The Youngstown Press Club recognizes excellent work in journalism, media and communications through awards that honor those with distinguished careers in the media through it's Hall of Fame, those who are currently doing exemplary work in the media through the Excellence in Media Award, those who have defended the freedoms in the First Amendment through the First Amendment Award, and press club members who have made significant contributions to the club through the Medal of Merit.
Youngstown Press Club announces 2024 award winners
The Youngstown Press Club has announced its 2024 Hall of Fame inductees and winners of the First Amendment Award, Excellence in Media Award and Medal of Merit.
Five distinguished Mahoning Valley journalists will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in September. They are: Mona Alexander, recently retired news director at WFMJ; William D. Lewis, photographer for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator; Nick Rich, news videographer for WKBN; Len Rome, news anchor at WYTV; and the late William Fleckenstein, co-founder and general manager of WHOT Radio.
The press club will award Lisa Abraham, longtime area journalist, with its First Amendment Award; Madison Tromler, news anchor and reporter at WFMJ, with its Excellence in Media Award; and JoAnn Kolarik, WFMJ account executive, with its Medal of Merit.
The inductions and award presentations will occur at the press club's Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. Tickets are required to attend the dinner and may be purchased here.
A portion of ticket sales supports journalism and communications scholarships.
The YPC Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner is sponsored by Farmers National Bank, Covelli Enterprises and Stambaugh Auditorium.
Five distinguished Mahoning Valley journalists will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in September. They are: Mona Alexander, recently retired news director at WFMJ; William D. Lewis, photographer for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator; Nick Rich, news videographer for WKBN; Len Rome, news anchor at WYTV; and the late William Fleckenstein, co-founder and general manager of WHOT Radio.
The press club will award Lisa Abraham, longtime area journalist, with its First Amendment Award; Madison Tromler, news anchor and reporter at WFMJ, with its Excellence in Media Award; and JoAnn Kolarik, WFMJ account executive, with its Medal of Merit.
The inductions and award presentations will occur at the press club's Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. Tickets are required to attend the dinner and may be purchased here.
A portion of ticket sales supports journalism and communications scholarships.
The YPC Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner is sponsored by Farmers National Bank, Covelli Enterprises and Stambaugh Auditorium.
5 journalists to be inducted into the YPC Hall of Fame
Five distinguished Mahoning Valley journalists will be inducted into the Youngstown Press Club Hall of Fame. Mona Alexander, William Fleckenstein, William D. Lewis, Nick Rich and Len Rome will be inducted at the club's Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner on Sept. 25, 2024. They will join the 11 current members of the Hall of Fame.
The press club’s Hall of Fame commemorates those who have had long and distinguished careers in media. Inductees are chosen by a Youngstown Press Club selection committee from nominations from club members. The Hall of Fame was established in 2021.
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Mona Alexander
Mona Alexander’s interest in journalism dates back to weekly trips to the corner newsstand with her Dad to pick up the “ten pounds of paper” her family would spend Sundays reading. She grew up in Chicago, in a family keenly interested in current events and a city where politics is a spectator sport.
Following her graduation from Northern Illinois University, Mona took her newly minted journalism degrees and moved to Youngstown. She started her career at WKBN where she reported on the economic impact of the closing of the valley’s steel mills, city and county government, politics and public corruption.
In 1997, Mona was offered the position of news director at WFMJ. There she rebuilt the news department from the bottom up with an emphasis on hard news and in-depth reporting. In addition to adding new newscasts, Mona started an investigative unit and launched “Feed Our Valley,” which raises money and food donations for Second Harvest Food Bank each year.
Mona is a deep believer in objective, in-depth, hard news reporting as a way of serving the community by empowering its citizens with information they can trust.
Mona and her husband of many years, Joe Henderson, enjoy traveling and spending time with their “pet babies.”
William Fleckenstein
William Fleckenstein was the co-founder, co-owner and general manager of legendary Youngstown radio station WHOT.
Bill was born Eugene William Fleckenstein in 1924 in the small borough of Reynoldsville, Pa., near DuBois. Before he entered first grade, his family moved to Sharon where his passion for broadcasting was sparked by watching the construction of WPIC-AM as a teenager. Electronics and broadcast engineering became his world.
