Lane Luckie was honored Monday night as a recipient of a RIAS Media Prize award for his reports from Germany last September. The 32nd annual awards are presented by the RIAS Berlin Commission and celebrates some of the best of transatlantic broadcast journalism.

The winners were celebrated at a gala ceremony at Berlin’s Meistersaal, a historic concert hall where the legendary David Bowie, Depeche Mode, and U2 all recorded albums.

The RIAS Media Prize jury, made up of six distinguished journalists from the United States and Germany, selected the five winners in TV, Radio, Digital Media and fellow categories submitted from across the United States and Germany.

The German-American jury was comprised of: Co-chair Michael Gargiulo (WNBC TV, New York), Co-chair Anja Heyde (ZDF/MDR, Berlin/Magdeburg) as well as Helge Fuhst (ARD, Hamburg), Melissa Eddy (The New York Times, Berlin), Larry Miller (WUSA9, Washington DC), and Christian Wilp (NTV/RTL, Berlin).

The RIAS Berlin Commission, created to keep alive the spirit of the legendary Radio in the American Sector (RIAS) broadcaster after it went off the air for good in 1993, has been operating exchange programs for more than 2,000 German and American broadcast journalists since 1993 with the aim of promoting transatlantic understanding in journalism.

“The RIAS Media Prize is awarded annually to journalists whose stories have helped strengthen the diversity of transatlantic dialogue and to deepen interest in German-American relations,” a news release stated. “The awards are presented to reporting that promotes dialogue on similarities and differences in transatlantic relations. They also stand out thematically; take on new questions in a creative way; critically examine and make the diversity of social reality clear; contain interesting suggestions for transatlantic debate; encourage reflection on problems and solutions; question clichés about Germans and/or Americans; describe trends in everyday life that are of general interest; contribute in a special way to mutual curiosity and understanding; and are suitable to strengthen democratic and societal values.”

Here are the winners of the RIAS Media Prize 2024:

RIAS Grand Prize – Sigrid Faltin, MDR, “Flucht in den Osten – G.I.s in der DDR” (Escape to the East – G.I.s in the GDR)

RIAS TV Award – Heinke Schröder, SWR, “Auswandern nach Amerika – Fluch oder Segen?” (Emigrating to America – curse or blessing?)

RIAS Radio Award – Iska Schreglmann, Florian Kummert, Susi Weichselbaumer, BR, “Deutsche in den USA” (Germans in the USA)

RIAS Digital Media Award – Andreas Becker, Nicolas Martin, Deutsche Welle, “Cannabis Cowboys – a story about big dreams, juice money and never-ending hypes”

RIAS Fellow Award – Lane Luckie, KLTV, for series of seven spot news reports from Germany during a RIAS fellowship program to Cologne and Munich

Luckie’s entry received this jury commendation:

“In a series of seven live reports from Germany to Tyler, Texas, Lane Luckie delivers content that effectively examines the unique relationship between the United States and Germany. In one report from Munich, Luckie showcases the NFL’s efforts to enhance its footprint in Germany thanks to a new deal and measurable growth abroad. During that report, Luckie demonstrated his knowledge of both countries and how America’s favorite pastime continues to gain new ground. Especially impressive was that Luckie’s live shots were performed individually as a ‘one man band’; a sign that he is capable of writing, shooting, and editing his own content.”

Special reporting assignments for KLTV have taken Luckie to Germany, Belgium, China, Poland, and France.

Luckie’s selection was also acknowledged by peers in the broadcasting industry and other RIAS fellows.

David Louie, who retired after 50 years as a reporter at ABC’s San Francisco O&O, KGO: “A special congratulations to Lane Luckie. He has elevated the spirit of what RIAS embodies with his reporting and his passion. Doing so with excellent live shots and reports from Cologne and Munich during the fall 2023 program took great planning and execution. Bravo!”

Terry Anzur, network and local news anchor, consultant: “Congrats Lane Luckie! Well deserved for your excellent reporting from a moving train, while walking through Oktoberfest and more! I learned a lot from watching you!”

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of KLTV/KTRE-TV or Gray Television. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2024 Lane Luckie