Meredith Grimm of FSU Wins 2022 Molly Turner Broadcast Scholarship

SPJ Florida and the family of the late Molly Turner are proud to bestow this year’s Molly Turner Broadcast Scholarship to Meredith Grimm, a student at Florida State University.

A rising junior, she is studying media/communications studies and sport management to reach her goal of being a sports journalist — only about 21% of sports journalists are women.

“I am extremely grateful to represent the Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists as this year’s Molly Turner scholarship winner,” Grimm said. “I am so passionate about my work as a female sports journalist and cannot wait to gain more field experience in the future. It’s my responsibility to give others the platform to tell their story and this will enable me to reach even more success”.

Grimm is a volunteer for Seminole Productions, served as a sports information volunteer at FSU Media Relations, and was a volunteer during the 2022 Men’s Final Four in New Orleans. She is the executive assistant at the Women in Sport association at FSU and is also a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Sport Management Student Association, Society of Collegiate Journalists, and participates in intramural sports.

The scholarship was created in honor of Molly Turner to encourage women to go into broadcast journalism. Turner has been dubbed the “first lady of South Florida news” and is known as the first female reporter and anchor in South Florida. She got her start in television in 1951 when her mother suggested she audition for a singing job on the “Uncle Martin Show,” then went into producing, working on commercials and a morning show. She joined WPLG in 1960 as the public service director and midday anchor. In 1969 Post Newsweek bought Channel 10 and they asked Turner to become a reporter, making her the first female reporter in the region.

Lyle Landon, the daughter of Turner, has been a longtime partner of the chapter in supporting the scholarship and helping the committee choose each year’s recipient.

“The time is right for greater representation and recognition of women in sports journalism.  Certainly female athletes are getting more media coverage, better pay (hooray) and an increasing number of fans,” Landon said. “With Meredith’s experience playing multiple sports, she’ll be able to bring a unique perspective to her journalism, unlike most female sports reporters who have been pro athletes in one sport.

There’s plenty of room for innovation in sports broadcasting and Meredith is qualified and enthusiastic about building her onramp and shaping its future.”