Bill earned his FCC first class broadcast engineer’s license and was hired at WFMJ-AM in Youngstown where he met fellow engineer and kindred soul Myron Jones. They both dreamed of radio station ownership and acted on it by leaving WFMJ in 1951 to successfully launch WJET-AM in Erie, Pa.
Four years later, Bill, then 31, and Myron squeezed another AM station into the already full Youngstown market. By licensing it to adjacent Campbell, WHOT was born and hit the air in October 1955.
As one of only three stations in the country with a “top 40” pop music format, WHOT was an immediate hit, and disc jockeys like “Boots” Bell, Johnny Kay, Dick Thompson, and Jerry Starr became household names.
Bill’s commitment to strong local news coverage was reflected in a staff that often had six reporters. Three decades later when relaxed regulations phased out many radio station news departments, Bill’s news and information commitment remained firm.
Bill remained as general manager at the station he co-founded and co-owned until his retirement in 1989. He died in Fort Lauderdale in 2023 just two weeks shy of his 99th birthday.
William D. Lewis
In a career spanning more than 40 years, William D. Lewis documented the life and times of the Mahoning Valley. His photographs reflected the trials, tribulations and triumphs of area residents.
Lewis graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor of arts degree in Journalism, and started his career in 1978 as a staff photographer at The Tribune Chronicle in Warren, the place he was born and raised. In 1985 he went to work for The Vindicator in Youngstown, where he remained a staff photographer until the paper’s closure in 2019.
As a member of the photo staff at both publications, Lewis produced images daily for any stories that came along, including sports, crime, breaking news and his favorite -- human interest.
Lewis was always touched by people who were willing to share their stories with him and he, in turn, shared those stories with the newspapers’ readers. Having regular everyday folks invite him and his camera into their lives was ”a great honor and responsibility.”
In four decades, Lewis covered every president from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump. He documented many major events in the Mahoning Valley from the demise of the steel industry to the Canfield Fair. The world of photography changed dramatically over those decades. It went from film cameras and negatives to digital cameras and images sent over the internet.
Lewis won many awards throughout his career including the Ohio Associated Press Best Photographer 2008, Ohio Associated Press Best Online Photojournalist 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Best Photo Essay 2012, 2014 and Best Sports Photo 2013.
In retirement, Lewis continues to follow his interest in photography by making images of Lake Erie from his sailboat Assignment. He also is a musician playing in the folk music group County Mayo Irish Band.
Nick Rich
Nick Rich was born in New Castle, Pa., and received a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and film from Temple University, where he worked on several documentaries at the university.
He began his news videographer career in 1975 at WYTV, where he worked for 32 years. Nick was instrumental at WYTV in creating an archiving system that preserved thousands of news stories. In 2007, Nick began working at WKBN when the two stations merged.
Over those 49 years, Nick covered most major news events in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mercer and Lawrence counties, starting with the steel mill closings in the 1970s and most recently the Realty building explosion in downtown Youngstown.
He has received news awards from the Associated Press, the Press Club of Cleveland, the Radio Television Digital News Association’s National Edward R Murrow Award and recently received a Regional Emmy from the Central Great Lakes Chapter.
Nick currently resides in Neshannock Township, Pa. He is a member of the Holy Spirit Parish and enjoys fishing, golf, hanging out with family and friends and listening to music. He is a contributor to The Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation and Meals on Wheels.
Len Rome
As a new freshman at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Len Rome had no major when, on a whim, he walked into the campus radio station. He was instantly hooked: News writing, news reading, disc jockey work . . . it was all there. He found himself skipping the occasional class to play radio announcer.
By the time he graduated with a degree in radio and TV broadcasting, Rome, a Pittsburgh native, had put several years of work into the campus station (WDUQ) plus weekends at WEIF, the top 40 rock and roll station in Moundsville, W. Va. It was only a Greyhound bus ride away and he would go anywhere to be on the air. The day after graduation, he was at work at WKJF, a Pittsburgh easy listening station, at 6 in the morning.
