- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Hibblen, Breen Take Home Diamond Journalism Awards for K��Vlog��ýR

John Hill — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 19:27:18 +0000

The 2022 Diamond Journalism Awards, hosted by the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, honored reporters in states throughout the region on June 30. The competition was for journalism that was broadcast or published. Shining through as finalists were K��Vlog��ýR’s News Director Michael Hibblen and local Morning Edition Host and Reporter Daniel Breen, and featured the following stories: Category: Explanatory Reporting- Radio/Audio Title: Credit: Michael Hibblen The interview aired on K��Vlog��ýR’s Not Necessarily Nashville on June 28, 2021. Category: Politics- Radio/Audio & TV/Video Title: Credit: Daniel Breen Breen’s story aired nationwide on NPR’s All Things Considered on May 7, 2021. Category: Politics- Radio/Audio & TV/Video Title: Credit: Michael Hibblen The report aired on K��Vlog��ýR on Sept. 7, 2021.

K��Vlog��ýR Reporters Receive Honors in 2021 Diamond Journalism Awards

John Hill — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 14:27:44 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio is celebrating the success of its K��Vlog��ýR News Team for its honors in the . The contest, sponsored by the Arkansas Pro Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists considered work from journalists in Arkansas and six neighboring states. “Independent and local reporting is vital to the health of our democracy. We have seen the evidence of this first-hand in the pandemic and in the run-up to the 2020 election,” said Nathan Vandiver, general manager of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio. “It’s an honor to serve our community in this way, and it’s especially an honor for the hard work of our news team to be recognized among such an impressive group of journalists from across the region.” K��Vlog��ýR News received honors on six stories from the past year. “It’s great to see K��Vlog��ýR’s news department being honored for its reporting, especially when competing against radio and television stations from states within this region of the country,” K��Vlog��ýR News Director Michael Hibblen said. “I’m extremely proud of the work of our news staff.” Daniel Breen, K��Vlog��ýR Morning Edition host and reporter, received second place honors in Political Coverage, Broadcast and Education Coverage, Broadcast for his stories, , and, . “The breadth of what you covered, while focusing on the volunteer, is impressive,” judges said of his political entry, and of his education story, “This was a very strong entry. The story included a lot of voices with different perspectives on the problem and how to address it. Well done.” Sarah Kellogg, K��Vlog��ýR’s politics and government reporter received third place honors in Political Coverage, Broadcast for her story, . Judges called her work, a “really smart use of natural sound.” K��Vlog��ýR News Director Michael Hibblen received second place honors in Health/Science Coverage, Broadcast for his story, . Judges also made note of Hibblen’s “nice use of natural sound throughout” the story. Alexandria Brown, who reports and hosts All Things Considered and Weekend Edition for K��Vlog��ýR received third place honors in Features, Broadcast, for her story, . Judges called Brown’s story “straightforward and interesting.” Brown is a student in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Mass Communication. Judges also recognized freelance reporter Anna Stitt, who produced a series, , for K��Vlog��ýR News. This series was supported by the National Geographic Society’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists. Stitt’s series received third place honors in the Documentary/Investigative, Broadcast category. Judges gave Stitt’s reporting high marks for accomplishing “the basics of what we do – give voice to the voiceless, and hold the powerful accountable.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio is a listener-supported public service department of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock based in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education.

