UTA Radio shines with three national Pinnacle Awards
Lance Liguez, faculty advisor for UTA Radio, said the achievements highlight the creativity and professionalism of UTA’s student media programs.
“Not only are our students talented, together they make up a station that is getting more national recognition, as evidenced by the Audio Outlet of the Year placement,” Liguez said. “We have a really great group of students who work well together, challenge each other and come up with new ideas to expand our presence.”
For MediaFest 2025, four UTA Radio students—Mercedes Garcia, Cloie Olson, Emily Robinson and Jay Jacinto—traveled to the nation’s capital to represent UTA, participate in the annual conference and connect with industry professionals.
Jacinto, the sports director for UTA Radio, said the Audio Outlet of the Year Award underscores UTA Radio’s growing prestige.
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“UTA Radio has won multiple awards in the past, but this was the first time we received these specific awards at MediaFest,” Jacinto said. “The team decided to submit materials to these awards because we thought we would perform well. The fact we were the second-best radio station out of all the colleges in America really shows how successful our station is and how well-run we are from top to bottom.”
Jacinto, a senior broadcasting major, said participating in the conference was an invaluable experience for his future career.
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“The people we got to meet and hear from have been working in this career field for 30-plus years, so they’ve experienced the booms and the drops and know where the market is going right now,” Jacinto said. “It was really nice to get that inside look and also hear from newcomers in digital and audio about what the field is like and what we need to be taking away from college to be successful in the future.”
The Pinnacle Awards are College Media Association’s flagship national honors, recognizing the best student work in collegiate journalism, media production and organizational excellence. Winners are selected by a panel of experienced media professors and educators.
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
Celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2025, The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.