With one award from College Broadcasters Inc. for Best Podcast in hand, 88.1 the ’Burg is now in the running for 10 separate awards at the national level from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS).

On March 6-8, four of the ’Burg DJs, accompanied by Program Director Nikki Marra, will fly to New York City for the 75th annual international conference where the winners of the awards will be announced.

Marra, a former instructor of broadcast journalism on the East Coast and experienced radio talent, sees these nominations as a statement about the station as a whole.

“The [presentation] of these awards is more of a fact that we are becoming a premiere, elite radio program in this country,” Marra said. “We’re keeping up to caliber with bigger schools, with bigger radio programs, with bigger communications programs that are out there. And no one can tell us any different.”

Eight of the 10 nominations the ’Burg received are divided between five students and one member of the ’Burg’s professional staff, while the other two are for the station as a whole.

Tayler Shaindlin, junior broadcast journalism major, is up for Best News Feature Story and Best Campus News Coverage. She shares the nomination for Best Promo Series with her “Wake Up Call” co-host, Nick Oliver, a junior who intends to major in broadcast journalism.

Both Oliver and Shaindlin have been working at the ’Burg for three years and have recently risen in the ranks at the station.

Shaindlin is now News and Public Affairs Director and Oliver holds the station’s highest student position of Assistant Program Director.

Shaindlin’s favorite part of being at the ’Burg has been a contribution she and Oliver made themselves.

“We, as a team, brought the morning show to the ’Burg because there was none,” Shaindlin said. “No one would dream of having a show at 6 a.m. twice a week, but really in radio that’s the dream spot.”

For Shaindlin, the idea of being “the first thing you hear in the morning” is her favorite experience as a DJ.

Oliver’s experience at the ’Burg has really improved with new management.

“In the past 18 months, I’ve essentially gone from virtually the lowest man on the totem pole to assistant program director, which is the highest a student can be in the station,” Oliver said. “For me especially, as a person, I’ve grown a lot in this building.”

The ’Burg nominees are more excited about the educational aspects of the conference, than about the awards ceremony itself.

Tim Mitchell, junior professional and creative writing major, is looking forward to learning.

“Our goal going to this conference is not to take home the trophies,” Mitchell said. “We want to bring back more skill sets and ideas to make this place better, to give back to the community.”

Mitchell is nominated for Best Show Promo, which he created with former Central student Mikah Washburn, and for Best Podcast, for the CBI award-winning podcast: “The ’Burg Spotlight.”

Timo Nakhisa, junior computer science major, is anticipating good things from the panels presented at the conference.

Nakhisa has been nominated for Best Specialty Show, for his Sunday afternoon show: “Reggae Lovers,” and for Best Celebrity Interview, for his interview with Ziggy Marley.

In his three years at the ’Burg, Nakhisa has learned a lot.

“It has helped me understand different worlds and how much music matters to so many people at different levels, to the point that it makes me respect anybody who has a passion for music,” Nakhisa said.

This passion seems to be present throughout the entire station. Travis Box, the ’Burg general manager, is no exception.

In under two years at the ’Burg, Box has seen growth in not only the quality of production, but in the station as a team.

“One of the things we work under is that we’re “’Burg first,” that our titles and our specialties are second,” Box said. “The newest trainee in the program is no different than me or Nikki ,because we’re all ’Burg first. And it works.”

Box also sees these nominations as a real confidence boost for the students at the ’Burg.

“It was so important to see them believe in themselves,” Box said. “That’s why, at this level, I think competing for awards is so important. Because it shows them that they are as good as anybody else in the country.”

Box and Sam James, junior aviation major, created the nominated PSA, “Let it Grow.”

As a station, 88.1 the ’Burg has been nominated for Best Station Contest/Promotional Event for their “ResiDance Evil” event and also for Best College Radio Station (with more than 10,000 students enrolled).

If they win best station in their category, they will be in the running for the Abraham & Borst Award for Best College Station in the Nation.

One other thing the nominees find more important than winning: the listeners.

“At the end of the day, they make us who we are,” Nakhisa said. “So much thanks goes to the listeners and everybody that supports us.”