Seattle Channel won 25 Government Programming Awards, including four Awards of Excellence, at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) annual conference awards ceremony this week. The station also took home 15 Awards of Distinction and six Awards of Honor for its civic and cultural programming. NATOA has been celebrating the achievements of local government programmers across the nation for 37 years.
“As our city continues to restore and rebuild itself after a challenging couple of years, we need strong communication, community, and collaboration. Through a dedication to inclusive and in-depth programming, Seattle Channel exemplifies our One Seattle values and priorities,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “We are fortunate to have this valuable resource of informative and inspiring programming that ranges from important public policy debates to energizing arts coverage to celebrations of our diverse communities — a true reflection of the Seattle we love. I congratulate the team on these well-deserved recognitions.”
Seattle Channel won first place Awards of Excellence in the categories of sports programming; seniors; profile of a person, business, or organization; and documentary. The team was recognized with Awards of Distinction and Awards of Honor in a wide range of categories, including interview or talk show; election coverage; ethnic experience; diversity, equity, and inclusion; arts and entertainment; public safety; public education; community awareness; news series; magazine format series; and best use of video on social media. In addition, the station received Awards of Distinction in the best use of social media and website, as well as the craft categories of videography, editing, storytelling, and overall excellence.
The winning programs include a feature about two young Seattle-area women ascending the ranks in archery and the dedication, long hours of training, and intense mental focus it takes to be the best in their sport. Another win went to an episode of City Inside/Out that looked at Washington Cares, the new state program that would provide a long-term care benefit for Washington workers. A profile of Matt Paynton, also known as “Batman in Seattle,” won top accolades for the story of the man behind the mask and his fellow crime fighters at Costumed Characters for Causes who lift spirits at charity events. A short documentary on one of the lesser-known attractions from the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the Bubbleator, won the top award, tracing the winding path the spherical elevator has taken since leaving the Seattle Center campus.
“Seattle Channel shows us, once again, what an invaluable service they provide to the city,” said City Councilmember Sara Nelson (Position 9, Citywide). “This recognition of the channel’s commitment to creating high-quality, informative, and engaging programming reinforces how lucky we are to have an outlet dedicated to the community it serves. As one of the Seattle Channel’s biggest fans, I wish to offer my heartiest congratulations to the team for this hard-earned honor.”
This year, NATOA recognized the work of government agencies across the nation in 70 categories. These include familiar categories such as community events, documentaries, public affairs, interview or talk shows, performing arts, sports, and election coverage, as well as several new categories for programming focusing on ethnic experience and diversity, equity, and inclusion; storytelling; and an award for best use of social media platforms and website.
“The Seattle Channel team continues to raise the bar on reporting the diverse stories from the City of Seattle,” said Seattle’s Interim Chief Technology Officer Jim Loter. “The diversity in the stories honored shows the channel’s commitment to reaching audiences and making sure all voices throughout the city are represented.
“Seattle Channel is grateful to be a part of the NATOA community and extremely honored to receive these awards from our municipal broadcast peers,” said Shannon Gee, Seattle Channel’s general manager. “Seattle Channel works tirelessly to elevate Seattle’s people and stories and does the utmost to provide access to and information about our government to its residents. We are proud to serve the public through our broadcast dedication and excellence and strive daily to do that with integrity and heart.”
NATOA is a national association representing local governments’ needs and interests in communications, broadband, and technology. Its annual Government Programming Awards (GPAs) honor excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia, and electronic programming produced by local government agencies. A complete list of the award winners is available on NATOA’s website.
Here is a list of Seattle Channel’s 2022 NATOA awards and award-winning programs:
Awards of Excellence
Sports Programming: On Target: Two Young Women Aim for Greatness
Seniors: City Inside/Out – Long Term Care
Profile of a Person, Business, or Organization: Batman in Seattle
Documentary: Bubbleator
Awards of Distinction
Ethnic Experience: Traveling While Black
Diversity/Equity/Inclusion: Seattle Gay News
Arts and Entertainment: Brittany Davis
Public Safety: ShakeAlert App
Public Education: City Inside/Out – Homeowner Help
Community Awareness: City Inside/Out – New Day for Downtown Seattle
Best COVID-19 Update/Virtual Production: Civic Cocktail: Downtown Seattle: Rebuilding a Troubled Superstar
Use of Social Media Platforms & Website (Follow Seattle Channel on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok)
Best Use of Video on Social Media: Seattle Summer Hyperlapse: Sailing, swimming & sunsets
News Series: City Inside/Out
Magazine Format Series: CityStream
Videography
Editing
Storytelling
Overall Excellence
Awards of Honor:
Edited Community Event Coverage: Northgate Light Rail Extension Celebration
Interview/Talk Show: City Inside/Out – Baby Bonds
Election Coverage: City Inside/Out – Sawant Recall
Parks & Recreation: Massive Monkees Dance Grant
Profile of a City/County Dept., or Employee: Day in the Life of Mayor Bruce Harrell
Profile of a Person, Business, or Organization: Kenmore Air
Seattle Channel is an award-winning municipal television station that reflects, informs, and inspires the community it serves with a local mix of news, analysis, stories, and perspectives you won’t find anywhere else. Watch Seattle Channel on cable television channel 21 on Comcast (321 HD) and Wave (721 HD) for cable subscribers in Seattle. Programming is also available online on Seattle Channel’s website, YouTube, or find older videos in the Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collections. Follow Seattle Channel on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
