FTC Mass Comm students nominated for five national IBS Media Awards
By Grace Bonamico
The 2024-2025 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Award nominations were announced last week, and Five Towns College students received five nominations:
Best On-Air Personality: Daniel Garcia
Best Podcast: Fabian Savino
Best Graphics: Jena Chambers
Best Variety Show: John Maturo & Advanced Lab 6 (Fernando Gomez, Jeff Kramer, Madelyn Llanes, Tyler McCready, Kate Miller, Sydney Mountain)
Best Sports Program: Sydney Mountain & Advanced Lab 6 (Fernando Gomez, Jeff Kramer, Madelyn Llanes, Tyler McCready, John Maturo, Kate Miller)
The Intercollegiate Broadcast System (IBS) Awards are a nationwide broadcasting competition. Since its inception in 1940, IBS has been led by volunteers passionate about student media.
“I’m excited about these nominations for many reasons. They really show how talented and creative our students are, both as individuals and as groups, ” said Mass Communication Chair Holli Haerr.
Five Towns students are proud to be recognized for the awards.
“This recognition means so much to me because it reflects the hard work and passion I’ve put into improving myself on air over the last year. I submitted for this same category last year, and I was not nominated, so I took the last year to improve as a broadcaster, and this nomination shows that my hard work has paid off. It’s an amazing feeling to be acknowledged on a national level. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to represent my school and continue to grow as a broadcaster,” said Daniel Garcia, nominated for Best On-Air Personality. Garcia is a Good Morning FTC host and intern at IHeart Radio.
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For some Mass Comm students, it isn’t their first nomination. Last year, Sydney Mountain was nominated for Best Sports Play-by-Play and the HVIAC Tournament Women’s Pre-Show. This year, Mountain produced the HVIAC Tournament Men’s Pre-Show, which nabbed her and her Advanced Lab 6 classmates a nomination for Best Sports Program. “It just shows that all the hard work I’m putting into all my projects and extracurricular stuff is getting seen. And that’s something that I’m really proud of.”
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Television production is a team sport, so students at all levels participated in the nominated broadcasts. “I worked as a TA during my freshman year, and I helped with Sydney’s filming project for the HVIAC project. I’m glad I got nominated for something in my freshman year that I didn’t even know was possible. I’m just so grateful and so excited about that,” said sophomore Tyler McCreedy.
Professor Haerr spoke to the importance of teamwork and progression, saying, “The students who received two nominations for projects in Lab 6 also received a nomination when they were in Lab 4 last year. They’ve now done it three times, and that’s amazing to me.”
In addition to news and sports coverage, Five Towns students produce creative programming that reflect their personal interests and passions. Senior John Maturo produced The 80’s Show in his Advanced Lab class. “So, to me, the 80s was such an iconic era, especially in the U.S. with its iconic movies, bands, and pop stars, of course, fashion. The 80s mean a lot to me, especially how I live my daily life, and that will never change.”
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Fabian Savino’s Mother’s Day podcast showcased his broadcasting skills while exploring a more personal topic. “It’s an honor to be honored while honoring the matriarch in my family,” said Savino.
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On the visual front, Jena Chambers was recognized for her Election Night graphics package, which was a major part of the college’s live Election Night broadcast. Chambers has also created show opens for school events such as the Long Island Media Arts Show. “I like making things for the bigger picture and being a building block for the broadcast,” said Chambers.
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IBS Media Awards winners will be announced at the annual IBSNYC 2025 Conference on March 8th at the Sheraton Times Square in New York City.
