North Shore TV, a public access broadcaster serving the Great Neck area, has been awarded the Hometown Media Award for Overall Excellence in Public Access by the Alliance for Community Media Foundation.
This award is given to stations that show a high level of commitment to fostering civic engagement through local storytelling, according to the ACM.
“This award is truly special because it recognizes the heart of what we do — empowering our community to share their voices,” said Erica Bradley, NSTV’s executive director.
This isn’t the first time that North Shore TV has been acknowledged by the ACM. The broadcaster has won the award for Overall Excellence in Public Access every year since 2020.
The ACM said that each year, more than 1,000 entries are submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges. Around 100 of these are chosen as winners, with awards going to submissions in various categories like audio programming, children’s programs and news.
The overall excellence category is broken down by station budget, with NSTV collecting its award in the $650,000 to $1 million tier.
“The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country,” said Mike Wassenaar, ACM’s president and CEO. “[We’re] proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work.”
NSTV airs on Channel 20 for Cablevision customers and Channel 37 for Verizon customers in the Great Neck area, as well as being streamed on its website. The station offers a variety of community-focused programming, including shows for youth, spots for local nonprofits and small businesses and original one-act plays. NSTV’s Veteran Stories program was nominated for a regional Emmy award in 2016 for its “Welcome Home: Vietnam” film.
Training the next generation of television professionals is also central to NSTV’s mission. Young people interested in the industry have the opportunity to participate in internships and studio shows, along with access to professional editing tools to get a taste of the profession.
Bradley emphasized that this community-focused approach is what drives their success.
“To be recognized is not only a testament to our team, but to the residents, organizations and small businesses that partner with us to make media that matters.”
