WIUX wins 2013 Best Interview

The WIUX news team has won the award for Best Interview of 2013 from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Society for their interview with comedy troupe the Whitest Kids U’ Know.

Christina Bernardin and Morgan Wooderson, both seniors, conducted the interview when the group came to Bloomington last spring for a show at the Comedy Attic. The interview played during a news segment on WIUX.

Bernardin and Wooderson said the comfort level of the interaction made it stand out from other interviews.

“It became less of an interview and more like chatting with friends,” Wooderson said. “They were really fun guys. When you love what you’re doing and having fun with it, it shows.”

They also noted their piece stood out because it reflected the interviewees. It was important for Bernardin and Wooderson to reflect the group well in the interview, they said.

“We weren’t striving for an award,” Bernardin said. “The fact that we did it for ourselves and for the people we were interviewing made it the best. True interview for the radio is to interpret and express your interviewee and to give them a voice.”

The award was announced at the IBS New York City Conference. More than 90 universities are involved with the organization, and there were more than 800 applications.

Bernardin and Wooderson have been working at WIUX since their freshman year. Christina is the news co-director for the station, and Morgan is a member of the news team.

Since joining WIUX, they have also co-hosted “Nostalgia Hour,” a segment in which they play Disney songs and other “nostalgic” music at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays.

A second news interview, junior news co-director Katherine Taylor’s interview with Steve Yahi, was also one of the top five interviews in the running for the award. Steve Yahi is the director of “Octopus,” a show produced by IU’s University Players.

“It’s very rewarding to get recognition,” Bernardin said of their accolade. “Having two news interviews in the top five of a national competition showed how much we are capable of doing.”