WEIU Students Named Finalists for Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Awards

Charleston, IL (10/02/2025) — News from WEIU Television and Radio:

WEIU is ecstatic to announce that students at Eastern Illinois University have been named finalists in various categories for the prestigious Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) Student Silver Dome Awards. The awards recognize excellence in radio and television student broadcasting across Illinois.

WEIU's NewsWatch is a finalist for Best TV Newscast, with several students also nominated individually for their outstanding work. Junior in broadcast journalism, Olivia Bennett of Charleston earned recognition for Best News Package "Charleston Prepares for Pop-Up Parties." For Best Sports Package, senior broadcast journalism major Rashaad Jones of Decatur "EIU Quarterback Competition" and television production major Andrew Spaid of Lake in the Hills "Sibling Rivalry" were both named finalists. Weather coverage was also highlighted, with Ben Whitney, senior from Decatur, and Emily Davis, junior from Charleston, both environmental/physical geography majors, nominated for Best Weathercast.

For Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU, Matt Williamson, senior television production major from LeRoy, received a nomination for Best News Story "Loxa Road Pack". Junior Gabe Newman in sports media relations of Elk Grove Village was recognized for Best Sports Story "EIU Care Game." In longform content, Sam Alcumbrac, a 2025 television production graduate of EIU from Crete, is a finalist for "Intro to Lemon Twigs" for Best Journalism Programming, while Alex Sitman, television production junior from Carol Stream, is recognized for "Movie Watch" for Best Entertainment Programming.

Winners will be announced during the IBA's annual Student Silver Dome Awards ceremony, held at the Presidential Abraham Lincoln Springfield DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Monday, October 27, 2025.