But what he really wanted was a job in TV news. So he rented studio time to put together an “air check” and mailed copies to TV news directors around the country. His efforts landed him a job at WSEE in Erie, Pa., as the 11 o’clock anchor.
After two of the coldest and snowiest winters in Erie, he was off to anchor WFBC in sunny Greenville, SC. From there he went to WAKR in Akron and finally to WYTV in Youngstown, where he has been for 40 years, raising a family, on the air as reporter and anchor, and "livin' the dream.”
The press club’s Hall of Fame commemorates those who have had long and distinguished careers in media. Inductees are chosen by a Youngstown Press Club selection committee from nominations from club members. The Hall of Fame was established in 2021.
.
Mona Alexander
Mona Alexander’s interest in journalism dates back to weekly trips to the corner newsstand with her Dad to pick up the “ten pounds of paper” her family would spend Sundays reading. She grew up in Chicago, in a family keenly interested in current events and a city where politics is a spectator sport.
Following her graduation from Northern Illinois University, Mona took her newly minted journalism degrees and moved to Youngstown. She started her career at WKBN where she reported on the economic impact of the closing of the valley’s steel mills, city and county government, politics and public corruption.
In 1997, Mona was offered the position of news director at WFMJ. There she rebuilt the news department from the bottom up with an emphasis on hard news and in-depth reporting. In addition to adding new newscasts, Mona started an investigative unit and launched “Feed Our Valley,” which raises money and food donations for Second Harvest Food Bank each year.
Mona is a deep believer in objective, in-depth, hard news reporting as a way of serving the community by empowering its citizens with information they can trust.
Mona and her husband of many years, Joe Henderson, enjoy traveling and spending time with their “pet babies.”
William Fleckenstein
William Fleckenstein was the co-founder, co-owner and general manager of legendary Youngstown radio station WHOT.
Bill was born Eugene William Fleckenstein in 1924 in the small borough of Reynoldsville, Pa., near DuBois. Before he entered first grade, his family moved to Sharon where his passion for broadcasting was sparked by watching the construction of WPIC-AM as a teenager. Electronics and broadcast engineering became his world.
Bill earned his FCC first class broadcast engineer’s license and was hired at WFMJ-AM in Youngstown where he met fellow engineer and kindred soul Myron Jones. They both dreamed of radio station ownership and acted on it by leaving WFMJ in 1951 to successfully launch WJET-AM in Erie, Pa.
Four years later, Bill, then 31, and Myron squeezed another AM station into the already full Youngstown market. By licensing it to adjacent Campbell, WHOT was born and hit the air in October 1955.
As one of only three stations in the country with a “top 40” pop music format, WHOT was an immediate hit, and disc jockeys like “Boots” Bell, Johnny Kay, Dick Thompson, and Jerry Starr became household names.
Bill’s commitment to strong local news coverage was reflected in a staff that often had six reporters. Three decades later when relaxed regulations phased out many radio station news departments, Bill’s news and information commitment remained firm.
Bill remained as general manager at the station he co-founded and co-owned until his retirement in 1989. He died in Fort Lauderdale in 2023 just two weeks shy of his 99th birthday.
William D. Lewis
In a career spanning more than 40 years, William D. Lewis documented the life and times of the Mahoning Valley. His photographs reflected the trials, tribulations and triumphs of area residents.
Lewis graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor of arts degree in Journalism, and started his career in 1978 as a staff photographer at The Tribune Chronicle in Warren, the place he was born and raised. In 1985 he went to work for The Vindicator in Youngstown, where he remained a staff photographer until the paper’s closure in 2019.
As a member of the photo staff at both publications, Lewis produced images daily for any stories that came along, including sports, crime, breaking news and his favorite -- human interest.
Lewis was always touched by people who were willing to share their stories with him and he, in turn, shared those stories with the newspapers’ readers. Having regular everyday folks invite him and his camera into their lives was ”a great honor and responsibility.”
In four decades, Lewis covered every president from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump. He documented many major events in the Mahoning Valley from the demise of the steel industry to the Canfield Fair. The world of photography changed dramatically over those decades. It went from film cameras and negatives to digital cameras and images sent over the internet.
