By Wholquoi Yeahgar
www.ywholquoi@gmail.com
Monrovia-The Press Union of Liberia has named OK FM as the Best Radio Station in the country for 2018.
The pronouncement was made at the weekend in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County at the PUL’s awards night.
The Union President Charles Cuffey noted that the award considered content, independence and integrity as criteria.
President Cuffey added that the award is given annually to deserving media outlets and individuals based on their contributions to society.
He added that it also serves as motivation for others to emulate in accordance with the standards of professionalism.
OK FM 99.5, a media institution which came to being nearly three years ago was among several radio stations listed for the award.
Several other journalists were awarded with individual awards including a hat trick by both Betty Mbayo of Front Page Africa and Anthony Stephens of Power FM/ TV.
For his part, OK FM Station’s Manager Smith Toby could not hold back the joy of obtaining the award amongst the multiplicity of media institutions in the country.
Manager Toby recollecting the station’s two years of existence and independence vowed to endeavor for other awards.
“Is is with great Joy that I celebrate this award especially on this day which is my birthday. Many thanks to all of our followers including those in the diaspora, for the love and respect they showed to us. With God being our helpre, we at OK FM will sustain this awards for years to com” Toby added.
The Bush Chicken, an online news paper in Liberia won four awards given out by the Press Union of Liberia, which is more than any other single outlet received on Saturday.
The outlet’s sports reporter, Kla Wesley, was recognized as the Sports Journalist of the Year, while its Maryland reporter, George Momo, won the Human Rights Reporter of the Year award. Sampson David, who reports for The Bush Chicken in Grand Bassa, was celebrated for outstanding reporting on the County Social Development Fund. Gbatemah Senah, who won three awards last year, was also recognized as the Land Rights Reporter of the Year.
The Bush Chicken’s publisher and CEO, Jefferson Krua, said it was a great achievement that his institution was recognized for the second year as Liberia’s best news outlet by having its reporters win the most awards of any institution in the country.
“It’s a testament to the amount of work and integrity we have been putting forward,” Krua noted.
Other journalists who received awards were Bettie Johnson-Mbayo from FrontPage Africa, who received three awards – Judicial Reporter of the Year, Women’s Rights Reporter of the Year, and Health Reporter of the Year. Anthony Stephens, a news editor for Power TV and Power FM, also won three awards including the Investigative Reporter of the Year, Extractives Industry Reporter of the Year, and Environmental Reporter of the Year.
John Kollie, the executive director of the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiative, was also awarded as the Journalist of the Year, while the Inquirer Newspaper won the Newspaper of the Year award. OK FM won the Radio Station of the Year award.
The press union also presented awards to the best community radio stations in each of the 15 counties. The winners included Radio Kakata in Margibi, Radio Bong Mines in Bong, Peace FM in Grand Gedeh, Voice of Rural Montserrado, Radio Bomi, Radio Cape Mount, Radio Dugbar in Grand Bassa, River Cess Broadcasting Service, Voice of Karn in Nimba, and Voice of Lofa, Radio Kpoo in Gbarpolu, Voice of Pleebo in Maryland, Radio Gee of River Gee, and Voice of Grand Kru. No station in Sinoe was announced as winner because the nomination forms had not been collected, according to the awards committee.
The awards committee did not announce winners for other categories including Business, Development, and Photojournalism. The committee did not officially provide a reason for the exclusion.