Broadcast Excellence Awards

Select "2023 MAB Broadcast Excellence Awards," choose your media organization from the dropdown list, and enter your password.

If your organization is not listed, or if you need password assistance, please contact us at awards@michmab.com

Entry Deadline
Thursday, January 18, 2024, 12:00 pm EST

Winner and Finalist Announcement
February 2024, Online

Broadcast Excellence Awards Gala
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Sound Board Theater, MotorCity Casino Hotel

Broadcast Excellence Awards Categories

Commercial & Network Radio Categories

2023 Broadcast Excellence Awards, Commercial & Network Radio Categories
Please respect the time limits for each category. Judges will be asked to stop listening to entries at the time limit.

Commercial & Network Television Categories

2023 Broadcast Excellence Awards, Commercial & Network Television Categories
Please respect the time limits for each category. Judges will be asked to stop watching entries at the time limit.

STATEWIDE BROADCASTING NETWORKS: Network Television categories are the same as the Commercial Television categories listed below, with the addition of the Independent Producer Category outlined in the Public Television Division.

BREAKING NEWS STORY
A single report, or series of reports on initial coverage of a breaking or “unplanned” news event (including storm coverage), branded as “Breaking News,” under immediate deadline, and within 24 hours of the breaking news event (Extended, in-depth coverage should be submitted in the Continuing Coverage Category). Entry may include a maximum 200-word description. Maximum length of entry – 20 minutes.
Criteria: Manner in which the news organization responded, presentation of facts, delivery, follow-ups, and news elements uncovered.
COMMERCIAL
A single commercial or series of commercials for one client. May be any commercial announcement written and produced by station personnel. May not include announcements produced with outside advertising or production agency assistance or directions. Maximum length of entry - three minutes.
Criteria: Creativity, effectiveness, and production.

Public Radio Categories

2023 Broadcast Excellence Awards, Public Radio Categories

Entries, including those with multiple clips, may not exceed 60 minutes in total length unless otherwise specified. Please respect the time limits for each category. Judges will be asked to stop listening to entries at the time limit.

Public Television Categories

2023 Broadcast Excellence Awards, Public Television Categories

Market Divisions

Commercial Radio

Commercial Television

Market 1: Detroit Metro Area

Market 2: Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, & Tri-Cities

Market 3: Adrian, Cadillac, Jackson, Port Huron, & Traverse City

Market 4: Alpena, Escanaba, Marquette, & Others

Market 1: Detroit Metro Area

Market 2: Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, & Tri-Cities

Market 3: Cadillac, Jackson, Lansing, & Traverse City

Market 4: Alpena, Escanaba, Marquette, & Others

Statewide Broadcasting Networks

Radio
Television

To enter in the Statewide Broadcasting Networks divisions, entrants must be a Michigan-based producer of network and syndicated programming. Entry must be aired on Michigan licensed broadcast stations. Statewide broadcasting networks are not eligible for Station of the Year.

Public Radio

Group 1: Public radio stations with a $2 million budget or less.

Group 2: Public radio stations with more than a $2 million budget.

Public Television

All public television stations will compete in one public television division

Station of the Year

All public and commercial radio and TV stations entering the Broadcast Excellence Awards will be eligible for the Station of the Year.

Commercial Station of the Year Awards: Points for Station of the Year will be calculated as follows: Best Award = 10 points; Merit Award = 5 points; and 10 additional points per winning entry (both Best and Merit) will be awarded in the following weighted categories:

Commercial Radio
Commercial
Community Involvement
Continuing Coverage
Newscast
Personality*

*Stations may enter any of the listed Personality categories. If a station wins Best or Merit in more than one Personality category, the highest points won in any of the Personality categories will be applied to the Station of the Year competition.

Commercial Television
Community Involvement
Breaking News Story
Newscast
Sports
Weathercast

Public Radio & Television Awards: Points for Station of the Year will be calculated as follows: Best Award = 10 points; Merit Award = 5 points with the exception of the Station Excellence category.

For a station to be eligible for Station of the Year they must have entered the Station Excellence category. The winners of both the Best and the Merit Award in the Station Excellence category will receive an additional 60 points to be counted toward Station of the Year.

Tie Breaker
In the event of a tie for both commercial and public stations, the station with the most Best awards will be awarded Station of the Year. If a tie remains, the station who placed highest in the Community Involvement category will be awarded Station of the Year.

Broadcast Excellence Awards Rules

Entries & Eligibility

Entries & Eligibility

This competition is open to all commercial stations, public stations and statewide broadcasting networks based in Michigan. Commercial stations may only enter in the Commercial categories and Statewide Broadcasting Networks are eligible to enter in all Commercial categories. Statewide Broadcasting Television Networks may also enter in public television category #4 “Independent Producer” from the Public categories.