Lewis won many awards throughout his career including the Ohio Associated Press Best Photographer 2008, Ohio Associated Press Best Online Photojournalist 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, Best Photo Essay 2012, 2014 and Best Sports Photo 2013.
In retirement, Lewis continues to follow his interest in photography by making images of Lake Erie from his sailboat Assignment. He also is a musician playing in the folk music group County Mayo Irish Band.
Nick Rich
Nick Rich was born in New Castle, Pa., and received a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and film from Temple University, where he worked on several documentaries at the university.
He began his news videographer career in 1975 at WYTV, where he worked for 32 years. Nick was instrumental at WYTV in creating an archiving system that preserved thousands of news stories. In 2007, Nick began working at WKBN when the two stations merged.
Over those 49 years, Nick covered most major news events in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mercer and Lawrence counties, starting with the steel mill closings in the 1970s and most recently the Realty building explosion in downtown Youngstown.
He has received news awards from the Associated Press, the Press Club of Cleveland, the Radio Television Digital News Association’s National Edward R Murrow Award and recently received a Regional Emmy from the Central Great Lakes Chapter.
Nick currently resides in Neshannock Township, Pa. He is a member of the Holy Spirit Parish and enjoys fishing, golf, hanging out with family and friends and listening to music. He is a contributor to The Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation and Meals on Wheels.
Len Rome
As a new freshman at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Len Rome had no major when, on a whim, he walked into the campus radio station. He was instantly hooked: News writing, news reading, disc jockey work . . . it was all there. He found himself skipping the occasional class to play radio announcer.
By the time he graduated with a degree in radio and TV broadcasting, Rome, a Pittsburgh native, had put several years of work into the campus station (WDUQ) plus weekends at WEIF, the top 40 rock and roll station in Moundsville, W. Va. It was only a Greyhound bus ride away and he would go anywhere to be on the air. The day after graduation, he was at work at WKJF, a Pittsburgh easy listening station, at 6 in the morning.
But what he really wanted was a job in TV news. So he rented studio time to put together an “air check” and mailed copies to TV news directors around the country. His efforts landed him a job at WSEE in Erie, Pa., as the 11 o’clock anchor.
After two of the coldest and snowiest winters in Erie, he was off to anchor WFBC in sunny Greenville, SC. From there he went to WAKR in Akron and finally to WYTV in Youngstown, where he has been for 40 years, raising a family, on the air as reporter and anchor, and "livin' the dream.”
Press club award winners announced
Three outstanding journalists and communicators will be recognized with awards at the Youngstown Press Club's Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet.
The press club will award Lisa Abraham, longtime area journalist, with its First Amendment Award; Madison Tromler, news anchor and reporter at WFMJ, with its Excellence in Media Award; and JoAnn Kolarik, WFMJ account executive, with its Medal of Merit.
The First Amendment Award recognizes those who have staunchly defended the freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Excellence in Media Award honors those who are currently doing exemplary work in one of the mass communication fields. The Medal of Merit recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the Youngstown Press Club.
Lisa Abraham
Lisa Abraham, a native of Niles, was a member of the Ohio press corps for more than 30 years. She began her career at the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, and went on to work for the Toledo Blade, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Columbus Dispatch.
For 20 years, Abraham covered state and local politics, earning numerous honors for her defense of the First Amendment, including the Society of Professional Journalists’ national First Amendment Award and the Ohio Associated Press’s First Amendment Award.
In 1994, while at the Tribune Chronicle, Abraham was jailed for 22 days for refusing to testify before a Trumbull County grand jury investigating a corruption scheme in the county engineer’s office. Believing that journalists should not be forced to become an investigative arm of the government, Abraham refused to testify and was jailed for her actions.
She has spoken nationally on the topic of reporters’ First Amendment rights, including appearances at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
Turning her attention to feature writing in 2006, Abraham spent more than 10 years as a food editor and lifestyle columnist, with her work regularly appearing in dozens of newspapers across the country through the GateHouse Media news service.
