ATLANTA—The Georgia Association of Broadcasters honored nine station employees at the early stage of their broadcast career as members of its first-ever class of “Rising Stars” during GABCON 2024, Sept. 7, at the Jekyll Island Convention Center.
The award recognizes station employees who are early in their careers who demonstrate great promise in their desire and ambition to success in broadcasting.
Honored individuals include:
- Austin Eller—WSB-AM
- Haley Mason—CMG Athens
- Jamie Worsley—WALB-TV
- Jenna Petracci—WJBF-TV
- Jonathon Hoppe—WTVM-TV
- Josh Tanner—WCON
- Lydia Blackstone—WJCL-TV
- Sarah Smith—WSAV-TV
- Will Rioux---WRDW-TV
The honorees have shown a willingness to go beyond their daily job responsibilities to ensure the station produces and airs excellent content that exceeds the expectation of its viewers or listeners. Only individuals with fewer than five years of professional work experience were considered, the association said.
The Rising Stars attended the annual GABCON convention and participated in a panel discussion on the future of broadcasting. During the panel, led by Dale Van Canfort, professor emeritus of Piedmont College, the panelists talked about their experiences breaking into broadcasting and what trends they see affecting the future of the industry, it said.
The Rising Star Award is expected to become a key part of GAB’s future efforts to retain young talent in Georgia, it said.
More information is available on the association’s website.
