Arizona Illustrated Wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for Innovation

Arizona Illustrated, the weekly PBS magazine program produced by Arizona Public Media (AZPM) and managed by Eller Executive MBA student Andrew Brown ’26 MBA, has received national recognition with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation in Small Market Television.

The Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious honors in journalism—often considered even more difficult to earn than an Emmy. This is only the fourth National Murrow Award AZPM has won in its 60-year history, marking a significant achievement for the program and for public media in Southern Arizona.

The winning entry highlighted Arizona Illustrated’s groundbreaking work in expanding bilingual storytelling. Partnering with the University of Arizona’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the team created new opportunities for students, including mentorship for Daniela Gonzalez, a bilingual journalism student who contributed to production, translation, and original reporting. Together, they produced the show’s second fully bilingual episode, featuring side-by-side English and Spanish narration.

These efforts reflect a growing commitment to serve Southern Arizona’s diverse audience, where more than 40 percent of the Tucson media market identifies as Latino and more than 20 percent are native Spanish speakers. Through broadcast, web, social media, and community-centered experiences, Arizona Illustrated continues to redefine what public media can be—innovative, inclusive, and deeply connected to the people it serves.