She is the recipient of numerous awards from the Ohio Associated Press, the Cleveland Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Association of Food Journalists, which, in 2009, named her Best Food Columnist in their national awards competition.
Abraham is the author of Famous Chefs & Fabulous Recipes, Lessons Learned at One of the Oldest Cooking Schools in America.
Abraham earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University, where she was the recipient of the Robert Considine Memorial Scholarship/Foreign Correspondence Internship, which she served with the Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, covering, among other stories, the 1985 terrorist hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship.
She currently serves as a senior writer for Kent State University’s Division of University Communications and Marketing, and resides in Warren, with her husband, Richard Hart.
Madison Tromler
Madison Tromler is a journalist who started working in Youngstown in 2020 after graduating from Kent State University. Tromler was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and is from North Ridgeville, a city near Cleveland.
Tromler was hired as a reporter for WFMJ and then eight months into her career, she was promoted to WFMJ's evening news anchor. Along with anchoring the 6 o'clock news, she writes, shoots and edits reports for the newscast.
During the first four years of Tromler's career, highlights include working with WFMJ's Watchdog Team doing in-depth investigations, holding those in power accountable pertaining to local issues. This has led to conducting high-profile interviews, including an assignment in Washington D.C. to interview the head of the National Transportation Safety Board on federal rail safety, following the East Palestine train derailment. Another momentous assignment for Tromler was about three months into her career, in 2020, when she interviewed President Joe Biden one-on-one while Biden was on the campaign trail.
Prior to graduation, Tromler's first time working in a professional newsroom was during an internship for the Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria. She then worked as a part-time assignment editor for WKYC in Cleveland.
Tromler enjoys a challenge and loves doing work that can make an impact.
JoAnn Kolarik
JoAnn Kolarik served as the first president of the re-established Youngstown Press Club from 2018 to 2021. She currently sits on the YPC Board of Governors.
JoAnn is an account executive for WFMJ-TV, where she uses a palette of advertising elements and years of experience to help her clients achieve their business goals. She has served on the Panerathon Committee since its inception and serves on the public relations committee for Potential Development’s School for Students with Autism.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and economics, and a master’s degree in English, all at Youngstown State University.
She lives with her husband in Cortland, where she helps restore and maintain their fleet of historic vehicles. Her son, Foster, earned his degree in landscape design and returned to the Valley to become fourth generation in the family business. She became a Peloton addict in 2020.
The press club will award Lisa Abraham, longtime area journalist, with its First Amendment Award; Madison Tromler, news anchor and reporter at WFMJ, with its Excellence in Media Award; and JoAnn Kolarik, WFMJ account executive, with its Medal of Merit.
The First Amendment Award recognizes those who have staunchly defended the freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Excellence in Media Award honors those who are currently doing exemplary work in one of the mass communication fields. The Medal of Merit recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the Youngstown Press Club.
Lisa Abraham
Lisa Abraham, a native of Niles, was a member of the Ohio press corps for more than 30 years. She began her career at the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, and went on to work for the Toledo Blade, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Columbus Dispatch.
For 20 years, Abraham covered state and local politics, earning numerous honors for her defense of the First Amendment, including the Society of Professional Journalists’ national First Amendment Award and the Ohio Associated Press’s First Amendment Award.
In 1994, while at the Tribune Chronicle, Abraham was jailed for 22 days for refusing to testify before a Trumbull County grand jury investigating a corruption scheme in the county engineer’s office. Believing that journalists should not be forced to become an investigative arm of the government, Abraham refused to testify and was jailed for her actions.
She has spoken nationally on the topic of reporters’ First Amendment rights, including appearances at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
Turning her attention to feature writing in 2006, Abraham spent more than 10 years as a food editor and lifestyle columnist, with her work regularly appearing in dozens of newspapers across the country through the GateHouse Media news service.
She is the recipient of numerous awards from the Ohio Associated Press, the Cleveland Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Association of Food Journalists, which, in 2009, named her Best Food Columnist in their national awards competition.
Abraham is the author of Famous Chefs & Fabulous Recipes, Lessons Learned at One of the Oldest Cooking Schools in America.
