2020 Public Media Impact Awards – Criteria and Information

**Download the Nomination Form**

History
This year marks the 35th year of honoring Michigan’s public broadcasters. Two awards will be presented – one award for Donors and one award for Professionals – for their contribution to public broadcasting in Michigan. This award will be presented at the Annual Awards Banquet of the MAB at the Advocacy Conference & Annual Meeting at the MGM Grand, Detroit, which is attended by owners and operators of broadcast stations, Lawmakers and other dignitaries in August 2020.

Purpose
• To recognize outstanding individuals or foundations involved in public broadcasting for their innovativeness and creativity.
• To inspire others involved in public broadcasting to greater achievement in the field of public radio and television.
• To increase awareness of public broadcasting and the contributions talented individuals make to the industry statewide.

Eligibility
Donors and Professionals involved in Michigan public radio or television are eligible for nomination. Nominations can be made by colleagues, supervisors and/or station managers. Activities for which the person is nominated may be long-term, to recognize lifetime contributions to public broadcasting, or more recent, to reflect a concentrated period of achievement.

Nomination Process
Deadline for nominations and supporting material (i.e. letters of support, photos, and videos) is Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Station/general manager will be notified if one of their staff members, volunteers or donors has been selected to receive an award prior to the 2020 Advocacy Conference, so that plans can be made for the recipient to attend.

Please complete the nomination form and email with supporting documents to Ann Walters at [email protected] or you can mail documents to: Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters, 222 N. Chestnut St, Lansing, MI 48933.

Awards
There will be up to two awards given — one Professional (all professionals including volunteers working in public broadcasting) and one Donor (individuals or foundations).

Judges
The nominee’s will be judged for each category. The judges will consist of a panel of their peers selected from Michigan public radio and television stations to evaluate the nominee’s qualifications.

Criteria-Donors
Judges will evaluate the Donor nominees based on:
• An individual or foundation that has been able to support a specific project at a station
• Threshold of impact and importance on public broadcasting
• In-kind resources that help to promote the station, it’s programs and projects

Criteria-Professional
Judges will evaluate nominees on the basis of:
• Development of creative solutions to address station problems or concerns
• Development of innovative projects or programs designed to meet station challenges
• Development of programs, projects or activities which are cost — and/or time — effective
• Development of programs, projects or activities which make effective use of staff or volunteer resources
• Involvement and service to the community
• Involvement and service to public broadcasting

Supporting Materials
Copies of material related to the nominee’s accomplishments or achievements may accompany the nomination form. Please indicate whether entry is Professional or Donor. Also please include a head shot of your nominee in your materials, if available. If you have any questions concerning the Public Media Impact Award program, please contact Ann Walters via email at [email protected] or by phone at the MAPB office at (800) 968-7622.

**Download the Nomination Form**

 

MAPB Honors Paul J. Ryan, Mark T. Brush with 2018 Public Media Impact Awards

 

The Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB) presented its 2018 Public Media Impact Awards on Tuesday, August 14 at the Grand Hotel.

The MAPB presents Public Media Impact Awards to professionals and donors for their contribution to public broadcasting in Michigan. The awards are given to recognize outstanding individuals involved in public broadcasting for their innovation and creativity, inspire others involved in public broadcasting to greater achievement in the field of public radio and television and to increase awareness of public broadcasting and the contributions talented individuals make to the industry statewide.

L-R: 2018 MAPB Public Media Impact Award Recipient Paul J. Ryan and retired WGVU Public Media General Manager Michael T. Walenta.

Paul J. Ryan, WGVU Public Media (Donor Recognition)

Paul J. Ryan has been an integral part of the expansion of community engagement and impact for WGVU Public Media. He began supporting the station in 2010, both philanthropically and through providing his expert knowledge and leadership to the station’s desire to be a deep convener throughout its community. In 2010, Paul began a multi-year personal commitment to help fund a scholarship endowment for veterans and their dependents to attend Grand Valley State University directly through WGVU. Additionally, he contributed to building community outreach for veterans and made a substantial gift to allow WGVU Public Media to create a visual display of all Medal of Honor Recipients from the State of Michigan with images and biographical information.

WGVU has leveraged this tool in schools and throughout its expanded community engagement efforts and it is only possible thanks to Paul. In September of 2017, Paul spearheaded the community effort to support WGVU Public Media’s LZ Michigan, a “Landing Zone” to Remember, Honor and Celebrate the community’s veterans and their families. He took the lead role in helping to raise the needed revenue to help support the statewide community engagement effort. His personal support is multiplied by his work to share his passion for WGVU and being able to help bring over $100,000 of additional philanthropic support for the station in recent years.

L-R: Mark T. Brush’s father, Tom Brush, sister, Lisa Brush, mother, Sally Brush and brother-in-law Jim Frey accepted his 2018 MAPB Public Media Impact Award.

Mark T. Brush (1968-2018), Michigan Radio (Professional Broadcaster)

Mark T. Brush was Michigan Radio’s Digital Media Director. He worked to develop and maintain the station’s overall digital strategy. As a senior producer/reporter and the station’s first online news content specialist from 2010 to 2016, he helped move the station toward publishing more online-first stories. From 2006 to 2010, as the unit’s comanager and senior producer, Mark helped transition the station’s regional environmental news unit into an award-winning national news service known as The Environment Report. He reported on many vitally important issues for Michiganders, including cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie, pollution from industrial animal production and arsenic in groundwater… and he covered all sorts of fun stories too, such as a profile of Christmas tree farmer Duke Wagatha and the history of the giant Uniroyal tire along I-94.

Mark was a crucial member of the team at Michigan Radio that covered the Flint water crisis. He won the station’s first regional Edward R. Murrow award for his investigation into the status of Enbridge’s Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac and spearheaded the “M I Curious” project that seeks to answer the questions our listeners are wondering about. Mark was a graduate of the University of Michigan (’00 MS in Environmental Policy and Planning & ’91 BA in Political Science) and has been a “public radio junkie” since 1992. Much of Mark’s storytelling philosophy was influenced through his close work with veteran CBC réalisateur David Candow.

 

 

The Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB) presented its 2017 Public Media Impact Awards on Tuesday, August 22 at Crystal Mountain Resort.

(L-R): Retired CMU Public Radio executive and host John Sheffler, 2017 MAPB Public Media Impact Professional Award recipient, and Detroit Public Television Senior Vice President Dan Alpert, who accepted the 2017 MAPB Public Media Impact Donor Award on behalf of William H. Smith.

The MAPB presents Public Media Impact Awards to professionals and donors for their contribution to public broadcasting in Michigan. The awards are given to recognize outstanding individuals involved in public broadcasting for their innovation and creativity, inspire others involved in public broadcasting to greater achievement in the field of public radio and television and to increase awareness of public broadcasting and the contributions talented individuals make to the industry statewide.

2017 MAPB Public Media Impact Award – Professional Recipient

John Sheffler
CMU Public Radio

2017 MAPB Public Media Impact Award – Donor Recipient

William H. Smith
Detroit PublicTelevision