The Illinois News Broadcasters Association launched the Crystal Mic awards in 2021, and WGLT has been a proud winner each year. Here are the 2025 highlights:
WGLT honored with three first-place awards
For the third year in a row, WGLT won Best Digital Presence.
Winning four of the last five years for Best Newscast is WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker.
Graduate Assistant Ben Howell won Best Investigative Report for the “Life Under Oak Wood” series alongside Content Director and mentor Ryan Denham.
Two second-place designations
Rounding out the awards haul for WGLT are two second-place honors, including:
- Best Investigative Report – Deputy News Director Lauren Warnecke, Charlie Schlenker, and Ryan Denham
- Best Political Reporting – Ryan Denham and Lauren Warnecke
Those five awards were the most for any station in the Small Market Radio category.
In addition to the newsroom awards, Illinois State University senior and WGLT intern Colleen Holden was awarded one of the five statewide 2026 scholarships.
You can learn more about the station’s award-winning history at WGLT.org/Awards.
