Brian M. Kennedy

BA 1977, Journalism		A journalist, perhaps more than any other professional, must embody the ideal of a broad-based education, knowledge of a variety of subjects, and the ability to interpret them to the public. Brian Kennedy, owner/publisher of the Hungry Horse News in Columbia Falls, Montana, has the awards and recognition to prove his liberal education has served him well. "My years at UW helped me realize the importance of 'knowing a little about a lot of things' in my newspaper career." As editor of the Branding Iron during his senior year at UW, he helped expand the paper from a weekly to a four-days-a-week publication. After graduating, he worked for the Sheridan Press for a year before being named editor of, and a partner in, the Hungry Horse News. In 1987, he bought controlling interest and became full owner. Since 1978, he and his staff have won a total of 260 state prizes and 36 national awards for excellence. The paper, generally considered one of the top three or four of the nation's 8,000 weeklies, is a seven-time winner of Montana's Thomas Dimsdale sweepstakes award, honoring the weekly winning the most individual awards in the state's annual newspaper contest. In state competition, the Hungry Horse News has won 10 times the general excellence award -- top honor in any newspaper contest. Another major Montana award for typography and design was won seven times. The National Newspaper Association named the Hungry Horse News the best in its circulation class when the newspaper won first in general excellence in 1983 and 1989. Five other times since 1978 it has finished in the top three places in general excellence. Other first place national awards from the National Newspaper Association have been in editorial writing, two in typography, and eight in photography.