Photo Essay | Chapman Radio brings back memories, insight and four national awards after their trip to New York City

Chapman Radio’s staff gathered around the trophy for “Best Streaming Only Station (Under 10,000 Students).”

From Tuesday, March 4, to Sunday, March 9, Chapman University's radio station had the opportunity to send nominated members to New York City for the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) conference and awards ceremony.

Nominated as finalists for a total of 10 national awards, including best celebrity interview, best social media campaign, best comedy program, best specialty show (non-music), best station contest, best promotional poster, best press release, best podcast, best station ID (a sound bite that identifies the station for the audience) and best streaming only station. It’s an honor to become a finalist, as it places them as the top 3% to 5% within each category across the nation.

Flying from one coast to another; a group of 22 Chapman students met at the airport, flew out and checked into the hotel.

Being that the conference is held in New York City, a place filled with all kinds of culture, art, music and sightseeing, one cannot help but explore every nook during their free time.

Part of the Chapman Radio IBS experience includes tagging the city with the station’s logo and stickers, as pictured above. 

The conference started off with a meet and greet opening party, inviting all attending colleges. Thursday night consisted of three hours filled with music, drinks and a lot of networking.

Pictured above are Chapman Radio members with friends from WXJM 88.7 FM (left), located in Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania, and WXUT 88.3 FM (right), located in Toledo, Ohio.

Aside from meeting a bunch of cool college students who are also interested in radio, the conference offers opportunities to take learning sessions, tour radio stations and have conversations with professionals on the field.

Members touring the iHeart Radio offices in New York City.

Matt Wolfe (left), CBS News Entertainment Reporter/1010 WINS, and Budd Mishkin (right), 1010 WINS Anchor, after their “Interview Skills: Don't Ask THAT Question!” panel. 
Chapman Radio’s top places to visit in New York City include: the IGirl store, Urban Jungle, Tomi Jazz, Smalls, Happy99, Artists + Fleas and Limited to One.

Chapman Radio takes the tourist role in New York City.

Although they were running around NYC for four straight days, the main event and the whole reason why Chapman Radio traveled to New York was for Saturday night’s award ceremony. Chapman Radio competed as a finalist in 10 categories

Three individual shows, part of the station, took home a win in their respective categories. Best Specialty Show Non-Music was won by RealiTea Check: Megan Lasala (senior strategic and corporate communications major), Cecilia Ward (senior psychology and law major), Maya Milne (senior psychology major)  and Brooke Duncan (senior psychology major). Best Social Media Campaign was won by Is it OK? - Is Hookup Culture OK?: Maika Suaya (junior creative producing major) and Smith Romney (junior creative producing major). Best Show Promotional Poster was won by State of Mind - Press Start!: Chloe Wong (senior public relations and advertising major) and Lisa Wong (senior broadcast journalism and documentary major).

Co-general managers Madieson Manalo (senior screenwriting major) and Lily Goldklang (senior communications major), embrace one another after hearing that Chapman Radio won for Best Streaming-Only Station (under 10,000 students). This is the fourth year Chapman Radio has been nominated as a finalist for the award, and the first year the station won it

“Winning this award is an unbelievable way to close out our last IBS. To attend the first conference since COVID in 2022 and winning my first award to coming home with Best Streaming Station Under 10,000 Students in 2025 is a huge achievement not just for us but for the station as a whole. Even though this is the biggest award we’ve won yet, I know this is just the beginning of Chapman Radio’s accolades,” Manalo tells The Panther.

Both Golkland and Manalo have been a part of Chapman Radio since their freshman year. Today, they’re closing out their year with a huge win under their leadership.

“As someone who has been with Chapman Radio since my freshman year, I can’t express how huge this is. Winning the award for Best Streaming Station under 10,000 is a testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication of everyone involved. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come, and I’m so proud to be part of this amazing achievement,” Goldklang tells The Panther.

Closing off the awards ceremony, all Chapman Radio IBS attendees gather for a final group picture, taking home a total of four national awards.