PBS39 station earns national, state awards for coverage

Lehigh Valley Public Media’s PBS39 earned three nationally recognized awards from the National Educational Telecommunications Association at its 2020 awards gala held in Washington, D.C. Each category was reviewed by a group of public television station leaders formed by NETA.

The NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum is the only gathering dedicated to the foundational cornerstone of public media-education. The event includes guest speakers, a lineup of professional development sessions, receptions and the NETA award gala.

“We are honored to have received these three awards, and while we always appreciate the national recognition, our goal is to continue to engage in our community, through public education,” Tim Fallon, chief executive officer of Lehigh Valley Public Media, said.

“This award recognition reinforces that we are creating a community that is inspired, engaged and vibrant!”

PBS39’s winning content included election night coverage in the category of integrated media campaign, Red Billboards in the category of promotion and The Story of Musikfest in the category of cultural documentary. PBS39 was the public broadcast station with the most wins at NETA’s 2020 award ceremony.

PBS39 also earned two awards from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters in the “Outstanding Investigative Story/Report/Series” category for Stop the Violence and in the “Outstanding Television Public Service Announcement/Campaign” category for NETA Election Billboard Campaign.

The PAB Excellence in Broadcasting Awards is an annual competition that encourages professional performance among radio and television stations in the state.

PBS39’s winning content included part two of the two-part special report on youth violence and gangs in the Lehigh Valley, from PBS39 Reporter Corps member Megan Frank.

In this series, PBS39 examined the grim toll of youth violence and gangs in the Lehigh Valley.

The winning package shared the story of a grieving mother trying to make sense of her loss; of efforts by law enforcement to stem the tide; and of “Stop the Violence,” a movement led by young people and inspired by too many funerals for people too young.

The other winning entry was Lehigh Valley Public Media’s 2018 Election billboard campaign promo from the organization’s in-house marketing team.