K��Vlog��ýR wins 10 awards from Society of Professional Journalists

John Hill — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 21:20:24 +0000

News reports and two local programs aired on ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio station K��Vlog��ýR 89.1 FM won 10 awards in the 2020 competition of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists. “It’s extremely gratifying to see the hard work of the K��Vlog��ýR news staff be recognized by our peers,” said Michael Hibblen, news director at K��Vlog��ýR. “At a time when the news industry is contracting and there are fewer sources for objective news, especially local news, I think the work that we do is more important than ever. It’s great to be honored.” Nathan Vandiver, general manager of K��Vlog��ýR and KLRE, thanked the award-winning reporters for providing an essential service to keep the public informed. “This recognition from SPJ is an honor,” Vandiver said. “Every day K��Vlog��ýR provides an essential service to the community that informs and educates, and it’s very nice to be recognized. Thank you to Michael and the K��Vlog��ýR news department for their work and to our ��Vlog��ý Little Rock partners who have also been recognized with awards.” In the News-Radio category, Daniel Breen, host of “All Things Considered,” won first place for his report, “.” Breen also won second place in that category for the report, “In Arkansas, Herbicide’s Damaging Effects Bring Research to a Halt.” Sarah Kellogg, K��Vlog��ýR “Morning Edition” host, won third place for “Gov. Asa Hutchinson Sets Broadband Access as Priority.” In the Feature-Radio category, former K��Vlog��ýR News intern Kelly Connelly, who graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a degree in mass communication in May, won first place for her report last fall “Livestock Showing Is Most Important Part of State Fair for Some Arkansas Teens.” Hibblen and David Monteith, reporter, won second place for their report, “Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Nearing Completion of Digital Rollout.” In the Politics-Radio category, Hibblen won first place for “Legislation to Place statues of Johnny Cash, Daisy Bates in U.S. Capitol Signed Into Law.” That included a report for K��Vlog��ýR and a segment in the music program “Not Necessarily Nashville” with Flap Jones. Second place went to Breen for “Arkansas House Committee Approves Execution Drug Secrecy Bill,” while third place went to Hibblen for “Arkansas Governor Says Trump Impeachment Questions Need To Be Answered.” Hibblen won the Health-Radio category for his report, “Doctor Assisting Qualified Arkansans To Get Marijuana Offers His Advice and Concerns.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock associate professor of English and host of K��Vlog��ýR’s program “Arts & Letters” Dr. J. Bradley Minnick won first place in the Documentary/Investigative Reporting-Radio for his show “They Like My Phras’n: The Life & Music of Rose McCoy.

K��Vlog��ýR named Best Radio Station

Janea Snyder — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:38:00 +0000

K��Vlog��ýR has once again been named Best Radio Station in the Arkansas Times annual Best of Arkansas Awards. “It’s an honor to be recognized by our listeners and the readers of the Arkansas Times as the Best Radio Station,” said Nathan Vandiver, K��Vlog��ýR’s interim general manager. “I have to feel that it’s a reflection of the hard work and listener-focused mission of NPR and K��Vlog��ýR working together to provide the best possible information for the country and our central Arkansas community.” For over 20 years, the Best of Arkansas issue has been the Arkansas Times’ largest issue of the year. Readers vote for their favorites in more than 100 categories. This year’s winners were announced Thursday, June 27, at the Albert Pike Masonic Center in Little Rock. K��Vlog��ýR has previously won Best Radio Station in the Times’ poll six times and has placed as a runner-up for several five years. “As a listener-supported service of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock – whether that’s news from central Arkansas, Washington D.C., or anywhere in the world, or the insightful interviews of “,” the differences in generational thinking presented by “,” or the best country music you haven’t heard of on “,” – K��Vlog��ýR will always focus on finding the best content, and fair and accurate information that helps our listeners. This honor is especially nice because it’s from the people in our region who rely on this service day in and day out.” In the photo top right, the K��Vlog��ýR staff collect their award for Best Radio Station. From left: Nathan Vandiver, interim general manager; Daniel Breen, All Things Considered host; Sarah Kellogg, Morning Edition host; J. Bradley Minnick, producer, Arts & Letters Radio; Michael Hibblen, news director; and Vanessa McKuin, development director.

Hibblen aids effort to save historic railroad depot

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 15:05:33 +0000

When Michael Hibblen learned that the century-old Rock Island Railroad Depot in Perry, Arkansas, had been saved from demolition, he was thrilled that a unique piece of history would be preserved for future generations. “It feels great,” said Hibblen, news director for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio. “We thought it was a long shot from the beginning to save the depot, but it really does feel great to know that it will be preserved. It really is an important relic from a different era in life.” Hibblen developed a fascination for the Rock Island Railroad when he was in second grade. The railroad ran directly in front of his school in North Little Rock, and he took note when the trains stopped rolling by in March 1980. In high school, he began researching the Rock Island and recorded the first of many interviews he would conduct over the years with former employees of the Rock Island. He loved the railroad so much that in 2017 he wrote a book called “Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas,” which was published by Arcadia Publishing. The book covered the railroad’s nearly 80-year history as a major railroad providing passenger and freight services in Arkansas. The line was built by the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad in about 1899, primarily to move coal from what was then Indian Territory (today Oklahoma) through Arkansas to the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee. A decline in rail travel after World War II and an increase in trucks hauling freight over government-subsidized interstates were among factors in the railroad’s demise. Most of the tracks that traversed the state were taken up, but a few relics, like the Little Rock passenger station, which is now the Clinton School of Public Service, and the Arkansas River bridge, remain as monuments to this once great railroad. An effort has been underway for the last year and a half to save the depot in Perry. The current owner, the shortline Little Rock & Western Railway, had planned to tear down the building to make way for a new locomotive servicing facility. The railroad, which operates a stretch of former Rock Island tracks west of Little Rock, recently gave its approval for the Perry County Historical & Genealogical Society to move the building about 150 feet down the railroad tracks to a piece of land owned by the city of Perry.

