FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact Nancy Dudenhoefer
Rio Salado College Divison of Public Service Communications
[email protected] / 480-239-6252
Tempe, AZ – April 27, 2026
KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio has been announced as a winner of a 2026 National Headliner Award, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism.
For his series “Oak Flat: Past, Present, Future,” Gabe not only won first place in the Local Newscast, Breaking News or Continuing Coverage category but also won Best In Show as the top journalism entry in all radio categories.
With a lengthy legal battle over a sacred area of the Tonto National Forest called Oak Flat — and its massive copper ore — scheduled to come to a conclusion in 2025, Gabriel set out to provide first-of-its-kind coverage that would fully capture the conflict, the land’s ancient history, and the ramifications of the legal outcome.
He spent months poring through documents, court records and environmental impact statements; met with stakeholders from all sides, including tribal leadership, mining executives, environmental advocates, and local town officials; and made numerous site visits, including thousands of feet underground to the copper mine itself.
The result was a groundbreaking seven-part series that moved the needle in terms of public understanding. It generated an outpouring of responses, including from some people who admitting to having heard about Oak Flat for years but never fully understood what the conflict was about or the severity of the potential environmental impacts. Many people were astounded to learn the scope and magnitude of the project, the value of the copper, and the impact of the block-cave mining and water usage.
From the judges: “The reporter hit the nail on the head with persistent reporting. A respect for the community and the topic was evident in the quality of the information gathered. And other news media soon followed this reporter’s lead for a story that’ll make a difference to the community’s understanding of the issues and process surrounding what was an unclear history and uncertain future.”
KJZZ is a member station of National Public Radio (NPR), is a public service of Rio Salado College, and is licensed to the Maricopa County Community College District. The station broadcasts from the campus of Rio Salado College, in Tempe, Arizona. KJZZ 91.5 FM is a listener-supported public radio station. The station features a commercial-free mix of local, national and world news, and entertaining weekend shows.
Friends of Public Radio Arizona assures the future vitality and excellence of our community’s public radio and broadens its support. For more information on Friends of Public Radio Arizona and the programs and services it supports, visit fpraz.org.