Interlochen Public Radio wins national Edward R. Murrow Award for 'Points North' episode

The award is the latest in a growing list of accolades for the sound-rich, Great Lakes-focused narrative podcast.

Points North executive producer and host Dan Wanschura with a national Edward R. Murrow Award at the awards gala in New York City.

Points North executive producer and host Dan Wanschura with a national Edward R. Murrow Award at the awards gala in New York City.

Interlochen Public Radio’s Points North podcast recently won a national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The podcast was honored in the Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion category for the episode “Complete With His Language: Kenny Pheasant and the Great Lakes’ Original Tongue.” Executive producer and host Dan Wanschura accepted the award at the Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on Oct. 14 at Gotham Hall in New York City.

“It's an honor to share Kenny Pheasant's story and highlight his Anishinaabemowin preservation efforts,” Wanschura said. “I'm so grateful to work with a talented and supportive team, including my editor Morgan Springer, who helps bring Points North stories like this to life. I'm very humbled to receive this Edward R. Murrow Award.”

"As far as I know, this is the first National Murrow Award IPR has won," said IPR executive director Peter Payette in a news story about the award on the station’s website. "It is testimony to the relentless efforts of the Points North team to find and tell exceptional stories. They have created a unique podcast and this award is well deserved."

The national Murrow Award is the latest honor in a growing list of accolades for Points North. The podcast—which shares compelling stories about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes through narrative, sound-rich journalism—recently surpassed 600,000 downloads since the beginning of 2024. Points North earned four regional Murrow Awards in 2023, and another four in May 2024. The podcast has also received recognition in the 2024 Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) Awards and the 2023 Signal Awards.

Wanschura will host an intimate conversation with Pheasant at The Alluvion in Traverse City on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. During the event, Pheasant will share the language and stories of his people. Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at interlochen.org/tickets.

The RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious accolades in broadcast and digital news. First awarded in 1971, the Murrow Awards honor radio, television, and digital news organizations that demonstrate the spirit of excellence embodied by renowned American broadcast journalist and war correspondent Edward R. Murrow. Regional awards are presented to small and large outlets in 14 geographic regions; regional winners are automatically considered for national awards. Since 2017, Interlochen Public Radio has won 17 regional Murrow Awards.