FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Columbia, SC, January 26, 2022] It was announced Tuesday that WFSU Public Media won the top prize in the category of “Community Engagement: Kids & Family” amongst Division I competitors of the national public media competition. Division I includes public media stations from top television markets across the country. WFSU entry featured materials from the Education & Engagement team’s 2021 Summer Challenge: Mounds, Hills, and Mounds.
The Summer Challenge project began at WFSU six years ago. Its focus is in creating innovative content to keep kids engaged in learning during the summer months away from school. This past summer’s theme explored our local environment, its geological features, and the plants and animals that have evolved along with the terrain.
WFSU partnered with the Community Classroom Consortium, Department of Environmental Protection, Wakulla State Parks, Museum of Florida History, the Florida Public Archeology Network, Southern Shakespeare Company, LeRoy Collins Leon County Library System, and the WFSU Ecology Blog to curate interactive content for children to utilize.
“WFSU is honored to be recognized by our public media peers in winning this award,” said WFSU’s Education & Engagement Manager, Tasha Weinstein. “This project was truly a collaborative effort led by our education team and included numerous community partners dedicated to helping children learn about the unique north Florida environment where they live. We appreciate that our commitment to providing innovative and interactive educational resources is being recognized so that we can reach more families.”
The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) recognized public media’s achievements each year. Stations were recognized during the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards (PMAs) gala held virtually at the 2022 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum.
The Public Media Awards presented by NETA honor our member's work in the highest caliber programming, education, marketing, and engagement. A mosaic of relevant content that reflects both creativity and diversity that paint rich stories of truth and consequence. Piece by piece and member by member, we come together as choreographers of the public good, to spark more imagination and inspiration than we ever could have alone.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees and awardees,” said NETA president Eric Hyyppa. He continued, “this year the entries were outstanding and shined a spotlight on the work that is happening across the system.”
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.
To learn more about WFSU’s annual summer challenge, visit wfsu.org/summerchallenge.
View the PMA winner’s gallery / Community Engagement - Kids & Family
About WFSU Public Media
WFSU Public Media enriches lives and cultivates diverse perspectives by connecting our community through media content and services that inform, educate, and entertain. WFSU is both an NPR and PBS member providing quality public broadcasting services to the north Florida and south Georgia areas.
WFSU Public Media also provides community engagement and educational services. Examples include Ready To Learn Community Collaboratives for Early Learning & Media, theAmerican Graduate Project, and children's projects associated with PBS KIDS.
About NETA
The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) is a professional association representing 279 member stations in 47 states, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. NETA provides leadership, general audience content, educational services, professional development and trusted financial management services, including human resources and benefits administration, to individual public media licensees, their affinity groups and public media as a whole.
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