For the second consecutive year, Nelson Star reporter Tyler Harper has won the Ma Murray Award for Feature Article for B.C. newspapers with circulations under 25,000.
Harper received the nod Saturday in a virtual ceremony for his story “Pineapple Man limbos into the sunset,” which looked at the on and off-air life of Kootenay Co-op Radio host Andreas Pittinger.
Pittinger, whose show Pineapple Man aired between 2010 and 2018, died last year after a lifelong struggle with addiction.
Harper interviewed Pittinger’s family and friends for the story, which appeared in the Star on March 14, 2019.
“This sensitive portrait chronicled Andreas’ life and also conveyed the irreverent sound of his radio show,” said acting editor Greg Nesteroff. “We are very proud of Tyler’s achievement.”
Last year Harper won the same category for “The Pieces of Darwin Greyeyes,” a profile of a local artist who went missing.
The Ma Murray Awards are presented by the B.C. and Yukon Community NewsMedia Association and recognize excellence in community newspapers.