Wisconsin Community Media, in conjunction with the Alliance for Community Media’s Midwest Region, has announced their annual award winners for the 2023 Best of the Midwest Media Fest.
The Sun Prairie Media Center is happy to announce that no fewer than 20 original shows created for either KSUN, KIDS-4, or 103.5 FM The Sun Community Radio are set to receive awards at the fest, which will be held in Madison on Thursday, May 4. The total represents 13 percent of all awards to be given out at the event.
Included in the 20 awards are three “Best in Show” winners: SPMC’s coverage of Sun Prairie West vs. Sun Prairie East football, the Mark Gonwa-produced radio program “Bluesology,” and “Voyageur Canoe Excursion,” a documentary filmed by Tim Hatfield at the Historic Indian Agency House in Columbia County. This is Hatfield’s second straight “Best in Show” win.
Elsewhere SPMC programming was honored with three additional “Excellence” awards, one for its weekly movie review program “Reel Reviews,” hosted by Jamison Rabbitt, and “Spine Chilling Cinema,” its weekly horror movie showcase hosted by Oliver “The Caretaker” Collins (aka Jamie Ostrander), and one for “Grrl-Powered Radio,” a weekly radio program showcasing female artists hosted by Caprise Waak.
Six additional programs produced at the SPMC were selected for “Achievement” awards, including two other mini-docs shot by Tim Hatfield: “The Great Race” and “Landscape of Families.” Other “Achievement” winners include “The Weekly Chat,” “The Sun Prairie Real Estate Show,” “Sun Prairie News,” and “Song Archaeology.”
Finally, eight SPMC shows are taking home “Merit” awards, including “The Parenting Game,” “Front Porch,” “The Prairie Home Show,” the 2022 SPARC Spring Candidate Forum, “Greglist,” “Inside Your City with Aaron and Chris,” “Now You Know,” and “Breaking the Song Barrier.”
In addition, long-time SPMC football announcer Mike Powers will be honored with a “Friend of Access” award.
More information on any and all of these shows (and the shows themselves) can be found on sunprairiemediacenter.com.
SPMC director Jeff Robbins was thrilled with the results. “We have a fantastic collection of member producers,” said Robbins. “And with a whopping 20 awards, clearly the judges for the annual Media Fest agree!”
“Besides thanking our awesome producers, I would like to thank Colin, Mara, and Rachel, who aren’t necessarily formally recognized by these awards but who do a lot – and sometimes all – of the behind-the-scenes work on these shows. I also want to thank our Friends of Sun Prairie Media Center group,” continued Robbins. “They picked up the cost for entry fees so producers could enter the judging process with no cost out of pocket. So kudos to our awesome Friends group!”
To be eligible for an award, a program must have been produced and/or distributed through the facilities of a community media center and premiered on a cable access channel, community radio station, or its website.
Want to be an award-winning community media producer? The Sun Prairie Media Center is currently looking for producers to take advantage of its awesome studio facilities and excellent staff. Anyone interested should call 608-837-4193 or check out sunprairiemediacenter.com, where program ideas can be submitted directly to SPMC staff.
Episodes of SPMC’s award-winning programs can be accessed by going to sunprairiemediacenter.com by downloading the Sun Prairie Media Center app, available for free from the App Store or Google Play.
More information on Wisconsin Community Media and the Media Fest can be found at wisconsincommunitymedia.com.