WOUB nominated as NETA Public Media Awards finalist in two categories

The WOUB Learning Lab’s "Our Ohio High School Documentary Film Festival" and a video which was part of WOUB’s spring 2024 episode of its new series, "Foothill Features," called "The Land of Giants: The Ohio Art Corridor" have been named finalists in the 56th Annual National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) Public Media Awards competition. "Our Ohio" was nominated in the Educational Resources for the Classroom category, while the Foothill Features segment was nominated in the Visual Arts category.

The "Our Ohio" project challenges high school students to learn about and explore independent documentary film, Appalachian cultural identity, media literacy and multimedia storytelling. Throughout the course of the school year, the students worked with WOUB News Reporter Theo Peck-Suzuki and Documentary Filmmaker Chris Flanery, as well as an Ohio University Associate Professor Brian Plow, to learn how to create documentary films.

“We are so proud of the work of our local high school students,” said WOUB Educational Services Manager Deborah Brewer. “It's great to see that NETA recognizes the project as valuable. The more opportunities the students have to share their work, the more investment we get in the program, and the better student work becomes.”

"Foothill Features" is an eclectic mix of feature narratives that showcase the sights, sounds and stories of the region. "The Land of Giants: The Ohio Art Corridor" focuses on Morgan County-based welder David Griesmyer, who wants to turn southeast Ohio into the world's largest outdoor art gallery. This ambitious plan led Griesmyer to create the Ohio Art Corridor, which seeks to add a deeper sense of place and cultural element to the region while enticing visitors to get off the main roads and interact with massive pieces of art.

“It’s a real honor to receive a nomination for this project and be recognized by my peers in public media,” said WOUB Producer/Director Chris Flanery. “This piece is a wonderful representation of some of the positive things happening in our region, and a great example of how public media can better serve their communities by highlighting these kinds of stories.”

“Both of these projects are about empowering the people of our region to tell their story in their voice with authenticity,” said WOUB Community Engagement and Membership Manager Cheri Russo. “We are so proud of the work done at WOUB which amplifies the people and culture of this region.”

The Public Media Awards, presented by NETA, honor their member's work in the highest caliber community engagement, content, education, and marketing and communications. A mosaic of relevant content that reflects both creativity and diversity that paint rich stories of truth and consequence.

“Congratulations to all of the honorees,” said NETA President Eric Hyyppa. “They are truly outstanding and shine a spotlight on the innovative and impactful work that is happening across the public media system.”

With the exception of the overall excellence categories, stations compete within their divisions based on their station size. Awards are judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the 2024 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum in Pittsburgh.