Westwood One Wins National Headline Award First Place Honor

Cumulus Media’s Westwood One has captured the prestigious National Headliner Award first place honor in the Pandemic Coverage/Project category for the Memorial Day 2020 special “The Summer of COVID-19", airing on the Jim Bohannon Show. The program was produced and broadcast early in the pandemic and imagined what an altered summer would be like, with family vacations and trips cancelled, all of society at a halt, and a great deal of uncertainty ahead.

In presenting the award to Westwood One, the judges commented, “We think we remember the whole COVID sequence. But ‘The Summer of COVID-19' brings it all back. Great audio and narration of the many aspects of the pandemic as it affected the U.S. from early in 2020 through the summer months … it's an excellent recap with great audio that will bring back memories, good and bad, in classic radio style.”

Westwood One was also named third-place winner in the Documentary or Public Affairs category for the Independence Day special “Black Lives Matter: From Protests to Police Reform.” The program, which also aired on The Jim Bohannon Show, explored the movement that crystalized after Floyd’s death, the resulting societal progress, and efforts toward reform.

In addition, Westwood One also earned a third-place award in the Feature and Human Interest category for “New York City Protests – Making A Difference.” The feature, which aired on America in the Morning, focused on several men who met during the protests and wave of vandalism in New York City and banned together to prevent the looting of a Target store.

Founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, the National Headliner Awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.