2024 Broadcast Pacemaker finalists

NSPA names top news broadcasts

Pacemaker competition recognizes 13 finalists for excellence

Sept. 10, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — Honoring the nation’s best, the National Scholastic Press Association has named 13 scholastic news broadcasts as finalists in its prestigious Pacemaker competition.
NSPA Pacemaker finalists will be recognized and the Pacemaker winners announced for the first time on Nov. 9, at the NSPA Awards Ceremony during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.

“The Pacemaker is the association’s preeminent award,” executive director Laura Widmer said. “NSPA is honored to recognize the best of the best.”

The NSPA Pacemaker award has a rich tradition and the association started presenting the award to high school newspapers a few years after the organization was founded in 1921. Throughout the years, yearbooks, magazines, online sites and broadcast programs were added to the competition.

The 13 Pacemaker finalists represent seven states. Texas and Florida set the pace with four finalists each. A single middle school broadcast was recognized.

Each school entered three programs from the 2023-24 school year. A team of three judges, collegiate broadcast professors and professionals in the broadcast industry, viewed each entry discussing and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses before selecting the finalists and Pacemakers.

“The winning entries stood out for not just their technical quality, but in the stories being covered,” Gary Lundgren, associate director and contest coordinator, said. “The writing, editing, hosting and the willingness to tackle relevant topics make these exceptional newscasts from start to finish.”

For judging, high school shows were divided into live and pre-recorded categories. The frequency of the broadcast was also considered. All middle school/junior high broadcasts competed in a separate category.

“The quality of the broadcasts is incredible and gets stronger each year,” Lundgren said. “It is exciting to watch the growth in broadcast programs in high schools across the country.”

Please join us at the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention Nov. 7-10, 2024, at the Philadelphia Marriott.

The convention offers hundreds of instructional sessions, keynote speakers from national newsmakers, dozens of media critiques, JEA’s popular on-site media contests and the announcement of NSPA national winners for Pacemaker Awards and Individual Awards. NSPA also offers a convention Best of Show competition that celebrates current student media work.

Fall Pacemaker finalists

Broadcast
Newspaper/Newsmagazine
Specialty publication