Mustang Media Group Wins 17 National College Media Awards
Mustang Media Group, the Cal Poly Journalism Department’s student-run media organization, received national recognition from two of college media’s most distinguished organizations—Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) and College Media Awards (CMA).
2017-18 Pinnacle Awards
- Best Social Media Main Page (first place)
- Best Social Media Strategy (first place)
- Best Social Media Presence (first place)
- Advertising: Best Display Ad (second place)
- Broadcast: Four-Year TV Station of the Year (second place)
- Design: Best Online Infographic, Brendan Matsuyama (second place)
- Broadcast: Best Radio Special Event Coverage (third place)
- Design: Best Newspaper News Page/Spread (third place)
- Advertising: Best Ad Campaign (honorable mention)
- Design: Best Newspaper Photo Page/Spread (honorable mention)
- Honorable Mention, Writing: Best News Package
2017-18 ACP Pacemaker Awards
- News Story of the Year, Mikaela Duhs, Megan Healy, Megan Lynch, Lindsay Mann (second place)
- Advertisement of the Year: Advertising Brochure/Rate Card, Kelly Chiu (fourth place)
- Advertisement of the Year: Advertising Campaign, Shea Irwin and Erica Patstone (honorable mention)
- Advertisement of the Year: Advertising/Editorial Supplement, Staff (honorable mention)
- Reporter of the Year: Four-year College Finalists, Gina Randazzo (honorable mention)
- Multimedia Story of the Year: Multimedia Sports, Austin Linthicum, Brian Truong (honorable mention)
CMA’s Pinnacle Awards are presented by the College Media Association to the best college media organizations and individual work in the country, and allow student work submissions from any college media organization. Outstanding individual work in advertising, broadcast, design, online media, photo, sports and writing categories, as well as organizational achievement for newspapers, stations, magazines, websites and yearbooks of 2017-18 are recognized, according to the College Media Association’s announcement.
ACP’s Pacemaker Awards, collegiate journalism’s preeminent awards, are granted by the Associated Collegiate Press, a national college media association, and have been presented annually since 1927.
The College Media Association received 408 organizational entries from 294 colleges and universities according to the organization’s Twitter announcement on Oct. 26. ACP nominated 37 schools for the national honors.
“As we continue to integrate our media group, our team is honored receive these national awards,” business administration junior and Editor-in-Chief of Mustang Media Group, Austin Linthicum said.
Mustang Media Group General Manager Paul Bittick says that the Pacemaker Awards prove the student media’s excellence on a national level: “For the past decade Mustang Media Group and Mustang News has been one of the most recognized student media organizations in the nation. Our students are the best in the nation and so deserving of these honors.”
Mustang Media Group was not able to accept the Pinnacle and Pacemaker Awards at the ACP/CMA National College Media Convention, Oct. 25-28, 2018 in Louisville, Ky, due to California’s travel ban whereby the California Attorney General withholds non-essential travel funds to states with discriminatory LGBTQ laws. According to the CMA’s online statement, “California has banned the use of state funds for travel to Texas and Kentucky, the locations of our next two fall conventions. Recently laws were passed in Texas concerning bathroom use and adoption that some consider discriminatory against the LGBTQ community.”
Mustang Media Group holds past Pinnacle Awards in Best Display Ad, Best TV Special Event Coverage, Best Social Media Main Page, Best Portrait from CMA’s 2016-17 competition and holds past Online Pacemaker Awards from 2007, 2010, and 2014.
Associated Collegiate Press is a national nonprofit member association of collegiate journalism and student media leaders. ACP has over 650 members and supports students, teachers and media advisers through journalism education, recognition and training programs.
The Pinnacle Awards are hosted by College Media Association, a national council of media advisors, and have been presented annually since 1954. The association has more than 800 members and supports new and veteran advisors of collegiate media programs with conventions, publications, and national networking.