(MSC News)--Special honors for a local radio sports announcer, as Justin Fluke is awarded the Hod Humiston Award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.

According to a release, the award is annually given to a Kansas broadcaster “who has made significant contributions to the field of sports broadcasting as well as work in the community.”

Fluke, long known as the voice of local sports with the Hiawatha-based KNZA Radio Group, has been with the company for 21-years and is now the president and owner of the five-station group.

Fluke, a native of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, officially began his broadcast career as a volunteer on Christian station KREJ, a goal he had since before the age of ten when he began dreaming of being a broadcaster.

A key factor in earning the Hod Humiston Award is community service work, a field Fluke is no stranger to. That includes his involvement with the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters program as well as serving as a Kiwanis member in Hiawatha. He also serves on media advisory boards for the Holton and Royal Valley schools, as well as a committee for the Jackson County Chamber. He is also an active board member for the Holton Ball Association, Holton Community Theatre and Jackson County Community Foundation.

In 2019, Fluke was elected to the board for the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board, with the organization calling Fluke “a great volunteer and supporter.”

Fluke tells MSC News he is “incredibly honored and humbled to receive this award,” adding that “beyond sports broadcasting, this recognition means a lot because it recognizes community impact, which is something [Fluke is]very dedicated to and passionate about.”

The award, presented annually since 1979, is named for Hod Humiston who was the first television sportscaster in Kansas when he did play-by-play coverage of college games for what is now KWCH TV in Wichita. Award history.

Fluke will be presented with the award on May 2nd during the KAB Sports Seminar at Kauffman Stadium.