LSU Manship School Students Win First Place, Honorable Mention in National Podcast Competition

January 29, 2021

BATON ROUGE—LSU Manship School of Mass Communication senior Nick Ashton and master’s student Murry Goldberg are two of six students in the United States who were honored in a national student podcast competition emphasizing the importance of media history. Ashton won first place for his show exploring the history and future of drumming publications, while Goldberg received an honorable mention for his show covering a history of sports talk radio in Memphis, Tennessee.

Winners of the contest, hosted by Journalism History, the official academic journal of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) History Division, were announced Jan. 6.

Ashton, who studies public relations and is a member of the LSU Drumline and LSU Bengal Brass, tackled the proud history and innovative future of publications and various other media produced by drum companies in his award-winning podcast. The Covington, Louisiana native’s podcast discusses first-hand accounts from industry veterans, including manufacturers, marketers, retailers, historians and drummers, to paint a picture of what makes drumming publications so significant. Judges noted Ashton “nailed it on tone, accuracy of portrayal and overall content.”

“I love the environment of support and collaboration that the drumming community has for each other,” Ashton said. “Consequently, producing this podcast was an absolute joy, because I couldn't have been happier to reach out to people I admire in the community and talk about the activity together.”

Goldberg, who is pursuing a Master of Mass Communication with a concentration in strategic communication, was one of three students who received an honorable mention. The Memphis native’s podcast covers a history of sports talk radio in Memphis, Tennessee, chronicling its past, present and future. In a conversation with four local radio personalities, the podcast explores sports radio icons such as George Lapides, the intertwining of sports talk radio and Memphis culture as a whole, and the past and present challenge of racial diversity in this local sphere.

“It is really an honor to be recognized in this national competition,” Goldberg said. “The ability to tell a story that has personal importance, as well as help share a story that is culturally important to my hometown, is really amazing, and I thank Dr. Will Mari and Journalism History for this opportunity to share this podcast with a national audience.”

Ashton and Goldberg submitted their podcast episodes for their final project in Assistant Professor of Media Law Will Mari’s American Media History course, allowing them to put their passion into their schoolwork. Mari, who is chair of AEJMC’s History Division, encouraged Ashton and Goldberg to apply for the journal’s national podcast competition.

"Nick, with his wonderful piece focused on preserving physical drumming magazines and culture, really made great use of his own interest in music,” Mari said. “Murry, likewise, dug deep into a passion of his—the history of local sports radio—to bring to life an important story. And both had really engaging interviews that capture the listener's attention."

Ashton and Goldberg’s episodes will air on the Journalism History Podcast during the week of March 22.

Journalism History, a scholarly journal published quarterly, has a respected reputation as the oldest peer-reviewed journal of mass media history in the United States. The journal launched its podcast in 2018 to reach a wider audience of academics, students, journalists and the general public with research and knowledge of journalism history. Journalism History is the official academic journal of the AEJMC History Division.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: Master of Mass Communication, Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs, Certificate of Strategic Communication and a dual MMC/Law degree. Its public relations students were recently ranked the #1 team in the nation, and its digital advertising and student media teams frequently earn national recognition.