Abraham earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University, where she was the recipient of the Robert Considine Memorial Scholarship/Foreign Correspondence Internship, which she served with the Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, covering, among other stories, the 1985 terrorist hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship.
She currently serves as a senior writer for Kent State University’s Division of University Communications and Marketing, and resides in Warren, with her husband, Richard Hart.
Madison Tromler
Madison Tromler is a journalist who started working in Youngstown in 2020 after graduating from Kent State University. Tromler was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and is from North Ridgeville, a city near Cleveland.
Tromler was hired as a reporter for WFMJ and then eight months into her career, she was promoted to WFMJ's evening news anchor. Along with anchoring the 6 o'clock news, she writes, shoots and edits reports for the newscast.
During the first four years of Tromler's career, highlights include working with WFMJ's Watchdog Team doing in-depth investigations, holding those in power accountable pertaining to local issues. This has led to conducting high-profile interviews, including an assignment in Washington D.C. to interview the head of the National Transportation Safety Board on federal rail safety, following the East Palestine train derailment. Another momentous assignment for Tromler was about three months into her career, in 2020, when she interviewed President Joe Biden one-on-one while Biden was on the campaign trail.
Prior to graduation, Tromler's first time working in a professional newsroom was during an internship for the Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria. She then worked as a part-time assignment editor for WKYC in Cleveland.
Tromler enjoys a challenge and loves doing work that can make an impact.
JoAnn Kolarik
JoAnn Kolarik served as the first president of the re-established Youngstown Press Club from 2018 to 2021. She currently sits on the YPC Board of Governors.
JoAnn is an account executive for WFMJ-TV, where she uses a palette of advertising elements and years of experience to help her clients achieve their business goals. She has served on the Panerathon Committee since its inception and serves on the public relations committee for Potential Development’s School for Students with Autism.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and economics, and a master’s degree in English, all at Youngstown State University.
She lives with her husband in Cortland, where she helps restore and maintain their fleet of historic vehicles. Her son, Foster, earned his degree in landscape design and returned to the Valley to become fourth generation in the family business. She became a Peloton addict in 2020.
Honoring excellence in journalism and communications
The Youngstown Press Club Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner
5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024
Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown
Tickets to that event are on sale now.
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024
Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown
Tickets to that event are on sale now.
A portion of ticket sales supports journalism and communications scholarships.
The dinner is sponsored by Farmers National Bank, Covelli Enterprises and Stambaugh Auditorium.
The dinner is sponsored by Farmers National Bank, Covelli Enterprises and Stambaugh Auditorium.
Hall of Fame
The Youngstown Press Club established this award to commemorate those members of our community who have had long and distinguished careers in media. This award will be given to people nearing the end or at the end of their careers.
Hall of Fame Criteria:
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
- Nomination must be made by a member in good standing of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Nominee does not have to be a member of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Members of the YPC Awards selection committee may not be nominated or nominate anyone.
- Nominee must have a minimum of 20 years professional media experience including journalism, public relations, advertising, writing, etc.
- Nominee must have made notable contributions in the Mahoning Valley media market.
- The Club may induct no more than two people posthumously a year.
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
Excellence in Media Award
The Excellence in Media Award may be given in any category (journalism, PR, adverting, etc.).
The Excellence Award was established to honor those who are currently doing exemplary work in one of the mass communication fields.
Excellence in Media Award criteria:
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
The Excellence Award was established to honor those who are currently doing exemplary work in one of the mass communication fields.
Excellence in Media Award criteria:
- Nomination must be made by a member in good standing of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Nominee does not have to be a member of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Award can go to an individual or an organization.
- Members of the YPC Awards selection committee may not be nominated or nominate anyone.
- Excellence in this award category should focus on one field of mass communication. Nominations can focus on excellence as it relates to a one-time project or excellence as shown by a body of work.
- Work must have been done in the Mahoning Valley media market.
- This award will only be given when candidates merit recognition.
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
First Amendment Award
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/2/2/122258653/editor/vindy.jpeg?1686833631)
The First Amendment Award was established to honor those who have engaged in behavior in defense of the freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The award honors a person or organization who has taken a stand with the risk of personal or professional harm. It was created to honor those who have staunchly defended the freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The nominee must have a connection to the Mahoning Valley region. This award is given in instances where the actions of the awardee are exceptional.
