KBTC Public Television’s Northwest Now wins Telly Awards

Emmy Award-winning public affairs program earns recognition

TACOMA, Wash. –KBTC Public Television, a service of Bates Technical College, recently announced it has won two bronze Telly Awards for public affairs program Northwest Now.

Winning in the Informational category, “I-522” examines last year’s food-labeling initiative, which would have required food containing genetically-engineered ingredients to be labeled as such. In the episode, producer and host Tom Layson travels with videographer Michael Peters to Sumner and Carnation to interview two food producers on opposite sides of the issue. Layson also interviews representatives for and against Initiative 522 in studio.

Winning in the Cultural category, “A Rising Star” features an interview with singer/songwriter Vicci Martinez, who also performs live. The Tacoma native sits down with host Layson to talk about her music and her experience as a musician on the national platform. Peters served as director and studio manager for this episode, which included a multi-camera in-studio shoot of Martinez’s songs.

Layson said, “I’m honored our work has been recognized in a national contest. Northwest Now has the luxury of examining a wide variety of topics relevant to many facets of our community, and these two winning programs couldn’t be more different,” he said.

The Telly Awards, now in their 35th year, are the premier awards that honor outstanding local, regional, cable TV commercials, programs, web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments worldwide. For more information about the Telly Awards, visit www.tellyawards.com.

KBTC Public Television has garnered 10 Emmy Awards, 13 Telly Awards, and numerous Communicator Awards. For more information about KBTC or Northwest Now, visit www.kbtc.org.