WQCS 88.9FM Staff Recieve Honor Awards

WQCS 88.9FM Earns Edward R. Murrow Regional Honors  Public radio station WQCS’s News Director Jill Roberts is the recipient of a 2010 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievements in electronic journalism.    Roberts received the Feature Reporting award for a story on fire safety at Felix A. Williams Elementary School in Martin County.  The regional award represents the district of Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.    Since 1971, the Radio and Television Digital News Association has been honoring electronic broadcasters with this award of excellence, named for radio and television newscaster Edward R. Murrow.  Roberts’ story focused on a 2009 fire in a wooded area near Felix A. Williams Elementary School in Rio.  Students were quickly evacuated from the school.  Several weeks later, the firefighters returned to the school to talk with students, who expressed their fears about the closeness of the blaze.    Roberts reported on the firefighters trying to calm the students and explaining to them that they did the right thing in leaving the school and the area.  The students were able to tour a fire truck and other equipment, as well as ask questions of the firefighters.     WQCS Associated Press Honors  The Florida Associated Press recognized WQCS, 88.9 FM, with four awards during a recent ceremony.    WQCS Morning Edition producer and local news host Drew Mello and sportscaster Lisa Stewart received a first place award for Newscasts.  Their newscasts are heard on 88.9 FM from 5 to 9 am Monday through Friday. Jill Roberts was honored with a first place for Best Light Feature, related to the “Thank You Firefighters” feature, and a first place win for Best Series Reporting for “Kids and Cars Series.” She also received a second place award for Best Public Affairs for a feature on car seat clinics.  Roberts created a series of interviews on car safety, including ways to not forget about your child in the back seat of the car, car seat clinics for proper positioning of baby seats and instructions on how not to back over your child behind the car.  All new series features were developed from events that occurred within the WQCS listening area.   WQCS is an NPR member station licensed to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce.  At 100,000 watts, the station serves a listening area from Northern Palm Beach County to Melbourne.  Listen to Award Winning Storys: Felix A Williams students say thank you Precautions to keep from leaving children in cars. Car Seat safety check Children can be in danger from power windows. Backovers are the leading killer of children in non-traffic related automobile deaths.

HURRICANE SEASON 2010

Hurricane Season began on June 1, 2010. WQCS is again your local source for Hurricane Information. Storm Information Links: The National Hurricane Center Local Weather from the NWS (National Weather Service) Make An Emergency Plan: Florida Division of Emergency Management County Links: St. Lucie County Emergency Management Website Martin County Emergency Management Website Indian River County Emergency Management Website Okeechobee County Emergency Management Website Brevard County Emergency Management Website Palm Beach County Emergency Management Website American Red Cross: American Red Cross Chapters: Martin County North Treasure Coast Chapter American Red Cross Downloads: WQCS Supplies Check List

Series on IRSC History Focuses on Mueller Campus

Vero Beach businessman Jim Coffey, who helped secure land for a campus in Indian River County, shares memories with Janie Gould in the latest installment of her series about Indian River State College, which is now marking its 50th anniversary. To hear Gould’s interview about the beginnings of the Mueller Campus west of Vero Beach, click here. The earlier installments in the series can also be accessed by clicking here: --No Cut-Offs or Tank Tops: English professor Ada Coats Williams, now retired,  remembers when  students and faculty had to abide by a strict dress code.   --Lincoln Junior College: Retired music teacher and band director Earl Little reminisces about the all-black school that was merged with Indian River Junior College. --A Transformation on Virginia Avenue: Founding president Maxwell King recalls the region-wide effort that turned a former city dumpsite into the campus of Indian River Junior College.

No Place To Run, No Place To Hide For Early Hurricane Survivors

Hurricanes That Nearly Wiped Out South Florida: Some Unforgettable Memories   Floridians who lived through deadly hurricanes in 1926, 1928 and 1949 had little warning of the storms that blew through and took hundreds of lives. There were no public shelters or evacuation plans, so families were pretty much on their own.  Janie Gould interviewed a half dozen residents who remember clinging to parents as fierce winds shook their homes and nobody knew whether they’d survive the night. Listen to her special report, which first aired in 2006, by clicking below. Hurricanes That Nearly Wiped Out South Florida: Some Unforgettable Memories