Michael Hibblen aided an effort to save the century-old Rock Island Railroad Depot in Perry, Arkansas. Photo by Michael Hibblen.

The agreement calls for Perry, which has a population of 314, to purchase the depot for $10. Since the depot will remain near the railroad tracks, it has a better chance of being named to the National Register of Historic Places, Hibblen said. Such a designation would make the building, which the city is planning to turn into a museum, eligible for grants to fund its restoration. Typically a building that has been moved is not eligible for the national designation, but an exception is allowed if the building is in imminent danger of destruction. The effort to save the depot has been a collaborative effort by the county historical group, the city of Perry, and Preserve Arkansas, which is a nonprofit organization that strives to save historic buildings. Last year, Rachel Patton, executive director of Preserve Arkansas, asked Hibblen to speak to the Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society. Since then, Hibblen found himself serving in an unexpected role as a liaison between the railroad and the groups fighting to preserve the depot. Hibblen has detailed the experience on his personal blog, hibblenradio.com, and set up a to raise money for the cost of relocating the depot. Moving it will cost between $7,000 and $8,000, which the group is still raising, as well as $6,200 that has already been paid to cover the cost of insurance. So far, the online campaign has raised $5,505 of its $9,000 goal. The Perry depot is significant as the last wood frame depot of the Rock Island that is still standing in Arkansas. It’s believed that the depot, which provided passenger and freight service, was built in 1918. It was along a line that ran from Memphis, Tennessee, through Little Rock, west into Oklahoma, and as far west of Amarillo, Texas. From there, passengers could get connecting service through another railroad to Los Angeles, California. Passenger trains stopped running along the line in 1967, but the depot continued to be used by employees until the Rock Island Railroad was shut down in 1980. The same year, the shortline Little Rock & Western Railway was created using a 79-mile stretch of former Rock Island tracks between Little Rock and Danville. It initially used the Perry depot for its headquarters until a more modern building office was constructed nearby in 1984. Since then the old depot has only been used for storage. According to Hibblen, the fact that the depot was never abandoned was a factor in it still being in relatively good shape. Even though the building will need quite a bit of work to restore it to its former glory, Hibblen looks forward to the day when it will preserve the history of the area and the Rock Island Railroad. “The depot was so important for the country,” Hibblen said. “Before the interstate system, railroads were the main way people got around, how the mail arrived, and where the telegram office was. The depot was the lifeline to the outside world.”

Hibblen to discuss book in Pen to Podium lecture series

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 14:08:42 +0000

, news director for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Public Radio, will be the next speaker in the Arkansas State Archives’ Pen to Podium: Arkansas Historical Writers’ lecture series on Tuesday, Aug. 21. Hibblen will discuss his 2017 book “Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas” from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Diamond Room at the Department of Arkansas Heritage, 1100 North St., Little Rock. For nearly 80 years, the Rock Island was a major railroad in Arkansas, providing passenger and freight services. A decline in rail travel after World War II and an increase in trucks hauling freight over government-subsidized interstates were among factors in the railroad’s struggles and eventual closure in 1980. Most of the tracks that traversed the state were taken up, but a few relics, like the Little Rock passenger station and the Arkansas River bridge, remain as monuments to this once great railroad. A native of North Little Rock, Hibblen started in radio in 1988. After a 1993 internship at the C-SPAN Cable Network in Washington, D.C., he transitioned to news, working for commercial radio stations KARN in Little Rock, WRVA in Richmond, Virginia, and WIOD in Miami, Florida. In 2000, Michael became a Miami-based reporter for CBS Radio News. He was hired by the Miami Herald daily newspaper in 2003 when it partnered with NPR station WLRN providing its local news. Michael returned to Little Rock in 2009 to work for K��Vlog��ýR, where he is currently its news director. The Arkansas State Archives is a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and is responsible for collecting and maintaining the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world.

