Current 88.7 The Pulse (KVIT-FM) students and May 2023 graduates of the Radio/Audio Production program at the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) won four national awards, including Best High School Radio Station, at the 2022-2023 John Drury High School Radio Awards. The winners were announced during a ceremony in Naperville, IL on Saturday, November 4th.

MORE NEWS: 17 inventions that haven’t been invented yet (that people want)

In addition to 88.7 The Pulse being named the Best High School Radio Station in the nation, Aiden Mohr (EVIT ‘23) won two awards, for Best Newscast and Best Sportscast. Mohr was also a finalist in the Broadcaster of the Year category, as were Alex Carlson (EVIT ‘23), Rebecca Freeman (EVIT ‘23) and Bianca Grodecki (EVIT ‘23). To qualify for Broadcaster of the Year, students had to submit an entry in three separate categories: news, sports & music/DJ. Grodecki also won first place in the Best Featured News Story category for reporting last spring on a key resignation at Google over Artificial Intelligence. 

Freeman took 2nd place in the Best Public Affairs Show category for her show last spring that spotlighted the local non-profit group “Amplify Voices.” Current EVIT senior Nick Shultz (Desert Mountain ’24) won 2nd place for Best PSA production about veterans & PTSD. Jason Richey (Perry ’24) & Adam Beadle (Hamilton ’24) took 2nd place in the Best Sports Talk Show category for their twice weekly show “The Pulse Sports Connection.” And Gus Martinez (EVIT ’23) finished in 4th place for Best Promo for his production highlighting EVIT Expo.

At the station level, 88.7 The Pulse won 3rd place for Best Website (www.887thepulse.com) and 3rd place for Best Use of Social Media (4th Annual Senior Salute on Instagram). Also, Dave Juday, Radio/Audio Production instructor at EVIT and one of the faculty advisors for The Pulse, was named a finalist in the Best Station Advisor category. “Words can’t describe how proud I am of our EVIT Radio students,” Juday said in a press release. “These awards are a testament to our students’ hard work and the dedication they have to see our program & radio station succeed.” 88.7 The Pulse General Manager Michael Mallace added, “I could not be prouder of the team. These recognitions affirm the impact of EVIT in shaping the broadcasters of the future.”

Overall, EVIT received 14 nominations in 11 different categories this year. This is the fifth year that EVIT students have competed in the John Drury High School Radio Awards, a national competition, presented by North Central College in Naperville, IL and WONC-FM. The awards are named in honor of legendary ABC-Chicago news anchor John Drury. 88.7 The Pulse was also named Best High School Radio Station at the 2020-2021 Drury Awards. 

The Pulse is a centerpiece of EVIT’s Radio/Audio Production program, located at the Main Campus of EVIT. It is a 15,000-watt public radio station that showcases the talents of the students enrolled in the program.