The trophy case at 23 Sesame Street got a little more crowded this past weekend! VPM earned four public media honors at the 56th Annual Public Media Awards Gala that took place on Sunday, September 15 during the 2024 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum.
VPM won a public media award for its social media campaign that spotlighted Black History Month. The campaign featured the theme “Past, Present and Future,” highlighting historical locations in Richmond that have significance to Black Americans, Black-owned businesses in Richmond and the impact of community members in the Black community.
In the topical feature category, VPM won an award for its special report from VPM News Focal Point titled Caring for Others. The episode tells stories of resilience, responsiveness and generosity as audiences hear about an art program for seniors, a bakery staffed by people with developmental disabilities, a program that helps children facing loss and more.
VPM won in the podcast category for Track Change. Co-produced by Narratively and hosted by Grammy-winner Todd “Speech” Thomas, the podcast follows a group of men in Richmond City Jail as they record an album that chronicles their efforts to break free from a cycle of addiction and incarceration.
VPM also won in the military chronicles category for Focal Point’s episode titled Veterans in Prison. The episode features interviews with a number of those people behind bars, many of whom cite post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as their trouble transitioning out of the military as factors that led them to prison.
VPM was a finalist in five other categories, including:
- News & Public Affairs | Price of Poverty | VPM News Focal Point
- Education | Trapped in Student Loan Debt | VPM News Focal Point
- Radio – News & Public Affairs | Virginia's Community Health Workers
- Radio – Local Storytelling | Iwacu: A journey of rediscovering home
- Digital Media | Sonic Threads - House Music Episode
The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) is one of the nation's leading service organizations strengthening and amplifying public media's education mission. The Public Media Awards honor NETA members' finest work in community engagement, content, education, marketing/communications, independent productions, and overall excellence. The awards were judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media.
View the full list of this year's winners.
