KWMU 90.7 presented the law firm of Suelthaus and Walsh, P.C., and UM-St. Louis Chancellor Blanche Touhill with Golden Microphone awards for their contributions to the station.

The presentation of the awards took place at the fourth annual Winemakers' Dinner on Wednesday, which featured the wines of Stone Hill.

Patricia Bennett, director of KWMU, described the awards as a way to recognize outstanding contributions to the station.

"The golden microphone awards were something that KWMU created because there were significant contributors along the way of its growth and development that need to be recognized for outstanding investments to the the station for future growth," Bennett said.

The first award went to the law firm of Suelthaus and Walsh, P.C., which was the first corporation to underwrite the station. Kenneth Suelthaus, present to receive the award, described the firm's involvement with KWMU as a rewarding experience and said that many of the firm's clients have expressed their appreciation of its sponsorship of the station.

"In general, we're very proud to have been involved and intend to continue to be involved with KWMU because we think it's a worthwhile part of the St. Louis community," Suelthaus said.

Bennet emphasized the importance of Suelthaus and Walsh's support at a time when the station was quite young.

"...By their standing by [the station], 10 years later we have over 200 clients for about a half a million dollars now when they 12 years ago believed in us," Bennett said. "That really meant something very significant to the station."

The second golden microphone award went to Blanche Touhill, chancellor of UM-St. Louis, for her support of the station when it refused to accept a financial gift from the Ku Klux Klan.

"That has impacted all of public broadcasting all over the country," Bennett said. "That's a significant thing, to know that a licensee of a radio station or facility will stand up for the honor and integrity but also for the editorial discretion of a radio facility or a television facility to be able to make their own decision on what they do, and so that's very important to recognize."

Touhill expressed her gratitude for the award and support for the station.

"I'm very pleased to get this award because I do think KWMU is one of the quality operations of the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and that I have worked with them on a number of matters, and they just are a wonderful organization, and that its sort of fun to win the golden microphone award," Touhill said.

Touhill described KWMU as an important part of the community, and spoke highly of Bennets' work at the station, saying "Patty [Bennett] really came in and built such a quality program that everywhere I go, people say 'Oh, you're the place that has KWMU.'"

Donald Driemeier, deputy to the chancellor, who helped write the university's initial grant to the station, commented on how KWMU had grown over the years and taken on unforeseen roles in education.

"The idea was to use it primarily in continuing education [for the] public of St. Louis and to provide at that time a fine arts radio station since there really wasn't anybody else broadcasting in stereo," Driemeier said. ". . . That was the rationale behind the first grant. And now we're doing education, but of a totally different type from what we thought we'd originally do. We're educating the general populace, we're educating you and me and everybody else every day with the in depth news which really gives people an understanding of what's going on around the world."

Jim Held, head of the Stone Hill Winery which helped sponsor the event, said he felt fortunate to be one of the friends of KWMU, and that he and his family frequently listen to the station.

"We just like the programing that they have now the last several years. I think its superior to what has been perpared before and we're just very happy with KWMU," Held said.

This year's Golden Microphone Awards cermony was the first of what KWMU plans to make an annual event.