Radio documentary on heroin addiction wins international award

A five-part radio documentary on heroin addiction, produced by two Rowan University alumni, has won an award in the radio documentary category of the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

"Hidden Heroin: New Jersey's Dirty Deadly Secret," produced by Marlton residents Rob Lightfoot and Melissa Cassara, won a silver Davey Award in the competition, which included over 4,000 entries.

The documentary explores the damage heroin causes and includes interviews with physicians and recovering addicts. "Hidden Heroin" was produced for Rowan's Center for Addiction Studies and was distributed statewide.

Both Lightfoot and Cassara earned their bachelor's degrees in radio/television/film and their master's degrees in public relations from Rowan. Lightfoot earned his degrees in 2000 and 2001, while Cassara earned hers in 1997 and 1998.

Additionally, both are alumni of Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM and were 2005 inductees into the Rowan Radio Hall of Fame.

Earlier this year, "Hidden Heroin" won first place in the radio enterprise reporting category in a competition sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.