By KAY NGUYEN

Staff Reporter

The Michigan Association of Broadcasters recently awarded state honors to WXOU radio station and Student Video Productions for achievements in their respective fields.

WXOU and SVP are organizations run by Oakland University students. WXOU produces radio shows that can be heard on 88.3 FM, and SVP produces television shows for channel OUTV.

“I was very excited when I found out, since we have been working so hard for recognition,” said Erik Anderson, program director of both SVP and WXOU.  “Michigan State and Central Michigan usually get a lot of awards, and we are excited that we were able to take a couple from them.”

Freshman communications major Matt Pocket snagged a first-place award for WXOU in the sports play-by-play category. His broadcast of the Michigan high school Division II football state championships clinched him the illustrious honor.

Matt Pocket prepares for his radio show.

Photo by MASUDUR RAHMAN/The Oakland Post

“When I sent in my entry, it was just a ‘let’s just see what happens’ feeling,” Pocket said. “When I got the voicemail from Erik, it was the biggest surprise of my life.”

Pocket won another state award for his work in high school sports radio last year and has aspirations of becoming a professional play-by-play commentator. He was courted by Spring Arbor University, another awards powerhouse, but chose to come to OU because of the opportunities presented to him.

“Sometimes I sit back and think about things and think: wow, I am doing Division I college basketball play-by-play,” Pocket said. “[Oakland] has helped me get my foot in the door and winning this award will definitely help with my career.”

Anderson, Mike Parsons, and Chuck Kanouse earned an honorable mention in the station activities report category.

The project involved creating a short essay and a demo tape that highlighted the station’s community involvement throughout the year.

Along with senior journalism major Kim Yonick, Anderson also won a second place award for SVP in the best college television talk show category. Their half-hour technology talk show “Best Tech” features the latest in everything from tech news to movies to video games.

“I think that it is awesome and it is good to see fellow students and members of SVP put their work out there,” said SVP president Demetrios Anastasiow. “I am glad they did well.”

As producer, Yonick’s  responsibilities range from planning shows and their content to editing. As program director, Anderson “oversees anything on the air.”

“It is great when all the hard work you put into something is recognized,” Yonick said. “After I found out, I thought that maybe I could do this after I graduate.”

Awards will be given out at the Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference & Expo on March 11.

After the recent success, Anderson, a junior, is just looking ahead to the future.

“We hope to win more awards next year,” Anderson said.