WTCI Nominated For Two Emmy Awards

  • Tuesday, November 24, 2015

WTCThe Nashville/Midsouth Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced their Midsouth Regional Emmy Award nominations.  WTCI, the Tennessee Valley’s community PBS station, has been nominated for two Emmy Awards after ballots were tabulated for more than 800 entries in the Midsouth Emmy Awards. 

NATAS National Trustee and Nashville/Midsouth President Clifton Hunt said, “The upcoming gala will mark our thirtieth Emmy Awards.  For this grand occasion, we will stage a gala and live telecast at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Feb. 27.”  

There were 76 television stations, production companies, and independent producers nominated this year and WTCI was nominated for awards in the Documentary/Historical category and in the Historical/Cultural Program Feature/Segment category. 

WTCI President and CEO Paul Grove expressed pride in his team, saying, “WTCI’s dedicated production staff serves their community every day, telling the stories that make our region unique,  educating, engaging and inspiring a lifetime of learning in all of our neighbors.” 

Vice President of Content and Digital Strategy Shaun Townley and Emmy Award-winning Producer Emily Compton were nominated in the Documentary/Historical category for the “Chattanooga History Makers:  John P. Franklin, Sr.” film, produced in partnership with the Chattanooga History Center.  Marlene Payne, executive director of the Center, says, “WTCI's work on this project makes John Franklin's experience immediate and personal, while placing it in an historical context.   The piece successfully promotes a deeper understanding of Franklin's place in our political evolution and clearly illustrates the reasons he was chosen as our 2014 honoree.”  This story can be seen online at wtciTV.org

John P. Franklin was a leader in education, business and politics in Chattanooga for more than 60 years. This documentary celebrated him as a compassionate and successful businessman, a dedicated family man, inspiring educator and groundbreaking politician. Elected in 1970 as Commissioner of Education and Health, Mr. Franklin was the first African American elected in Chattanooga after the Jim Crow era. Franklin McCallie, educator and advocate for racial equality, says, "John Franklin put a face on what humanness was for all of us. And those of us that love him, love him because of that." 

Emily Compton, who won an Emmy Award in 2013 for her work on the spot “One with Courage” for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County, was an intern at WTCI and has been a producer since 2009.  She is also the producer of the interview series, “The A List with Alison Lebovitz” and graduated from Hollins University.  

Shaun Townley, a Chickamauga native, has served at WTCI since 2007 and formerly served as production supervisor for the talk show Charlie Rose.  Mr. Townley was among 25 producers selected to attend the CPB/PBS Producer’s Academy in Boston in 2013.  As vice president of Content and Digital Strategy, Mr. Townley has spearheaded WTCI's local programming, including the development of a new series called Greater Chattanooga. The series of short films explores the people and the ideas that make us more aware, happier and stronger as a community.  

Mr. Townley, Digital Producer Tyler Pugh and Jennifer Crutchfield were nominated for the Greater Chattanooga segment, “Underground Revealed,” that explored the mysteries surrounding part of Chattanooga’s downtown history.  Mr. Pugh graduated from UTC and started at WTCI as a student intern.  He said he “enjoys the opportunity to create programming that celebrates the stories of our city’s fascinating people and places.”  Ms. Crutchfield, director of Public Relations and Community Engagement at WTCI, is the author of Chattanooga Landmarks, and has been serving families through her work at the region’s community PBS station since 2012.  

Anthropologist Nick Honerkamp, attorney Maury Nicely and talk show host Jeff Styles were interviewed, above and below ground, in this look at a mystery that has fascinated Chattanoogans for decades.  Available initially online, episodes of Greater Chattanooga are packaged to be broadcast on-air and this segment can be enjoyed online at greaterchattanooga.org

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