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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: SEATTLE CHANNEL Wins Prestigious National Award
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
10/17/2007 3:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
George Howland (206) 684-5755
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SEATTLE CHANNEL Wins Prestigious National Award
Station takes Excellence in Government Programming honors
SEATTLE - Television professionals from around the United States agree with what Seattle residents have known for a long time: the SEATTLE CHANNEL is the best municipal television station in the country. Over the weekend, the SEATTLE CHANNEL received the prestigious Excellence in Government Programming Award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) at the group’s annual meeting, held in Portland, Oregon.
“I’m thrilled that the SEATTLE CHANNEL has been named the best municipal TV station in the country but I’m certainly not surprised by this honor,” said Mayor Greg Nickels, “The entire team at the SEATTLE CHANNEL takes its role as the city’s TV station very seriously. I’m proud of what the SEATTLE CHANNEL does every day to provide residents everything from in-depth government coverage to some of the best local arts and cultural TV programming in the nation.”
Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden, chair of the Council's Energy & Technology Committee, is especially supportive of the SEATTLE CHANNEL’s focus on the city. “Many Seattle residents tell me how much they depend on the SEATTLE CHANNEL for coverage of council meetings, public hearings and other government events. But they, like me, have also come to value the station’s expanded coverage of life in the city. I couldn’t be more pleased that the channel has been singled out for excellence in serving citizens via cable TV and the web.”
DoIT CIO Bill Schrier was also pleased to learn of the honor. “Clearly, the Excellence in Government Programming Award, as well as several other awards this year, are a result of the extraordinary leadership shown by SEATTLE CHANNEL general manager Gary Gibson and the first-rate staff he has assembled since coming aboard in 2002. Gary understands that what the SEATTLE CHANNEL does is more than simply create TV shows-the SEATTLE CHANNEL puts local TV to work for Seattle residents, to make our communities stronger.”
The SEATTLE CHANNEL is unique among almost every local TV station in the country, because it streams ALL programs live on the web (in addition to broadcasting 24 hours a day on Cable Channel 21 in Seattle). Further, the SEATTLE CHANNEL offers ALL programs in an online video archive, allowing free, 24-hour access to all content via the Internet as well as podcasts of select programs. For access to the SEATTLE CHANNEL live stream and all programs and podcasts, please visit www.seattlechannel.org.
In addition to the Excellence in Government Programming Award, the SEATTLE CHANNEL also won First Place awards from NATOA for:
Public Education: Supportive Housing, Supporting Success
Please click here for online video
Election Coverage: On the Ballot
Please click here for online video
Visual Arts: The Local Music Show Open
Please click here for online video
Other awards received by the SEATTLE CHANNEL include second place finishes for Verve and the Olympic Sculpture Park Preview Promotional Spot; third place honors for The Seattle International Film Festival Super Fly Filmmakers, City Inside/Out and the SEATTLE CHANNEL website; and honorable mentions for KEXP Live at the Triple Door Presents Joseph Arthur, the Woody Woodhouse Tribute, and the BIG NIGHT OUT Open. The SEATTLE CHANNEL website includes a complete list of recent awards, as well as links to online video of the winning pieces: http://www.seattlechannel.org/aboutus/awards.htm
The SEATTLE CHANNEL is a Government Access Channel granted to the City of Seattle per Federal law for the purposes of cablecasting government television programs. It is administered by the SEATTLE CHANNEL unit of the City of Seattle's Department of Information Technology. Programming decisions are based solely on content, and are made independently of the Mayor and the City Council.
Seattle is a vibrant and dynamic city, and the SEATTLE CHANNEL is the award-winning local TV station that reflects, informs and inspires the community it serves. The SEATTLE CHANNEL presents programs on cable television (channel 21 on Comcast and Millennium) and via the Internet to help citizens connect with their city, and to harness the power of local video to strengthen community. SEATTLE CHANNEL programming includes series and special features highlighting the diverse civic and cultural landscape of the Pacific Northwest's premier city.
Other recent SEATTLE CHANNEL awards include two 2006 and one 2007 Emmy from the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and the Public Technology Institute’s 2006 Technology Solutions Award.
For more information or to contact the SEATTLE CHANNEL, please visit www.seattlechannel.org; call 206-684-8821; or send email to talkback@seattle.gov
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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