May 30, 2025, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — New England Public Media is proud to announce that it has received multiple honors for its innovative programming. NEPM’s multimedia project “Red in a Blue State: Stories from the 2024 RNC” has been awarded a 2025 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award in the digital category for small market radio; and both “Red in a Blue State” and “The Fabulous 413” have received recognition from the 31st Annual Communicator Awards.
The Murrow Awards, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association, are among the most prestigious in broadcast and digital journalism. Since 1971, these awards have celebrated the highest standards in reporting. NEPM’s “Red in a Blue State” was honored for its digital storytelling excellence — a recognition that speaks to the depth and quality of the work. The project will be advancing to the national Murrow Award competition this summer.
“Red in a Blue State” is a multimedia exploration of the experiences, motivations, and identities of western Massachusetts Republicans who attended the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Through documentary photography, video, audio interviews, and immersive storytelling, the project shines a light on what it means to be a conservative voice in a predominantly liberal region.
Photojournalist Barry Goldstein, known for documenting pivotal historical moments including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, brought his unique lens to the project. Goldstein’s work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and The American Scholar.
In addition to the Murrow award, “Red in a Blue State” also earned a 2025 award of excellence in the social content series — news and politics category from the Communicator Awards, recognizing innovation and effectiveness in modern media.
NEPM’s “The Fabulous 413,” hosted by Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, was also celebrated at the Communicator Awards with a 2025 award of distinction in the individual episodes – arts and culture podcast category for the episode “The ‘Mad’ Afters.” The show highlights the richness of life in western Massachusetts and has become a vibrant platform for local arts, culture, and community storytelling.
“I’m exceedingly proud of the work that ‘The Fabulous 413’ does every day to shine a light on all the incredible things happening here in western Massachusetts,” said Tony Dunne, director of content for NEPM. “And I’m especially proud of ‘Red in a Blue State,’ which was a true exercise in a core tenet of public media: presenting and showcasing diverse peoples and points of view. It’s wonderful and humbling to see both of these efforts recognized.”
These awards affirm NEPM’s ongoing commitment to thoughtful, inclusive, and high-quality journalism that deepens community connection and understanding across political, cultural, and social lines.
For more on “Red in a Blue State,” visit nepm.org/rnc2024. For more on “The Fabulous 413,” visit nepm.org/thefabulous413.
ABOUT THE RADIO TELEVISION DIGITAL NEWS ASSOCIATION
Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.
ABOUT THE COMMUNICATOR AWARDS
The Communicator Awards recognize excellence, effectiveness, and innovation across all areas of communication. This season, the 31st Annual Communicator Awards celebrate the various human connections forged through communication. The Communicator Awards are sanctioned and reviewed by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed brand and media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms like McCann Worldgroup, Superfly, R/GA, American Express, Groove Jones, Metajive, Relevate Health, Sony, Digitas, Discovery Communications, and Netflix among many others.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media enriches people’s lives in western Massachusetts and beyond by nurturing curiosity, inspiring community engagement, and reflecting the unique joys of living here. NEPM is the region’s source for PBS and NPR programs and for locally produced news, video, and music content. For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInand YouTube.
MEDIA CONTACT
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org