2021 recipient of the First Amendment Award: The Vindicator Printing Company
The Vindicator Printing Company, along with the Brown Family, provided a family-run newspaper to the Mahoning Valley for 150 years. The paper began in 1869 when it launched as The Mahoning Vindicator. It became the Youngstown Vindicator shortly after.
Its reporting on the mafia, political corruption, and big business matters garnered the paper a reputation of fearlessness. In 1984, the paper became The Vindicator. The paper provided a heritage of reporting to uncover corruption and to be the watchdog for a community, the importance of good story-telling, and the celebration of the past while emphasizing the importance for future First Amendment rights through journalistic freedom and longevity.
First Amendment Award criteria:
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
2021 recipient of the First Amendment Award: The Vindicator Printing Company
The Vindicator Printing Company, along with the Brown Family, provided a family-run newspaper to the Mahoning Valley for 150 years. The paper began in 1869 when it launched as The Mahoning Vindicator. It became the Youngstown Vindicator shortly after.
Its reporting on the mafia, political corruption, and big business matters garnered the paper a reputation of fearlessness. In 1984, the paper became The Vindicator. The paper provided a heritage of reporting to uncover corruption and to be the watchdog for a community, the importance of good story-telling, and the celebration of the past while emphasizing the importance for future First Amendment rights through journalistic freedom and longevity.
First Amendment Award criteria:
- Nomination may be made by anyone.
- Nominee does not have to be a member of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Award can go to an individual or an organization.
- Members of the YPC Awards selection committee may not be nominated or nominate anyone.
- This Award is given to honor a person or organization that has taken a stand with the risk of personal or professional harm. The nominator must make this case in the nomination materials.
- The winner must have a connection to the Mahoning Valley region.
- This award will only be given in instances where the actions of the awardee are exceptional.
Click here for the 2024 Nomination Form.
Medal of Merit
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/2/2/122258653/published/mary-beth.jpg?1718800712)
The Medal of Merit is an internal award for a member of the Youngstown Press Club who made outstanding contributions to the club.
2023 recipient of the Medal of Merit: Mary Beth Earnheardt
In 2023 the Medal of Merit was awarded to Mary Beth Earnheardt, a former club executive director, for her work in re-establishing the press club in 2018 and guiding it in the years that followed. Mary Beth Earnheardt re-established the press cub in 2018 and guided it in the years that followed. She was the club's first executive director and later served on the Board of Governors..
Earnheardt is the chairwoman of Youngstown State University's communication department and a professor in the Anderson Journalism Program.
She teaches communication law, journalism history and content creation and has published articles and book chapters on war reporting, political motives and the First Amendment.
Medal of Merit criteria:
2023 recipient of the Medal of Merit: Mary Beth Earnheardt
In 2023 the Medal of Merit was awarded to Mary Beth Earnheardt, a former club executive director, for her work in re-establishing the press club in 2018 and guiding it in the years that followed. Mary Beth Earnheardt re-established the press cub in 2018 and guided it in the years that followed. She was the club's first executive director and later served on the Board of Governors..
Earnheardt is the chairwoman of Youngstown State University's communication department and a professor in the Anderson Journalism Program.
She teaches communication law, journalism history and content creation and has published articles and book chapters on war reporting, political motives and the First Amendment.
Medal of Merit criteria:
- Nomination must be made by a standing committee chair or member of the Board of Governors.
- Nominee must be a member of the Youngstown Press Club.
- Members of the YPC Awards selection committee may not be nominated or nominate anyone.
- This Award is given to honor a person who has contributed to the Club.
All awards nominations are due by May 1 of the given year. A separate form is required for each nomination. Letters of support and documentation in support of the nomination should be attached, with the form, and emailed to the Youngstown Press Club at [email protected]m. Questions should be directed to [email protected].
Awards will be presented at the Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner on Sept. 25, 2024.
Awards will be presented at the Hall of Fame and Awards Dinner on Sept. 25, 2024.