Thursday, July 10, 2025
The Bellmore-Merrick Broadcasting students still have the gift of the gab.
The Mepham High School-based student-centered program once again took home the big prize during the Broadcast Alliance for Senior High awards at Hofstra on May 22, winning the Best Broadcast award for the second straight year and third time in four tries with their BMB morning announcements.
The BMB Game of the Week was also a repeat winner in the Best Live Sports category and the program claimed the first-ever Wild Card award for their feature on food insecurity within the community, during which they collected non-perishable food items for Island Harvest. They also earned second-place honors in Best Community News Feature from WABC-TV for their story on the North Bellmore Fire Department and placed third for their “Impact Of Sugar On The Diet” public service announcement.
BMB Parent Association board member Scott Stone won the inaugural Friend of BASH award for his work with the organization in helping to establish the Broadcast Alliance as a 501c3.
Prior to the awards show, students participated in a poster session, where representatives from 20 schools set up tables showcasing their broadcasting programs. Afterward, they joined breakout sessions, two of which were led by BMB students, as well as members of the Hofstra faculty, WABC executives, and the All-American High School Film Festival.
Seniors Anthony Ciuffo, Matthew Natof and junior Mya Passanisi led a session on creating "As Live," a mock live report that was simulated on the spot with an audience.
"It was a little nerve-wracking, but also a lot of fun to share and to demonstrate what we've learned and what we do at BMB every day,” Passanisi said.
Seniors Ryan Marr and Jake Manno also presented an "Elevating Your Broadcasting" program and junior Christina Pena participated in the “Day of Competition,” where students had two hours to collect interviews and piece them together into a 75-second segment.
"We go to the Student Television Network convention every year and meet kids from around the country,” Pena said. “It was cool to see so many kids from right here doing the same kind of things.”
The volunteer-run BASH awards brought together 800-plus students from across Long Island and Westchester, and for the first time this year, schools from New York City and a remote participant from upstate Olean also took part.
