On Thursday, October 17th Orion Neighborhood Television producers were honored at the Philo Festival of Media Arts, hosted by the Central States Alliance for Community Media. The awards ceremony took place at the WKTV Studio in Wyoming, Michigan. The Philo awards in an annual public access television cable TV competition within the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan region. The “PHILO” is awarded for excellence in community media in various categories.
Award winners include: Joe Johnson and Stacy Calloway for the ONTV News cast in the news professional category, Tessa Bratton and Jenny Bhatti for the Orion Township Roundabout Benefits video in the instructional professional category, and George Sinnott also took home a Philo for his Active Living show in the political awareness non-professional category.
“I feel ONTV is one of the best access centers in the state, if not in the country,” says ONTV Station Manager, Joe Johnson. “The Philo awards validate the fact that we put out quality programming.” Community access television was established in the Orion area over 30 years ago and has become a vital part of the community. “Our volunteers and staff work really hard to provide media tailored to our residents,” says Tessa Bratton, ONTV’s Production Manager. “It feels great and it’s inspiring for all of us at ONTV to be recognized for that effort and passion.”
The Philo awards is named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of modern television. Farnsworth was born in 1906 and invented the first receiving tube for television transmission. The ACM Central States Region honors the memory of Philo T. Farnsworth by recognizing the effort of access producers who promote the use of media in their community.