DECATUR, Ill. – Two recent Millikin University alumni were honored with a Golden Microphone Award at the 2025 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Conference, held in New York City.
Millikin graduates Trinity Mata ’24 and Kyle McMillen ’24 won the Golden Microphone Award for Best Live Music Broadcast for their show “Millitrax A-Sides,” which was broadcast on 89.5 WJMU The Quad, Millikin’s college radio station.
During the spring 2024 semester, Mata, an Arts Technology and Computer Science graduate, and McMillen, an Arts Technology graduate, produced a live show featuring performances by Millikin Music students broadcast through Millitrax Recording Studios.
Millitrax Recording Studio, located in Millikin’s Perkinson Music Center, comprises two studios: analog and digital. Studio A features a large tracking room, an isolation room, a control room, and a machine room. Studio B features a mixing room with a digital console.
Several current Millikin WJMU student staff members were in attendance in New York when Mata and McMillen were announced as winners, beating out a strong group of competitors that included the University of Toledo, Rutgers University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System is an organization that supports college and high school media programs, and its annual conference is the country’s longest-running and largest gathering of college radio broadcasters. The gathering aims to support and promote educational, community, and student media outlets, offering opportunities for networking, learning, and recognition.
Millikin students were also finalists in two other Golden Microphone categories. Andalyn Hodge, Helena Hashimoto, and Cole Anderson were finalists in Best News Feature for their work on a piece for WJMU on former U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger speaking at Millikin during the fall 2024 semester at the Ewing Lecture.
Hodge and Hashimoto were also finalists in the Best Radio Liner/Sweeper category for their "Register to Vote" liner. In radio broadcasting, a liner is a short, pre-recorded audio segment used to communicate a concise message.
“We are incredibly proud of these WJMU students, who were nominated and recently traveled to New York City to accept awards on behalf of Millikin University. Trinity and Kyle’s recognition is especially satisfying, as this project was the result of tremendous collaborative efforts on the part of Multimedia Communication and Commercial Music students and faculty,” WJMU Station Manager Sam Meister said. “This success would not have been possible without the efforts of many people, but specifically (in addition to Kyle and Trinity) congratulation should go to students Austin Haga, Cole Phillips, Nolan Bunger, Henry Herrero, Josiah Baily, Alex Barr, Priscilla Sabourin, Audry Soetermans, and Colby Wygal, all of whom made significant contribution to this project.
