TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama Public Radio (APR) at The University of Alabama recently collected two honors in the regional Edward R. Murrow Awards competition.

APR received the Regional Award for newscasts in the small-market radio category for its Alabama Report segment. It also received the Overall Excellence Award for several stories it reported over the course of the year, including coverage of Judge Roy Moore and the 2003 Iron Bowl.

The Murrow Awards are among the broadcasting industry's most coveted honors. The awards competition is conducted by the Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). APR competes in the small market radio category, Region 9, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

"I’m always pleased when we win the Murrow Awards," said Butler Cain, APR news director. "We don’t necessarily try to go out and win awards like this, but we do strive to practice good journalism. If that gains us national recognition, then that’s definitely a good thing."

The APR award-winning entries will now compete against other regional winners for national recognition. The RTNDA board of directors will meet in June to judge the winners. The national awards will be presented in New York on Oct. 4.