Left to right: Huck Boyd Institute Director Ron Wilson, Greg Buser, and Dan Caffrey, incoming Huck Boyd Institute Board Chair.

(MSC News)--A local media organization is among the recipients of the 2017 Huck Boyd Community Journalism Leader of the Year awards.

The owners of Hiawatha-based KNZA, Inc. were recognized during ceremonies held in Manhattan April 20, named as the recipients of the Leaders of the Year in Community Radio.

Current owner, Greg Buser, and his longtime business partner, the retired Robert Hilton, were recognized during the ceremony, where Buser accepted the award.

Selections for the honors are made by the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development and the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media at Kansas State University.

Nominees for the award are selected from among those featured on the weekly “Kansas Profile” radio program, and column, written and hosted by Ron Wilson, Director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. “The key to the success of these stations is local coverage,” Wilson stated in the March 17 edition of “Kansas Profile.” “The stations focus intently on local news, sports, and weather. Obituaries and community announcements can be heard on these stations.”

K-State journalism professor Steve Smethers says KNZA became successful because Buser and Hilton “never lost sight of the importance of good local service, a tradition that continues to this day.”

KNZA, Inc. currently owns and operates six radio stations that provide coverage to northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri, and southeast Nebraska.

Additionally, the stations' local news, sports, and community events can be found on the websites mscnews.net and mscsports.net, with the “MSC” in the web addresses standing for “Many Signals Communications.”

“Many signals. It’s an appropriate name and description for these radio stations,” Wilson said. “We salute Greg Buser and Robert Hilton for making a difference with outstanding local coverage. For the communities they serve, that sends many positive signals.”

Radio stations in the Many Signals family are located in Hiawatha, Atchison, Seneca, and Falls City, Nebraska.