Student Radio Journalist Earns Recognition for work with KGRM and on-campus media 
By Jocye Evans, General Manager, KGRM 

Pictured (left to right): Students Kamau Dangerfield, Christiana Essien, Maurice Tandy-Patton and Charleston Talbert, operations manager for KGRM, the Grambling State University campus radio station.

           Grambling State University junior, Maurice Tandy-Patton, was named Student  Broadcaster of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (LAB) during its annual Prestige Awards Luncheon held March 21, 2019 at the Doubletree Hotel in Lafayette, Louisiana.

            Tandy-Patton won this year’s competition which included both professional and student journalists from throughout the state. The Prestige Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements by Louisiana radio and television broadcasters, was established to encourage the highest standards of reporting, community service and production creativity. All television and radio stations in the state are eligible to compete, and judging is conducted by a panel of broadcast experts from outside of the state of Louisiana.|
            For the 20-year old Cincinnati, Ohio, native, the award is more than a tribute to his hard work with KGRM, a campus radio station that serves the North Louisiana I-20 corridor. Tandy-Patton’s recognition as an on-air announcer also shares a testament to the perseverance he learned early in life while facing some seemingly insurmountable odds. 

With limited contact with a mother who was addicted to drugs, Tandy-Patton and his father lived in numerous shelters and, at one point, in their car.  When he was only eight years old, his father developed kidney disease and later in 2015 lost his life after battling lung cancer.

            “I am very honored and grateful to receive this award,” said the 20-year old unsuspecting recipient who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. “I love broadcasting, particularly radio; and the opportunity to be an

announcer of KGRM, our campus radio station. This experience has been very rewarding and educational,” said Tandy-Patton.
The award, however, was no surprise to some members of the GSU Mass Communication Department. Joyce Evans, general manager of KGRM, describes him as a “dedicated student who always exhibits great initiative, professionalism and diligence.” Maurice has demonstrated admirable leadership ability and his positive attitude makes him a pleasure to work with,” she added.
“I have known Maurice since his first semester of college, when he enrolled in one of the courses I taught. His perfect score on the first test in the course got my attention. He maintained top test scores throughout the semester and was one of the top students in the class,” said Martin O.Edu, professor at Grambling State.
Today, Tandy-Patton maintains a 3.4 grade point average. His ultimate dream is to become a professional broadcaster with a mission to keep the community in which he serves informed of current and important issues and events.

“It has been great working closely with and supervising Maurice during his time here at the station,” said Charleston Talbert, operations manager for the radio station.  While at the station, Tandy-Patton was trained in the operations of Shortcut 360

Personal Audio Editor and is currently the producer of the Gospel News Show and hosted two on-air shows, Smooth Jazz with Mo and a talk show, KJ & Mo.

            Tandy-Patton is a former contributing writer for the campus newspaper, The Gramblinite, and a member of the Earl Lester Cole Honors College.