The staff of alt. news 26:46, a news magazine program produced by university students, went to the College Television Awards in Los Angeles Apr. 25 uncertain whether it would win its sixth accolade from the event.

But the team had nothing to be worried about. While some staff tried to keep low expectations during the ceremony, alt. news 26:46 won a national College Television award for best magazine program for episode 1403, which features content the crew shot from Texas where reporters visited the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park, as well as an exotic wildlife ranch. The episode also featured a debut music video from the band Kid Tiger.

Advertisement

Matt Sloan, a junior from Germantown, Tenn. studying radio-television, said the staff came in confident in the show it produced but knew they were up against tough competition.

“We were thrilled just to be nominated,” he said. Sloan said when the staff members heard the show’s name called, the alt. news 26:46 team went crazy with excitement.

There may have been a few sentimental moments as well, Sloan said.

“It’s possible I shed a few tears, but there’s no proof of that,” he said. “It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”

Haley Conner, the program’s executive producer and a senior from Du Quoin studying radio-television, said she also tried to keep low expectations.

The crew was uncertain whether its hard work was going to be good enough, she said.

Team members also worried about getting to the College Television Awards ceremony as well, as raising money for the trip wasn’t easy, she said. However, the team is thankful for the support it received from sponsors in the radio-television department, Conner said.

Advertisement*

“It would have been disheartening if majority of our staff wasn’t there (in Los Angeles),” she said. Overall, she said the staff would have been happy just with a nomination alone.

Therefore, no acceptance speech was prepared and no special spot was reserved for the trophy awarded, she said.

“I didn’t want to jinx us before the trip,” she said. Beth Radtke, producer and a senior from Tinley Park studying radio-television, said she was as nervous and eager as anyone else before alt. news 26:46 won the award. The long wait before reaching to the best magazine program nominations didn’t make it any better, she said.

Ultimately, Radtke said she believes the staff won the award because members put much effort into producing each episode. The people involved spend their own money to travel around the country and shoot show content, she said. When people pull together and sacrifice their time and money for a product, good things are sure to come, Radtke said.