Award Entries

The urgent reporting challenge of 2025 has been keeping track of federal policy and funding changes under the new administration of President Donald Trump. This has demanded the urgent and sustained attention of the entire WPLN newsroom. Rapid developments prompted timely work across all of our platforms, including radio newscasts, web, email newsletters, morning podcast, […]

Curious Nashville is WPLN’s beloved Hearken-style series that answers questions through adventurous reporting. At its peak, the series is inherently multi-platform and highly community engaged. This entry includes a 33-minute podcast version of the story, a social media video, an email newsletter, and a short bonus episode drawn from a call-in segment on our daily […]

After a five-year hiatus, Tennessee resumed executions on May 22, 2025, with the lethal injection of Oscar Smith. Capital punishment has drawn intense scrutiny in Tennessee because of mismanagement of lethal drugs and the state’s failure to follow its own protocol. WPLN delivered enterprising and explanatory journalism throughout the year, led by health reporter Catherine […]

Six people were killed, including 3 children, when a former student opened fire inside the Covenant School in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood on March 27, 2023. City police fatally shot the assailant. The deadly attack caused grief, spurred troubling questions, and set in motion many ripple effects — for schools, for policymakers, and for elected […]

The forecast was not foreboding for Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. But by noon, our on-call weekend staffers were charging their equipment as the unseasonably warm weather grew more ominous. As night fell, seven tornadoes touched down across Middle Tennessee, killing seven people and injuring more than 80 others, as well as destroying 342 homes and […]

Restricting transgender care and expressions of gender identity isn’t just a political issue. These proposals and laws have had a deep impact on people in Tennessee’s LGBTQ+ community. The sheer volume of legislation, legal challenges and superseding court rulings could make it difficult for anyone to keep up — but WPLN News closely covered the […]

The election of new Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell made the morning of Sept. 15, 2023, the dawning of a new era for Nashville. This morning newscast captures the culmination of months of coverage and a robust plan for Election Night that drew on the talents of about a dozen staffers. Nashville’s next mayor will be […]

This Is Nashville launched less than a year ago, but already Khalil Ekulona has established himself as a beloved voice in Middle Tennessee. Khalil is an engaging, empathetic and insightful interviewer, and a vibrant personality. In this reel, you’ll hear these highlights from his first 10 months as our host: A “shotgun” ride with an […]

This Is Nashville debuted on March 1, 2022, with the goal of being a different type of midday talk show — one that centers the voices and lived experiences of everyday Middle Tennesseans. In this reel, you’ll hear highlights from our first 10 months on the air, including: Our debut episode (March 1) The history […]