After 30 years of sports broadcasting, Rita Price is getting her day in the sun.

Tonight at the Tippecanoe Valley-Wawasee girls basketball game in Akron, Indiana High School Athletic Association Commissioner Blake Ress will recognize price with the 2001-02 Distinguished Media Service Award.

"I'm highly honored," said Price. "I have received other awards, but this one is from the IHSAA. It is a highly coveted award because it is a state-wide award."

But don't expect to see the 59-years-young broadcaster taking time to smell the roses tonight. She still has a job to do.

The ceremony will take place between the JV and varsity games so Price can still broadcast all the play-by-play action for her listeners.

For the past 43 years, WRSW listeners have tuned in to hear Price's familiar voice.

After graduating from Bourbon High School in 1959, she began working at the radio station, hosting and singing on a live variety show.

Price became a staple at the station and was hired as a regular on-air personality in 1960.

But the thing Price is most known for is her sports broadcasting. She began as a color commentator in 1972, and made history four years later when she did her first play-by-play at the first IHSAA girls state basketball tournament.

Since then, Price has covered every boys state finals since 1977, and she is the only broadcaster to announce every girls state championship.

When basketball switched to the four-class system in 1998, Price's workload increased right along with the number of teams playing. Since then, she has broadcast all four state final games in both the boys and girls state tournaments.

"The people is what made it the most fun," said Price. "People like Pat Roy, Jan Conner, former Warsaw coaches Jan Soyez and Mary Hurley, coaches Steve Neff and Wayne Kreiger have always made covering the game so enjoyable. And to see what players who have gone on to bigger things -Êeven women's professional basketball like Ruth Riley - has been just so exciting."

And Price has seen a lot in her years of radio.

"The thing that has changed most is probably the aspect of technology," she said. "We have a lot better technology to use now. Since we have started to use the cell phone it is more versatile. Technology has made our jobs much easier.

"But the game itself hasn't changed much."

This award in not the first honor Price has received. She was recently named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Committee. She has earned the District II IBCA Virgil Sweet Service Award, the Marion Archer Service Award, the Marv Wood Memorial Award, and the Indiana Citizens for Sports Equity Pioneer Role Model Award.

Price, who turns 60 in March, has no plans of slowing down.

"As long as my health is still good and I still enjoy it, I plan to go ahead and keep doing it," said Price. "But I can't imagine that happening. It has become such a part of my life, I couldn't imagine not doing it. As long as I am healthy and can get around, I will still be there broadcasting."

Price broadcasts 65-70 boys and girls basketball games each year, and she plans to cover this year's boys and girls class state finals.

Price will begin broadcasting the game tonight at 7:20 p.m. on WRSW-FM.

"We are all so happy for Rita," said Roger Grossman, Price's sometimes-partner-in crime. "Rita broke down a lot of barriers in the early days of girls basketball and has worked so hard to promote girls basketball and girls sports in general over the last 27 years. She set a tone that a lot of people and a lot of radio stations have followed." [[In-content Ad]]