Only stations receiving Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding may enter in the Public categories. Public stations are defined as a station licensed to operate as a non-commercial broadcasting station with primary studios and FCC authorized broadcast operations in Michigan and in partnership with another entity or itself meeting the then applicable minimum qualifications established by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for Community Service Grants, as adjusted from time to time.

Digital sub-stations must enter under their own separate digital sub-station call letters and cannot be combined with the primary station’s entries unless the entry aired on both stations. Please note all digital television sub-stations are
included in the list of stations in the online entry system. All primary station call letters will retain -TV at the end of their call letters. (i.e.: XXXX-TV, XXXX-DT2, XXXX-DT3 or XXXX-DT4).

To enter in the Statewide Broadcasting Networks divisions, entrants must be a Michigan-based producer of network and syndicated programming. Entry must be aired on Michigan licensed broadcast stations. Statewide broadcasting networks are not eligible for Station of the Year.

Entries must have been created, produced, and aired by the entrant’s station. Entries may not be produced with outside advertising or production agency equipment, assistance, or direction (excluding the Public Television, Independent Producer category).

Awards are given to an individual station, not to individual talent. All entrants must identify themselves by using one set of station call letters unless the group of call letters are COMPLETELY simulcast.

Public entries must be at least 51% locally produced. Public programs distributed throughout the state may be entered by the originating station only.

Entries are limited to three (3) per station in each category with the exception of Commercial Television Community Involvement, Commercial Radio Community Involvement, Public Radio and Public Television Station Excellence categories which are limited to one (1) and Commercial Television News Reporter, News Anchor, and Photojournalist categories which are limited to five (5).

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED USING THE ONLINE ENTRY SYSTEM. HARD COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

All Entries must first be uploaded to an external hosting site before they can be submitted to the online entry system. Below are some suggested sites. It is the responsibility of the station to make certain the link is operational on Better BNC through the end of April 2024. No refunds will be issued for links that do not open. NOTE: Analytics from online hosting sites may not be accurate. Additional fees and restrictions may apply to outside sites, please see each site for details.

Entries may not include pre-roles or any advertisements and may not exceed more than one hour in length unless otherwise specified.

All requested information must be complete in order to qualify.

Entries without payment, incomplete entry information, missing attachments, or links that are not operational by the due date will be disqualified from the competition.

Entries that exceed time limits, or written comment word count limits, may be disqualified at the discretion of the judges.

Deadlines

Deadlines

All entries must have been produced and distributed during the 2023 calendar year from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.

Entries must be submitted online by Thursday, January 18, 2024 by 12:00 p.m. EST

Winners and finalists will be notified in late February 2024. Stations of the Year will be announced during the Broadcast Excellence Awards Gala in Detroit on April 6, 2024. Winning stations will be given four (4) complimentary tickets to the ceremony.

Payments

Payments

Entry fees are $50 per entry for MAB, MAPB and Associate members; Non-member rate is $95 per entry. Online payments must be made before the close of the online entry system at 12:00 p.m. EST, on January 18, 2024.

If paying by check, please send an email indicating your intention to pay by check and the amount that will be paid to awards@michmab.com. Credit card payments must be made online before the system closes. Check payments must be received no later than the close of business on January 18, 2024 or the entries will not be submitted for judging. All fees for each station may be paid in one or multiple transactions.

Judging & Stations of the Year

Judging & Stations of the Year

Commercial Station of the Year Awards: Points for Station of the Year will be calculated as follows: Best Award = 10 points; Merit Award = 5 points; and 10 additional points per winning entry (both Best and Merit) will be awarded in the weighted categories.

Public Station of the Year Awards: Points for Station of the Year will be calculated as follows: Best Award = 10 points; Merit Award = 5 points with the exception of the Station Excellence category. For a station to be eligible for Station of the Year they must have entered the Station Excellence category. The winners of both the Best and the Merit award in the Station Excellence category will receive an additional 60 points to be counted toward Station of the Year.

Judging will be conducted by broadcasting peers outside the state of Michigan using the same online system the MAB uses for entry.

An award will be given in each category unless, in the opinion of the judges, no award is deserved. Judges will be provided each category description and time requirements. Points awarded, and final award placement, is completely at the judges’ discretion and their decision is final. Please note: all judges will be requested to view at least 25% of each entry before making any judgments.

Disputes, of any kind, about this program will be reviewed by the MAB Awards Committee.

2023 Broadcast Excellence Awards Highlights

Congratulations 2022 Commercial Radio Stations of the Year

Market 1

WJR-AM (Detroit)

Market 2

WJXQ-FM (Lansing)

Market 3

WLEN-FM (Adrian)

Market 4

WKQS-FM (Negaunee)