KAWC gains national recognition for stories on border life
July 23, 2025Yuma, Ariz. (July 23, 2025) – The KAWC news team recently took home journalism awards from the Public Media Journalists Association awards ceremony for work completed in 2024.
Leading the recognition were KAWC News Director Lou Gum and Reporter Victor Calderón, who earned first and second place prizes for episodes from the KAWC news program, Arizona Edition. In addition to highlighting local news stories from Somerton and San Luis, Arizona, the prize-winning episodes centered around topics affecting the region through interviews led by Gum and Calderón.
“To be recognized for the work we do by a national organization like PMJA for these very local stories is really gratifying,” Gum said. “I know the values and hard work behind the effort public media journalists put in from across the nation and I am really proud to count KAWC reporters among them. The stories we get recognized for tend to be really deep dives into community and border life.”
The team’s reporting stood out for its focus on human-centered stories in the region. This was especially evident in the first-place-winning episode, where Calderón visited Somerton, Arizona, to explore the impactful work that the Regional Center for Border Health is doing with migrants.
“I wanted people to hear directly from people in our community who have been impacted by immigration policies,” Calderón shared. “At the Regional Center for Border Health in Somerton, staff members worked to serve migrants. I went out there and spoke with RCBH officials and migrants who shared their experiences with me and our listeners."
“Victor's tour of RCBH demystified the border and migrant processing for our audience,” Gum added, “and helped them better understand how it works and who pays for it at a time when the national debate was full of misinformation. We had done the same in 2023 when we were recognized for a story about the large migrant caravans active at the time. These stories and this recognition really highlight the importance of a strong local news infrastructure and we at KAWC, along with our colleagues in tv and at the local paper are all dedicated to representing and highlighting stories in our community that help everyone live better more informed lives.”
The story taking second place exhibited Gum and Calderón skills as interviewers as well as storytellers, featuring interviews with a local ag-pilot, a representative from the Affordable Care Act in Arizona, and a pastor in San Luis, Arizona, whose churches efforts to feed the needy were coming under attack from the city.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Public Media Journalists Association for work that is so important to who KAWC is in our community,” Calderón said. “When we report on an issue, we want our listeners to hear new voices as much as possible. At KAWC, we will continue to share the news, stories and voices of Yuma and La Paz counties. Thank you for listening.”
To listen to the winning Arizona Edition episodes, follow the links below:
• Arizona Edition: RCBH holds the line on migrant street releases in Yuma, but for how long?
• Arizona Edition Friday: Ag-pilots, the ACA in AZ, San Luis church lawsuit
Stay up to date on local stories through weekly episodes from KAWC’s Arizona Edition here.
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About KAWC:
Since 1970, KAWC has been a public service of Arizona Western College, providing local public radio for Yuma. KAWC hosts two programming streams: KAWC News, featuring NPR, BBC, and local news coverage on 88.9 FM and kawc.org for Yuma, Parker, and surrounding communities, and KOFA Border Radio, community music on 94.7 FM, AM 1320, and at borderradioaz.org for the Yuma area. From the Matador Activity Center on the Arizona Western College campus in Yuma, KAWC and KOFA produce programming highlighting local issues and Arizona musical artists designed to educate, inform, and entertain their listeners. In partnership with local and regional media, KAWC’s vision is to become the go-to source for local media programming.
About the Public Media Journalists Association:
The Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) is a professional association for public media journalists in the United States. Membership includes over 130 local public radio newsrooms across the country. PMJA’s programs provide professional development, career support and networking opportunities to the over 1,800 journalists working at its member stations.
Contact:
Lou Gum
News & Operations Director
KAWC Newsroom
Arizona Western College
lou.gum@azwestern.edu
(928) 314-9560