PBS39 won awards in the Special Event and Engaged Learning categories at the annual National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) Conference.
Bethlehem, PA – January 31, 2019 – The National Educational Telecommunications Association announced during a ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah that PBS39 has won two major national awards. These awards honor excellence in community engagement, promotion, instructional media and content production. In the Special Event category, PBS39 won for PBS39’s 50th Anniversary Gala, while in the category of Engaged Learning PBS39 won for “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?”
“PBS39 is honored to be recognized for the outstanding work of our team,” Tim Fallon, Chief Executive Officer of PBS39 said. “We understand the importance of education through public media and how it affects the lives of our members and viewers. These two programs are perfect examples of how we are using our dynamic communication platforms and resources to achieve our mission of fulfilling the needs of the Greater Lehigh Valley.”
PBS39’s 50th Anniversary Gala was a celebration of the first 50 years of PBS39 and an opportunity to create greater community awareness for PBS39’s next half century. The evening recognized three highly respected community leaders, Dr. Karen Walton, Kassie Hilgert and the Honorable Maxwell Davison. Special guests included Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Paula Kerger, with Tony Orlando as the evening’s host. NETA judges raved about the program saying “A+! Impressive results!”
“What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” is designed to bring 21st century manufacturing career awareness to middle school students and teach them digital storytelling. This contest, in partnership with industrial resource centers throughout Pennsylvania, was launched in the 2012-13 school year and has since grown to include twelve regions in the state. Judges commented, “this contest is very effective in building knowledge and skills of the student teams” and “I think every station should steal this idea.”
The NETA conference is an annual three-day event where public media organizations from around the country meet for a “Public Media Thought Leader Forum” presented by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The event includes guest speakers, a lineup of professional development sessions, receptions and the NETA Awards. PBS39 was one of only seven public media organizations to win multiple awards at the ceremony.
About PBS39
PBS39 is a community-owned public media station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA, serving eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. PBS39 acts as the catalyst to promote civic engagement, and to fulfill the regional needs of the Greater Lehigh Valley through its dynamic communication platforms and resources. PBS39 Reporter Corps journalists are embedded in the ten counties that make up the Greater Lehigh Valley, including Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe in Pennsylvania, plus Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. The Reporter Corps creates community-focused content for PBS39 News Tonight and for the PBS39 digital platform. For more information, visit PBS39.org.
Information provided to TVL by:
Nicole Harrell
Public Relations/Promotions Manager, PBS39
