GRAND RAPIDS / BEMIDJI — KAXE / KBXE Northern Community Radio has won a prestigious Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for its excellence in digital reporting.
Our award-winning digital work for the 2026 award includes coverage of Northern MN’s automatic license plate readers, campaign fundraising in the Senate District 6 special election, a maple syrup harvest time photo gallery, DNR overpayments to Iron Range communities and education funding in cabin country.
This is the second Regional Murrow the team has won since it launched in 2023.
The Murrow Awards are the embodiment of the values, principles and standards set forth by Edward R. Murrow, a journalism pioneer who set the standards for the highest quality of broadcast journalism. The KAXE News team covers local news to best serve citizens here in our Northern Minnesota communities.
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Twelve new automatic license plate readers went up in Bemidji and other MN cities in May 2025. But the Flock Safety cameras raise concerns with privacy advocates. -
She’s also the only candidate in the race to have donations from lobbyists. At least seven have donated a total of over $7,000 to Keri Heintzeman. -
The proposed measure would help offset the amount of a voter-approved operating levy paid for with local property taxes. -
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources miscalculated mining revenue distributions, disbursing money that should have gone to a statewide education fund. -
Volunteer photographer Lorie Shaull documented the maple syrup season this year. She visited three hobby maple sugaring sites, capturing the process's creativity and the end product's sweet rewards.
"I am once again unbelievably proud of the team for being recognized for our work with this award," said News Director Chelsey Perkins. "We do this work because we feel access to high-quality local journalism is vital to maintaining strong communities. Our KAXE News team prioritizes explanatory journalism and accuracy, and multimedia offers us additional formats to convey facts with clarity and quality.
“As Edward R. Murrow once said, ‘The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.’”
Of the awards given to journalists, the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most respected journalism awards in the world.
Regional Murrow Awards are presented to small and large radio, television and digital outlets based on 14 geographic regions. Regional winners are automatically considered for a National award. Network competitors are judged at the national level.
The Radio Television Digital News Association has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Murrow set as a standard for the profession of broadcast and digital journalism.
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Contributed/Michelle BedfordGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from longtime On The River host and volunteer, Michelle Bedford. -
Contributed/Wild HorsesAttendees get an exclusive first listen to the latest album from Wild Horses, "The In Between," and hear a band interview by Music Director Kari Hedlund in Grand Rapids, MN. -
Contributed/Ken McBrideGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from "On The River" and "KAXE After Dark" host and volunteer, Ken McBride, aka DJ Lake Poseidon. -
Contributed/Heather KiddGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from On The River host and volunteer, Heather Kidd. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEKAXE did a LIVE broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. -
Contributed/Justine JacobsonGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from "Green Cheese" and "On The River" host and volunteer, Justine Jacobson. -
Contributed/Cullen HorienGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from "On The River" host and volunteer, Cullen Horien. -
Contributed/Melissa DeVriesGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from On the River and After Dark host and volunteer, Melissa DeVries aka Sweet Melissa. -
Contributed/Dave MurphyGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from On the River volunteer and KAXE Board Member, Dave Murphy. -
Emma Krab/KAXEAs a seventh-generation Nebraskan, Emma Krab said she looks forward to discovering rural life in Northern Minnesota. She holds a master's degree in Creative Writing and Environment and bachelor degrees in journalism and English.
