Eureka College Wins Awards at Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
Eureka College’s student-operated radio station, EC 103.1 (WXEC-FM), took top honors in the Best Radio Commercial category at the 86th annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Conference on Saturday, March 8, at the Sheraton Times Square in New York. Eureka College junior Jaden Randall (Secor, IL), a Communication and Media Studies major, produced the winning entry during the fall 2024 semester for an audio production class.
IBS also recognized Eureka College Associate Professor Dr. John Malone, presenting him with a National Finalist plaque for Best College Faculty Advisor, Radio for his role as General Manager of student-operated WXEC-FM, EC 103.1. On March 25, the station will celebrate its first anniversary as an FM station. Eureka College radio and television also received nominations for Best Video Play-by-Play, Best TV Commercial, and Best Press Release.
Randall is the first female Eureka College student to win top honors at the IBS awards and the first native Eureka College student to do so. The college introduced television and radio into its Communication and Media Studies program in 2022. All previous first-place winners were transfer students who joined Eureka’s radio and television stations following Lincoln College’s closure in 2022.
“Jaden’s victory is a watershed moment for the program,” Malone said. “She is part of the new guard who joined radio and television as a Eureka student. Her win energizes her peers and proves that the program and its students are thriving locally. We are not simply living on past successes.
"I am also honored to be a finalist among hundreds of faculty advisors in higher education radio and television. After Lincoln’s closure, my goal was to build a successful second act for broadcasting at Eureka. I’m proud that my IBS peers recognized our efforts to license and launch a new FM station in such a short time.”
In the commercial category, Eureka bested other finalists DePaul University, Colorado Media School, Illinois Media School, and Ohio Media School.
Other faculty advisors receiving National Finalist plaques were from Thiel College, SUNY Fredonia, California Polytechnic State University, Kansas State University, and the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.
Founded in 1940, the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System is the oldest student media organization in the United States, with more than 1,000 nonprofit, educationally affiliated radio and television stations.
About Eureka College
Located on nearly 70 wooded acres in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized educational opportunities. Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and among the first in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the smallest of colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.
