Deutschlandfunk story on NY in pandemic times wins Radio Prize

Thomas Reintjes and Matthias Röckl won the RIAS Media Prize for best radio story award in 2022 for their story on New York City’s struggles to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic called: “Fear of Losing New York – Auf der Suche nach einer verschwundenen Stadt“ that was aired on Deutschlandfunk and SWR on March 16, 2021.

Here is what the jury said about their story: After Covid-19 shut down the city that never sleeps, left its normally vibrant Broadway theaters dark, forced the myriad of small shops and its famously rich variety of restaurants into a fight for survival, journalists Thomas Reintjes and Matthias Röckl went out with a recording device to explore and describe New York  in a touching, moving and memorable way. Their story “Fear of Losing New York” is a remarkable piece of radio journalism that uses creative techniques and informal spontaneous discussions to paint a picture of a city that is reeling.

Here is a link to their story: https://www.hoerspielundfeature.de/auf-der-suche-nach-einer-verschwundenen-stadt-fear-of-100.html

The RIAS Berlin Commission is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The RIAS Media Prize ceremony will be held for the first time since in 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the annual awards ceremony in 2020 and 2021. An independent jury of journalists continued to pick winners in the television, radio and digital categories for German-American exchange program.