The Distinguished Service Award for Media Personality was awarded to Lori Walsh, host, and lead producer of In the Moment, a weekday news and culture radio broadcast on South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB).
Weekdays Lori Walsh brings experts from all walks of life into the lives of South Dakotans who tune in to her daily radio talk show. The pandemic created challenges for all industries including radio, as broadcasters had to figure out how to safely report up-to-date information to listeners.  Regardless of those challenges Lori and her team remained committed to providing up-to-date information to listeners without missing a beat.  “Lori Walsh and SDPB Radio have made it a priority to have an expert from Sanford Health on their radio program to ensure listeners have the most accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19. These interviews were heard throughout the state to a wide audience, Lori’s program is a go-to source.” Paul Heinert – Sanford Health
Over the past six years on public radio, Lori has interviewed more than 6000 guests on-air, in-studio, or on stage. In addition to her daily radio talk show, Lori is a writer and member of the National Book Critics Circle and the Society for Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators.  Lori is also a South Dakota Humanities Council One Book Scholar. In addition to hosting and writing, Lori is a teaching artist for students, hospice workers, and cancer patients. She specializes in therapeutic applications of journaling, literature, and poetry. Lori’s passion for life comes through in her interviews, in addition to her commitment to sharing factual storytelling. “What we appreciate about Lori is that she is only interested in the correct information – not flashy headlines or spin. We always tell our doctors and leaders that doing an interview with Lori is the most useful 10-15 minutes of media they will do. She is a true professional, does her research about the healthcare topic and is respectful of our experts time.” Paul Heinert, Sanford Health
Lori is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. She studied humanities at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu and received her B.A. in journalism from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. Lori was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps in 1994, where she served six years as a cryptologic Korean linguist. Lori lives in Sioux Falls where she writes, reads, records, and hangs out with a tortoise known as “The Entity.” Congratulations, Lori Walsh on receiving the SDAHO Media Personality Distinguished Service Award.
