KJZZ Senior Field Correspondent Stina Sieg earned a National Headliner Award for her July 2014 story “ Odd Jobs: Don't Abandon That Knitting Project, Call A 'Finisher.'”
The human interest story offering insight into the daily life of a kitting finisher was second in a three-part series on unusual jobs in the Valley. Sieg, who enjoys knitting as a hobby, said she’s grateful for the opportunity to create stories like this one that venture a few steps off the beaten path.
“I love how immediate and intimate radio can be - and I love knitting. So, I was pretty tickled to do a story on a ‘finisher,’ as in an expert knitter who will help you finish up your knitting projects,” Sieg said. “On a deep level, it was exciting to illuminate and celebrate a job most people don't know exists. On a lighter level, it was just fun to sit around a knitting circle and chat with some fun ladies.”
“As for the award,” Sieg said, “I'm really honored and want to thank Susan Clark at the Fiber Factory in Mesa, as well as my editors. It's a joy to have the space to explore topics that are a bit off the grid.”
The National Headliner Awards were founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City. The annual contest is one of the oldest and largest in the country to recognize journalistic merit in the communications industry. This is the second time in three years KJZZ has won a National Headliner Award. Former Fronteras Desk journalists Michel Marizco and Alisa Barba were recognized in 2012.