The Massachusetts Broadcasters Association honored a key voice behind the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act while celebrating excellence in local broadcasting at its annual Sound Bites conference in Milford, including the organization’s 2025 Broadcaster of the Year.
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) received the MBA’s Broadcast Champion Award for his decades of advocacy for broadcasters, including authoring the 1992 Cable Act and the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which aims to ensure AM radio receivers remain standard in new vehicles.
Audacy’s Mix 104.1 (WWBX) and Hearst’s WCVB were named Stations of the Year for the second consecutive year, while MyFM 101.3 (WMRC) and Boston 25 (WFXT) were runners-up. WAQY Rock 102 won Best Public Service Announcement in radio for its work with Rick’s Place, and Boston 25 received the television PSA award for its Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl campaign.
WMAS 94.7 and WCVB received the #WeAreBroadcasters Award for their Baystate Children’s Hospital radiothon and Boston Marathon coverage, respectively.
The MBA named former WCVB-TV Director of Public Affairs and Community Services Karen Holmes Ward its 2025 Broadcaster of the Year, recognizing her more than four decades in Boston broadcasting and her leadership in public affairs, community service, and local journalism.
Ward’s career began in radio at WEEI and WILD before moving into television reporting at WGBH. She later joined WCVB, where she led public affairs and community outreach and served as host and executive producer of CityLine, the station’s long-running weekly public affairs program focused on issues affecting communities of color. Ward was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2018.
The 2025 competition drew more than 250 entries from broadcast outlets across Massachusetts. A full list of winners is posted on the MBA site.
