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Matt Tritten, a staff member at Northwest Missouri State University’s National Public Radio affiliate, KXCV-KRNW, recently claimed a first-place award from the Missouri Broadcasters Association.
Tritten, an underwriting sales associate and broadcast voice of the radio affiliate’s Bearcat Radio Network, was presented with the award for Best Sports Report in Small Market Radio on May 31 during the association’s annual convention in Osage Beach, Missouri.
Each year, the Missouri Broadcasters Association receives about 900 award entries in more than 30 categories. Awards are given for first place and second place.
Matt Tritten, left, partners with John Coffey on KXCV-KRNW's Bearcat Radio Network. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)
“He did such a nice job on that piece and really captured the moment for the women’s team,” KXCV-KRNW Director and Station Manager John Coffey said. “The excitement of when that announcement was made, and stories like that are what makes radio shine the way it does. I think it was well-deserving. He does a great job with all he’s doing with sports and everything at the station.”
Tritten joined KXCV-KRNW in 2017 after beginning his broadcast career with KQTV in St. Joseph, where he advanced to sports director. He also spent a year as assistant general manager of the St. Joseph Mustangs summer collegiate baseball team.
At KXCV, Tritten has spearheaded a community-based partnership with the launch of the Spoofhound Radio Network in 2022. He also created KXCV’s annual Run for Radio, a virtual 5k to support local public radio that draws runners from throughout the world to raise funding support for KXCV-KRNW.
He has a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from Northwest.
“I still love reporting, and the award is an honor I don’t take lightly,” said Tritten, who previously won a Missouri Broadcasters Association at KQTV for coverage of the Kansas City Royals’ World Series appearance in 2014. “It was pretty special to get the news that my story was selected, especially knowing just how competitive the category is and how many great submissions they received.”
Launched in 1971 as the first full-power public radio service in Missouri, KXCV (90.5 FM), a 100,000-watt NPR affiliate, provides in-depth news and information with an alternative music format. All of KXCV’s programming emanates from the Northwest campus, while a sister station, KRNW (88.9), founded in 1993, extends the radio programming across most of the northern 25 percent of Missouri.
As the flagship of the Bearcat Radio Network, KXCV produces all Northwest football and basketball broadcasts and game feeds to commercial radio affiliates throughout the four-state region. KXCV-KRNW programming also is accessible online at www.kxcv.org and via its Bearcat Public Media App.
Since its inception, KXCV has served as a training ground for Northwest students interested in broadcasting. The dual mission of serving listeners and training students remains foremost in the KXCV-KRNW mission.
For information about KXCV-KRNW and supporting public radio through a membership, visit www.kxcv.org or call 660.562.1163.
