The 2019 Leibner Cooper Grant for Creative Productions on the History of Media has been awarded to Tracy Songer, Northern Kentucky University for her latest project, The many voices of Gary Burbank: A Daughter’s story about her dad who changed radio.
Tracy Songer is an Assistant Professor Northern Kentucky University. Prior to joining the faculty at NKU, Tracy worked for over twenty years in the production industry. She served as executive producer for Upstream 360 and worked as a freelance producer in commercial production. She also was the senior producer for many HGTV and DIY shows including DIY’s Desperate Landscapes and HGTV’s My Yard Goes Disney.
Songer’s project is a feature length documentary on Gary Burbank, an icon of Cincinnati and National Radio. Currently in pre-production and some principle photography, this documentary explores the life of National Hall of Fame Radio Personality, Gary Burbank, while it parallels specific eras within radio history. “The hook in this narrative is that I am Gary’s daughter,” explains Songer. “The initial intent was not to be a part of the narrative, but as the documentary unfolds, it is imperative that I tell my point of view while involving other family stories of how radio effected childhoods through Gary’s many voices.”
The Leibner Cooper Grant for Creative Productions on the History of Media is made possible thanks to an endowment from Leibner Cooper Family Foundation. Annually, a $2,500 grant will be awarded to a faculty member who is producing a documentary, news story, multimedia project or sports production focused on historical issues, figures and/or events related to media. Each year the recipient will be recognized at the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation Giants of Broadcasting Luncheon and at BEA’s annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
