Kansas community media leaders receive awards from rural development institute

The Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University recently honored its community leaders of the year at a ceremony at the college, the Hutch Post in Hutchinson, Kan., reports. Recognized as Leaders of the Year in Radio were Bob Schmidt, co-founder and chairman of Eagle Communications, and Gary Shorman, Eagle's president and CEO. An employee-owned company, Eagle owns 28 radio stations in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, and 30 cable systems in Kansas and Colorado. Recognized in newspapers was Dolph Simons Jr., chairman and editor of The World Co., which publishes the Lawrence Journal-World and other newspapers in the area. (Read more) (Post photo: Gary Shorman and Bob Schmidt)

Each week, the Huck Boyd institute has a radio show called  "Kansas Profile" that describes "the ideas and achievements of a local leader or entrepreneur in a rural community," according to the organization's website. The show, which began airing in 1992, was created to provide "positive recognition to such leaders and sharing their ideas, we hope to encourage these and other Kansans to build on their examples. In doing so, rural Kansas can be made an even better place to live and work." (Read more)