POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — For the sixth year in a row, the student journalists of the College of the Ozarks “The Point” broadcast newsroom have been awarded top honors by the Mid-America National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).
The Mid-America NATAS 2022 Student Production Awards competition was open to colleges and universities in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The competition recognizes one winner and one or more honorable mentions in each category. “The Point” students received twelve awards in nine separate categories:
College News Report – Serious News:
Winner for “Snow Coverage” – Aric Avey, junior journalism major and Bethany French, senior journalism major
Honorable Mention for “Remember 9/11” Abby Riffel, junior journalism major and the Videographers of “The Point”
College News Report – Light News:
Winner for “Making of a Musical” – Verve Reposar, alumna and Alexander Olson, senior culinary arts major
Honorable Mention for “Building Character” Abby Riffel and the Videographers of “The Point”
College Non-Fiction Short Form:
Honorable Mention for “Veterans of Afghanistan” – Avery Reed, fall 2021 graduate and Nate Hankins, fall 2021 graduate
College Arts-Entertainment/Cultural Affairs
Winner for “Artists, Actors and Musicians” – Sarah Best, senior journalism major and Alexander Olson
College Magazine Program
Winner for “The Point” Christmas Edition – Avery Reed, Alexander Olson, Abby Riffel
Honorable Mention for “Snow Hits Campus” – Aric Avey, Anna Ginnings, senior journalism major, and Bethany French
College Craft Talent – News
Honorable Mention – Bethany French
College Craft Photographer
Winner – The Videographers of “The Point”
College Craft Editor
Honorable Mention – Alexander Olson
College Craft Writer
Honorable Mention – Abby Riffel
The awards will be presented at the Regional Emmy Awards Ceremony on Oct. 29 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.
College of the Ozarks alumna and associate professor Erin Hayes oversees “The Point” newsroom.
“Our journalism program at College of the Ozarks is centered on integrity, hard work, and a reverence for truth and these students are a beautiful example of that. They persevered through some real challenges in the past year, and they are very deserving of this recognition. I’m so proud of them, grateful that they are my students, and grateful that that they will bring their skills and integrity to the vocation of journalism.”
The board of Mid-America NATAS celebrates innovation and integrity across all platforms of visual media and is dedicated to advancing careers and promoting educational opportunities in Mid-America for the next generation.
More about “The Point”
“The Point” Broadcast Newsroom was established in 2015. It is a College of the Ozarks workstation, and its students produce weekly newscasts and sportscasts covering stories of significance to the C of O community.
Hayes is an award-winning journalist and former ABC news correspondent. In 2017, she was inducted into The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle. She is a four-time recipient of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and a winner of the National Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting. She received the National Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, three Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards, and was recognized for her work during ABC News’ coverage of 9/11.
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