AWRT Gracie Allen Awards

KERA, WFUV among winners in Gracies

Published in Current, March 16, 2009

Pubcasters won more than 20 Gracie Allen Awards in the competition organized by American Women in Radio and Television. The Gracies will be presented June 4.

KERA in Dallas and WFUV-FM in Bronx, N.Y., each won three awards.

KERA-TV won for the series Nowhere But Texas 2. Producer and director Linda Stogner won an individual award as director of a news series or special. The series won awards for portrait/biography and specials.

WFUV, at New York’s Fordham University, won two awards in the student competition. Ellen Burke won the individual award for an anchor in news or newsmagazine, and the story “Barefoot Dancing” won among features in soft news programs. Robin Shannon won an individual award for an anchor in news or newsmagazine in the public category.

Oregon Public Broadcasting was recognized in both TV and radio. Oregon Experience TV series won portrait/bio award for the episode “Lola G. Baldwin.” OPB’s daily radio call-in program Think Out Loud won the talk show award for its episode “As We Are: Abortion Stories.”

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, based in Albany, won in the documentary–short format and public affairs program categories for the program “The Sounds of Progress: The Changing Role of Girls and Women in Science and Engineering.”

Two TV programs distributed by American Public Television won awards. Bold Visions: Women in Science & Technology, produced by Creative Expansions Inc., won in docs–short format. Sara Moulton, host of Sara’s Weeknight Meals, won an individual award among hosts-information or entertainment. The program was produced by Silver Plume Productions and WETA.

The PBS program Now, produced by WNET.org, won among features-soft news program for “Education City.”

The Kojo Nnamdi Show, produced by WAMU-FM in Washington, D.C., won among public affairs programs for segments on women and public policy.

These other stations and producers also won Gracies:

The TV program Crossing Lines, distributed by NETA and produced by Crossing Lines Productions, won in docs-short format.

Bonnie Grice, host of an arts and culture magazine on WLIU-FM in Southampton, N.Y., won an individual award among hosts in information or entertainment programs.

WHYY-FM in Philadelphia won in docs- long format for Growing Up Big-Childhood Obesity.

WGVU-TV in Grand Rapids, Mich., won among interview programs for Betsy Greer “Craftivism.”

KMFA-FM in Austin, Texas, won among portraits and bios for an episode of the weekly program Into the Light, “Music for Love’s Season/Czech Composers: New Releases.”

“Sounding Black,” a segment on the radio program Studio 360, co-produced by PRI and WNYC in New York, won feature-soft news program.

Chicago Public Radio won in documentaries-short format for “The Neighborhood That Met Obama First.”

WNED-FM in Buffalo, N.Y. won doc-mid-length format for the series Uncrowned Queens: Voices of African-American Women.

WFCR-FM in Amherst, Mass., won among series with its program Voices of the Transgender Community of Western New England.

Mirror Awards, Syracuse University

The Frontline program News War, which examines challenges facing the mainstream news media, won a Mirror Award for best investigative piece. The award, given by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, honors journalists who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit and examine the media industry’s role in the U.S.’s economy, culture and democracy. Credits: David Fanning, e.p.; Raney Aronson-Rath, director, writer and producer; Arun Rath, producer; Lowell Bergman, writer, reporter and co-producer; Seth Bomse, writer and editor.

Gerald Loeb Award, UCLA Anderson School of Management

Nightly Business Report won a Gerald Loeb Award from the UCLA Anderson School of Management in the category of daily television for its four-part series “India’s Promise.” The award recognizes journalists whose contributions illuminate the world of business, finance and the economy. Credit went to producers Steve Washington, Darren Gersh, Dana Greenspon and Sanjay Jha.

Discover magazine

Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of Nova scienceNow, was recognized in Discover magazine as one of the top ten most influential people in science for “taking science to the people.” According to Discover, “There may never be another Carl Sagan, but if anyone can take up the mantle as a science popularizer, it is Neil deGrasse Tyson.” In addition to his pubTV hosting, the magazine recognized Tyson’s best-selling books and his appearances on The Daily Show.

National Association of Home Care & Hospice

Judy Woodruff, correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, was honored by the National Association of Home Care & Hospice. She won a Caregiver of the Year award for her work with the Spina Bifida Association over the past 20 years. Woodruff’s son, Jeffrey, has spina bifida.

Items above posted March 17, 2009
Copyright 2009 by Current LLC

Nebraska Humanities Council

Nebraska Education Telecommunications (NET) was honored by the Nebraska Humanities Council with the 2008 Sower Award in the Humanities. The network “is committed to cultivating an understanding of our history and culture by reaching into people’s homes and cars, kitchens and barns with stories that help listeners and viewers consider what it means to be a Nebraskan and to connect them with our national cultural heritage,” wrote Keith Blackledge, former member of the NET Commission, who nominated the network. He pointed to regular stories from NET Radio’s humanities desk, NET TV’s local documentaries, and the network’s interactive Nebraska Studies history website.

Nebraska Broadcasters Association

The Nebraska Broadcasters Association honored several NET TV productions. Nebraska Volleyball: Dream Like a Champion won a gold award and “best of category” in the division Broadcast Sports Award of Excellence, Best In-Depth Story or Series. Producer and writer was Joe Turco. NET also won a silver award in the same category for Big Red Wrap-Up, produced and directed by Jim Carmichael.

NET also received the following awards:

Meth in Nebraska won a gold award in the category of Service to Community. Mike Tobias, Bill Kelly and Perry Stoner were producers.

Backyard Farmer, a co-production of NET and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, won a gold award in the category of Service to Agriculture. Credit went to Brad Mills of UNL’s Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources.

NET won two awards in the category of Broadcast Sports, Best Play by Play/On the Scene Reporting. State High School D-1 Championship, produced by Jim Carmichael, won a silver award, and Nebraska Volleyball 2007, produced by Brad Pace, won a bronze award.

In the category of Service to Business, Industry, Government or Education, Murder House, produced and written by Bill Kelly, won a bronze award.

Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists

WEDU in Tampa was honored with two Griot Drum Awards from the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists. An episode of A Gulf Coast Journal With Jack Perkins that profiled Negro League baseball player Buck O’Neil won the award for best television, community/public affairs program. Jen Noble was producer. Central Avenue Remembered, produced by Spencer Briggs,won the award for best television documentary.

Outdoor Writers Association of America

Producers for Milwaukee Public Television’s weekly series Outdoor Wisconsin won two Excellence in Craft awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. In the technical contest, Jack Abrams, e.p., and Dan Small, host, won first place in the TV/video category for the five-part “Beretta Gun Fitting Series.” Abrams also won a third-place award in the conservation/environment contest for the program segment “Aldo Leopold.”

New York State Broadcasters Association

WSKG in Binghamton, N.Y., won the New York State Broadcasters Association’s award for best documentary for USO Memories. The program celebrated music and nostalgia from World War II. Brian Frey was producer and director.
The Virginia Association of Broadcasters honored WHRO in Norfolk, Va., with awards for best TV documentary and best radio documentary. Credit for the TV program Kingdom by the Sea: Fortress Monroe went to Kelly Jackson, e.p., and Amy Broad, producer. The radio documentary WWII: Hampton Roads Heroes was produced by Michelle Gabriele-Harrell with Al Sykes as chief audio engineer/sound designer.