Date:08/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/08/stories/2007040807630400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Karnataka Media Academy announces awards

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Media Academy has selected 14 presspersons, including Special Correspondent of The Hindu in Shimoga, Pramod Mellegatti, for its pressperson awards for 2006.

It has also chosen Managing Editor of India Today Raj Chengappa (New Delhi) for its special award for journalist hailing from the State and working at the national level. Besides, it has announced 14 other annual awards in general categories, including three electronic media awards and three awards instituted by three newspapers.

Announcing the awards, the Chairman of the academy V. N. Subba Rao told presspersons that the academy had selected the award winners purely on the basis of social justice underlined by regional representation with a focus on rural journalism.

The awards would be presented on May 10 in Bangalore.

The pressperson awards carry a purse of Rs. 10,000, a citation and a memento each. The general category awards carry a purse of Rs. 5,000 in cash, a citation and a memento. The special award for journalist hailing from the State and working at the national level would carry a cash prize of Rs. 15,000, citation and a memento, Mr. Rao said.

Pressperson awards: Eshwara Daithota (Editorial Consultant, Samyukta Karnataka, Bangalore); Ghouse Mohiddin Shirahatti (retired Director Akashavani-Bangalore Doordarshan); Sandhya S. Pai (Managing Editor, Taranga, Manipal); M.A. Ponnappa (Assistant Editor, Prajavani, Bangalore); T. Venkatesh (Editor, E Sanje and Aragini, Bangalore); Shivananda Joshi (freelancer, Hubli); Chikkapnahalli Shanmukhappa (senior reporter, Kannada Prabha, Chitradurga); Ram Managoli (senior reporter, Samyukta Karnataka, Bagalkot); Kote Nagabhushana (chief reporter, Praja Pragathi, Tumkur); Bhavani Lakshminaryana (photographer, Chickballapur); Shankara Koodla (Editor, Jai Bheemagadhe, Gulbarga); B.S. Harish (reporter, Times of India Kannada, Mysore) and Heepanahalli Seetharama Hegde (Editor, Sahachara, Sirsi).

General category awards: Best page design: Kannada Prabha; best news photograph: M.R. Manjunath (Prajavani, Hubli); best social concerned report: Jayatheertha Patil (Vijaya Karnataka, Gulbarga); best crime report: Sheshamurthy Avadhani (Kannada Prabha, Gulbarga); best cartoon: Yathi Siddakatte (Prajavani, Bangalore); best rural reporting: Santoshkumar Mehandale (Taranga, Mallapura in Uttara Kannada district); best investigative report: Vanitha Chandramohan (freelancer, Kushalnagar) and best sports reporting: Omkaramurthy (Prajavani, Bangalore).

Electronic media awards: Best feature: Badruddin (Udaya TV, Mandya); best narrator: Shivaram (Doordarshan, Bangalore) and best newsreader award: Hamid Palya (formerly with ETV, Hyderabad).

Newspaper awards: Mysore Diganta Award for best human reporting: B.N. Sridhara (Prajavani, Mysore), Abhimani Award for best social reporting: Shivananda Tagadur (Vijaya Karnataka, Hassan) and Andolana Award: Suddimoola, Raichur.