Small Business Times reporter Elizabeth Geldermann has been named the Wisconsin Magazine Journalist of the Year by the Milwaukee Press Club.
The judges for the annual Wisconsin Excellence in Journalism Competition selected Geldermann for her portfolio of work, which included five SBT cover stories from the past year, including articles on: the problems at Fresh Brands Inc.; the challenges of redeveloping vacant Catholic Church properties; new methods of power networking; employers’ strategies for monitoring their workers’ use of computers on company time; and the logistical procedures for franchising a business.
Assessing Geldermann’s portfolio, the lead judge for the category, who is based in northern California, commented, "An extraordinarily diverse portfolio, excellently researched and written. From a simple real estate story on vacant religious properties that she expanded into a multi-based arena of ideas to extremely resourceful and helpful reporting on crucial issues for the business community, Elizabeth exhibited a penchant for thoroughness and readability. What I particularly liked is that she didn’t stop with the interviews and the research and the story. Her sidebars of information allowed the reader to view the whole picture. Many reporters go for the story only; they take the subject matter, go to a few people for quotes and then write a fairly decent overview. Elizabeth goes much further than that. She is an excellent example of what a good business reporter does to inform her readers. Congratulations on a superb job."
The Wisconsin Newspaper Journalist of the Year is Dee J. Hall of the Wisconsin State Journal.
The Wisconsin Radio Journalist of the Year is Anna Panoka of WUWM-FM 89.7, Milwaukee Public Radio.
The Wisconsin Television Journalist of the Year is Mike Jacobs of WTMJ-TV, Channel 4.
The full list of award winners is available at http://www.milwaukeepressclub.-org/news/view/13.
The winners will receive their awards at the Milwaukee Press Club’s annual Gridiron Dinner, which will take place Saturday, April 29, at the Radisson Mayfair Hotel, 2303 N. Mayfair Road, in Wauwatosa. The club will present its Sacred Cat Award to former CNN news anchor Aaron Brown. The club’s Headliner Awards will go to Sister Joel Read, retired president of Alverno College, and Bob Reitman, who will retire in December after 40 years as a Milwaukee radio personality.
The public is invited to the Gridiron Dinner, but pre-registration is required. For additional information, visit www.milwaukeepressclub.org or call (414) 588-9571.