Tiny Desk Arkansas event set for June 28

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 15:02:14 +0000

Three of central Arkansas’s best bands will perform Thursday, June 28, as part of NPR’s �𱹱�Գ�.�� K��Vlog��ýR FM 89.1, central Arkansas’s NPR station, and its regional program, “Arts & Letters” has announced Black Horse, Monsterboy, and Dazz & Brie as the three groups selected for Tiny Desk Arkansas. K��Vlog��ýR News Director Michael Hibblen will serve as the night’s emcee. The event will be held from 8-11 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m., at Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 107 River Market Ave., Little Rock. The fundraiser showcases three central Arkansas groups who entered NPR’s national Tiny Desk Concert competition. Proceeds will support local music through K��Vlog��ýR and “Arts & Letters.” “These groups are fun and very talented and are all performing for a good cause – to help support both K��Vlog��ýR and ‘Arts & Letters,’ an award-winning show that provides opportunities for a celebration of the arts and humanities in our region and beyond,” said J. Bradley Minnick, executive producer and host of “Arts & Letters.” Black Horse, a progressive surf-punk rock band who performs with an electric energy influenced by the 1960s, will take the stage at 8 p.m., followed by Monsterboy at 9 p.m.

Dazz & Brie

Monsterboy consists of husband-and-wife duo Chris Long and Veronica Wirges of Little Rock, who combine smart, original vocals with powerful sax music. Monsterboy’s reputation was enhanced by their acoustic set at Bonnaroo 2017, where they were featured and interviewed on MTV.com. Dazz & Brie will finish off the night with a 10 p.m. performance. The group was named Arkansas Times’ 2017 Musicians Showcase winners, the 2018 Kit-Kat Jingle winners, as well as ML Magazine’s Rising Idol. Reservations. There will be a recommended donation of $10 at the door. For more information, contact Vanessa McKuin, K��Vlog��ýR development director, at 501-569-8490 or svmckuin@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, Chris Long and Veronica Wirges of Monsterboy are shown. Photo by Nelson Chenault.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock news director to speak at Arkansas Literary Festival

Jenny Lambert — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 14:05:18 +0000

Since about the age of 6, news director of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s National Public Radio, , had an unwavering affinity for the Rock Island railroad, one of Arkansas’ major railways for nearly 80 years. Michael Hibblen, North Little Rock native, is scheduled to present the findings of his latest publication, “Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas,” at 4 p.m. at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center for the 2017 Saturday, April 29. As a young boy, Hibblen would hear the sounds of trains racing down the railroad tracks outside of his school, but as time passed, the familiar sounds of steam blowing, horns blasting, and metal pumping slowly disappeared. While visiting the railroad track after school, he noticed how grass was growing in between the tracks and the lack of maintenance. Later, Hibblen decided to investigate why trains were no longer using the tracks. He has learned that the Rock Island railroad began to struggle in the mid 1970s due to the decline of rail travel after World War II and an increase in trucks used to transport goods from state to state. Although there were efforts to merge with other railroads, a judge eventually shut down Rock Island in 1980, causing nearly 700 Arkansans to lose their jobs. As a high school research project, Hibblen decided to interview former employees of the local train station to hear their stories of working for the railroad and the impact its closure had on them. Nearly 30 years later, Hibblen continues to spend much of his free time researching the Rock Island railroad and its impact on the state of Arkansas. Due to his interest in the subject and the findings Hibblen produced, Arcadia Publishing asked him to produce a book on the railroad to include in the publisher’s series. The book, “Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas,” was released Monday, April 3, and includes a collection of historic photos taken of the railroad, crew members, passengers, and trains around the state. Copies of the publication will be available for purchase throughout the festival or can be . The Arkansas Literary Festival is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Hibblen at mhibblen@gmail.com.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Hibblen, Breen Take Home Diamond Journalism Awards for K����Vlog��ýR

K����Vlog��ýR Reporters Receive Honors in 2021 Diamond Journalism Awards

K����Vlog��ýR wins 10 awards from Society of Professional Journalists

K����Vlog��ýR named Best Radio Station