Sports Radio in Washington D.C.

The relationship between sports and radio began in September 1920, when Detroit radio station WWJ 

broadcasted the results of the Heavyweight Championship fight between Jack Dempsey and Billy Miske.   In the early years of sports radio, Boxing, Baseball, and College Football were the most popular, with the World Series being the most listened to sporting event for years.  Another breakthrough in sports radio occurred in July, 1987, when WFAN-AM in New York City became the first all-sports radio station.  The all-sports format quickly gained popularity, and within a decade of its existence, WFAN-AM was the first radio station to top the $50 million mark in advertising billing.  Soon after, many other cities had their own all-sports radio stations, and the sports radio industry took off (Source).  

Radio is a good medium for sports because sportscasters paint a picture of the action for the viewers and because radio can be heard at home, work, and on the road.  Sports radio gets many listeners to tune in to listen to live broadcasts of games, but also gains many listeners through daily sports talk shows, which allow listeners to speak to the anchors live on air through the phone.   In the vast world of sports, discussion and debate is constant and listeners want to hear the latest news and opinions of the experts on the air.  ESPN radio executives Pete Gianesini and Bruce Gilbert believe that sports talk topics are like records and that you have to keep finding the next hot topic (Source).

The two preeminent sports radio stations in the Washington D.C. market are WTEM, which is known as ESPN 980, and WJFK-FM, which is known as 106.7 The Fan.  Washington D.C. is a very large market and covers many sports teams.  In addition to the four major professional teams in D.C., many college sports from the surrounding area are also covered.   

WTEM became ESPN 980 on July 21, 2008.  ESPN 980 is the Flagship radio station for Washington Redskins play-by-play with Larry Michael, Rick "Doc" Walker and Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff.   ESPN 980 is also the exclusive home of the Play-by-Play broadcasts for Maryland Terrapins Basketball and Football, Georgetown Hoyas Basketball,  University of Virginia Football, George Mason Basketball, MLB and World Series, NBA and NBA Finals, NFL and Super Bowl, NCAA Football and BCS, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.  ESPN 980 is also the home of the Baltimore Orioles in Washington D.C.  ESPN 980 also carries many sports talk shows, such as The Mike and Mike Show, The Tony Kornheiser Show, The Sports Fix, The John Thompson Show, and more.  ESPN 980’s website can be  found here.   

On July 20, 2009, WJFK-FM assumed its all-sports format, naming itself 106.7 The Fan.  The Fan differs from ESPN 980 because it is more locally geared in its programming.  While ESPN 980 offers syndicated, nationally-aired shows, The Fan broadcasts local sports talk shows.  These shows include The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes, The Brian Mitchell Show, The Sports Junkies, The Mike Wise Show, and more.  106.7 The fan is the flagship station of the Washington Wizards and Washington Nationals, and is an affiliate station for Virginia Tech Basketball and Football.  106.7 The Fan’s website can be found here. 

In recent years, sports radio has become even more popular with satellite radio offering hundreds of stations dedicated to sports.  It's safe to say sports radio is here to stay.

The Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition.  It was established by the publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University.  In Pulitzer's will, he gave money to Columbia University to start a journalism school and establish the award.  $250,000 was allocated to the prize and scholarships.  Pulitzer specified "four awards in journalism, four in letters and drama, one in education, and four traveling scholarships."  After his death, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June, 4, 1917.  However, the prizes are now announced in April.  Many more categories were introduced over the years such as, public service, criticism, and local reporting, and there are now a total of 21 categories.  In all categories, except public service, receives a certificate and a $10,000 cash award.  The prize for the public service category is a gold medal.  

The Pulitzer Prize does not automatically evaluate all applicable works in the media, but only those that have been entered with a $50 entry fee (one per desired entry category). Entries must fit in at least one of the specific prize categories, and cannot simply gain entrance on the grounds of having general literary or compositional properties. Works can also only be entered into a maximum of two prize categories, regardless of their properties.

Each year, 102 judges are selected to "serve on 20 separate juries" for the 21 award categories (1 jury for both photography awards). Most of the juries consist of five members, except for those of "public service, investigative reporting, beat reporting, feature writing and commentary categories", which have seven members.  For each award category, a jury makes three nominations. The board selects the winner by majority vote from the nominations or bypasses the nominations and selects a different entry with a 75% majority vote. The board can also vote no award. The board gets no compensation for its work. The jurors in letters, music, and drama get a $2000 honorarium for the year, while each chair gets $2500.

The 19-member board consists mostly of major newspaper editors and executives, along with four academics including the president of Columbia University and the dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The administrator and the dean cannot vote. The board elects its own members for a three-year term (excluding the dean and the administrator). Members of the board and the juries are selected with close attention "given to professional excellence and affiliation, as well as diversity in terms of gender, ethnic background, geographical distribution and size of newspaper." Each year, the chair rotates to the most senior member. The board presides over the judging process and makes all decisions related to the Pulitzer Prize administration.  

 In 2011, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama was awarded to Bruce Norris for his play, Clybourne Park.  The play was described as "a powerful work whose memorable characters speak in witty and perceptive ways to America's sometimes toxic struggle with race and class consciousness" on the Pulitzer Prize website.  Bruce Norris is an American actor and playwright associated with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago.  

Amy Ellis Nutt won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2011 for her story of the mysterious sinking of a commerical fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean that drowned six men.  The first chapter of her work can be found here http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/9151.