This month, the Lyons Township High School again won the Best Radio Station in the Nation award at the John Drury High School Radio Awards.
The high school’s win came Oct. 8, and it’s the eighth time the community station has won the award since its inception in 2002.
In addition to being named the top station in the nation, the Drury Awards also handed out honors in 14 individual categories, according to a news release. WLTL students took home four of those individual honors as well:
* Best Radio Drama — It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
* Best Newscast — Gabe Lazarski (La Grange Park, IL ’22)
* Best Podcast — So That’s Why: Library Jacket
* Best Website — WLTL.net
The station, WLTL, has been broadcasting since 1968 and is a popular local station, producing many popular DJs — some of whom who have gone on to large radio markets. Principal Jennifer Tyrrell said the win is a testament to the quality of the high school’s educators as well as the students.
“We are really proud of our teachers and our staff,” she said. “WLTL has a really rich tradition, this is now their eighth time winning the award. Our students are so committed. They do it because they’re passionate about it.”
Tyrrell, now working in her second year as principal, is from the Orland Park area so she explained she didn’t grow up listening to WLTL, but quickly became a fan of it, plus the student-led television station and other media, once she arrived in the area. In an era of diminishing funding for student-media programs, LTHS continues to exist and, even, to flourish.
“This is a place that has a lot of excellence. LTTV, our award-winning yearbook, our newspaper, and all our publications, I would put up against any program in the country,” Tyrrell said. “If you looked at the awards that all of the publications win year in and year out, I think you would be hard pressed to find another school with that caliber year in and year out.
She also credits the community for its support, as well as the continued support of the school board for funding the station.
“I think our school board supports our innovative programming,” Tyrrell said. She elaborated that the activities draw parents and students to the area, so they return a value.
“I think they also recognizing these as student magnets,” she said. “They’re the best in the country.”
Radio, she said, is more about playing music. In fact, the WLTL station won a handful of awards for associated content, like best radio drama, best newscast, podcast and website — skills that require more than a talented on-air personality. Thus, radio education can inspire and engage student interests in various technical fields.
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“These are classes in the core curriculums,” Tyrrell said. “The skills that students are learning are transferrable from high school. They’re learning and developing writing and developing critical thinking skills. These skills transfer, and I think we all recognize that.”
And, for that matter, the station continues to evolve. In recent years, podcasts have rivaled broadcast radio for content and listeners, so LTHS has followed suit, offering podcasts — a downloadable audio feature anyone can listen to at any time via a smartphone or computer.
“The industry is involving and, as the industry evolves, our programs evolve,” Tyrrell said. “It applies to all of our programs. We evolve because we live in an ever-changing society.”
None of this is meant to dismiss the on-air talent. She also pointed out students regularly feature live broadcasts from sports events, which can be enjoyed by anyone in the community, and the performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” for which the station won best radio drama, offer real emotional impact to the community.
“It brings tears to your eyes,” Tyrrell said. “What they do is very, very special and I think everyone enjoys it.”
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.