During this year’s annual National Motorsports Press Association(NMPA) awards ceremony in Concord, N.C., the Performance Racing Network (PRN) was honored with multiple awards for excellence in radio broadcasting.
For more than 57 years, the NMPA has honored writers, broadcasters and photojournalists from news outlets covering motorsports. Each year they gather to recognize the best in a wide range of categories including Spot-News Radio, Event-Oriented Feature Radio, Topic-Oriented Feature Radio and Live-Event Broadcast Radio.
PRN President Doug Rice received multiple awards including Broadcaster of the Year for the second consecutive year. Joining him with back-to-back honors was Producer of the Year, Kent Bernhardt.
“Winning these NMPA awards is a reflection of the dedication of the entire PRN team, and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Rice. “Kent Bernhardt is one of the most talented individuals I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my career and seeing him recognized again as Producer of the Year is true validation of his hard work.”
Longtime PRN announcer Steve Richards was named the 2023 recipient of the Barney Hall Award. It is chosen by the sitting president of the NMPA to recognize outstanding work in the field of broadcast journalism.
Richards died in December 2021 from complications related to COVID-19.
“Steve was not only tremendously talented but one of the nicest people I’ve ever come across in the industry,” NMPA president Kelly Crandall said. “He truly had a recognizable voice during radio broadcasts and provided useful insight to listeners. No matter what, Steve always seemed up for the job. His knowledge and passion for racing, and hustle on the job are to admired.
“I had the honor of getting to know Steve in the years before his passing and I will forever be grateful for those moments. Steve was funny, caring, and always willing to lend a hand personally and professionally. Sometimes that even meant opening up his home. He also had one of the coolest collections of racing memorabilia that I’ve ever seen. Steve is missed by many and deserves to finally be recognized for a wonderful career.”
Here is a full list of PRN’s 2023 NMPA awards:
Spot-News Radio
North Wilkesboro: It’s All That and More | (Second Place) Mark Garrow broadcaster and producer
Event-Oriented Feature Radio
Sherry Strong | (Second Place) Wendy Venturini broadcaster, Kent Bernhardt producer
Remembering Ken | (First Place) Doug Rice broadcaster, Kent Bernhardt producer
Topic-Oriented Feature Radio
In Tribute to Ken | (Second Place) Doug Rice broadcaster, Kent Bernhardt producer
75 Years and a Lot of Memories | (First Place) Doug Rice broadcaster, Kent Bernhardt producer
Live-Event Broadcast Radio
Ambetter Health 400 | (Third Place)
Producer of the Year
Kent Bernhardt
Broadcaster of the Year
Doug Rice
Barney Hall Award
Steve Richards
PRN will kick off its 2024 season of racing during Ambetter Health 400 weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Feb. 24-25. See our full broadcast schedule and find a station near you at GoPRN.com.
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