Paradigm," Lynn Hohn, a junior from Summerville focuses on sexual abuse and rape, which she and two friends have personally experienced. Hohn said her purpose in choosing the topic was to let listeners know that being the victim of sexual abuse and rape does not define who she is. Her production also encourages victims to reach out when they feel a need to talk to somebody.

The two documentaries were produced in the Advanced Radio Production class taught by Paul Crutcher, Lander's broadcast and emerging media specialist. He said Marshall University, in West Virginia, is the only other college or university that has two finalists in any of the audio categories.

CBI describes itself as an organization whose members are students and advisers of college and high school electronic outlets, including radio, television, webcasting and other media-related activities.