Two episodes from UC Berkeley Journalism’s flagship student publication North Gate Radio on KALX radio have been named finalists in the College Broadcasters 2026 National Student Production Awards.
The CBI Awards recognize outstanding work in audio, video, news, sports, storytelling, promotion and digital presence.
“Just Transition: The Bay’s Next Chapter?,” hosted by Lenéa Sims (’27) and reporters Caly Plowman (’27), Patricio Provencio (’27), Steffi Puerto (’27), Lizzy Rager (’27) and Zoe Meyer (’27), is a finalist in the Best Special Broadcast category.
The show takes a deep dive into what it will take to move from an extractive economy to one that regenerates resources and centers community and collective wellbeing. Stories explore solar access programs for low-income homeowners, ways formerly unhoused people are shaping solutions to homelessness and initiatives for feeding people through mutual aid.
From top left: Gabriel Lopez (’27), Daniela X. Sandoval (’26), Sophia Cutino (’26), Minahil Arif (’26) and Haydee Barahona (’26).
“Death, Doulas, and Digital Afterlives,” hosted by Haydee Barahona (’26) and Gabriel Lopez (’27) with reporters Minahil Arif (’26), Sophia Cutino (’26) and Daniela X. Sandoval (’26), is a finalist in the Best Documentary category.
The show delves into the new ways Bay Area people are facing death and dying, from talking openly in “death cafés” to seeking natural burials to Silicon Valley’s promise of digital immortality.
From top left: Caly Plowman (’27), Lenéa Sims (’27), Lizzy Rager (’27), Zoe Meyer (’27), Patricio Provencio (’27) and Steffi Puerto (’27).
“The two shows being recognized were conceived entirely by the students themselves,” Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji, director of audio instruction at the J-School said. “They came up with the themes, pitched and produced all of the feature stories linked to those themes, and accomplished this in an introductory audio course. A majority of the students had limited audio training prior to this, so being recognized nationally means a lot. Their ambition, creativity, and willingness to take on big ideas inspires me.”
Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji. Photo: Marlena Telvick
KALX General Manager Tim Lynch describes the station’s partnership with North Gate Radio as “a win-win for everyone” involved.
“The J-School students learn to create professional-grade audio reports by doing them,” Lynch said. “They in turn set a standard that other KALX producers and news reporters seek to meet. Meanwhile our listeners learn about topics in greater detail and with more context than most news outlets ever offer. The programs live on after broadcast in the podcast space, offering even more people the chance to listen on-demand.”
The winners will be announced in October at the 2026 CBI National Student Media Convention in Philadelphia.
Earlier wins
Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji’s J200 audio class project “Ohlone Land Episode” won the College Broadcasters National Student Production Award for Best Documentary in 2023. The story details how the City of Oakland passed a resolution to return five acres of land to the Ohlone, making history as the first municipality in the nation to return city land to an indigenous group that is not federally recognized.
Reporting for North Gate Radio, students Laura Fitzgerald, Max Harrison-Caldwell, Jenna Hards, Laura Isaza and Bria Suggs (all Class of 2024) unpacked this legislation and explored other ways East Bay institutions are attempting to repair harm done to local indigenous communities.
Bria Suggs, Jenna Hards, Max Harrison-Caldwell, Laura Isaza and Laura Fitzgerald celebrating their College Broadcasters National Student Production Award for Best Documentary in 2023. Photo: Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji.
Berkeley Journalism students also took second place in the documentary category for a North Gate Radio story about Section 230, a law that helped create the Internet as we know it today and its role in sowing disinformation and misinformation on the web. The story was produced by Hanisha Harjani (’23) with reporters Lola Proctor (’23) and Steven Rascón (’22) with support from Professor Queena Kim and investigative reporter Aaron Glantz through a multidisciplinary class taught as part of the university’s “Our Better Web” initiative. In addition to journalism students, the class included students from the Schools of Law, Public Policy, and Information.
Back row from left: Students in the Digital Accountability class: Danielle Elliott, Carly Olson, Lola Proctor, Steven Rascon, Celina Avalos Jaramillo, Alan Kyle, Noah Cole, Ian Castro, Raj Bhargava, Olivia Zhao, Andrew Lopez, Forogh Bashizada, Leqi Zhong, Hanisha Harjani. Front row from left: University Leaders and Instructors: Meredith Lee, Aaron Glantz, Queena Kim, Geeta Ananad, Jennifer Chayes, Janet Napolitano and Hany Farid. Photo by Beryl Terry (‘23)
In 2018, North Gate Radio won second-place in the Best Regularly Scheduled Program Audio category for “Renegades” — people and things that defy the status quo by Susie Neilson, Padmini Parthasarthy, Lee Mengistu, Nikka Singh, Zoë Ferrigno, Kaitlin Benz, Nuria Marquez Martinez and Francesca Fenzi (all Class of 2019). Listen to the show here.
