2020 HOMETOWN MEDIA AWARD WINNERS


The 2020 Hometown Media Awards received over eight hundred entries.  They all are submitted and evaluated on several factors, including budget, experience and subject.

We appreciate everyone’s time and energy put into creating their productions and submitting them into this awards program.  The ACM also thanks the volunteer judges for sharing their knowledge, expertise and time to evaluate the entries. Our judges review the submissions from their assigned category, score accordingly on a rubric and provide feedback to all entries which request commentary on their submissions.

The programs entered for the 2020 Hometown Media Awards had their first telecast on a local cable access channel or their initial stream/web distribution on or between January 1 - December 31, 2019

The ACM is honored to announce the winners of 2020 Hometown Media Awards listed below. The 2020 winners are all invited to the 2020 Annual Conference’s Hometown Media Awards Celebration on July 1 in Chicago

Thank you to our hometown media award sponsor, queens public television!      


the Hometown Media Awards Reel 2020

Click here to download the 2020 Reel.




Overall Excellence Category Winners

The Overall Excellence awards recognize access organizations for their overall operational activities and programming efforts. Access organizations are split into four budget-based divisions:

  1. >$1,000,00
  2.  $650,000 – $1,000,000
  3.  $300,000-$650,000
  4. < $300,000

Overall Excellence in Combined P. E. or G. Access Winners

$650,000 – $1,000,000 division: Peabody TV
$300,000-$650,000 division: Danvers Community Access Television
<$300,000 division: Community Media of South Central PA
>$1,000,000 division: NewTV


Overall Excellence in Public Access Winners

>$1,000,000 division: Cambridge Community Television
$650,000 – $1,000,000 division: North Shore TV
$300,000-$650,000 division: Norwood Community Media
< $300,000 vision: Windsor Community Television 


Overall Excellence in Educational Access Winner

$300,000-$650,000 division:  AISD.TV
< $300,000 division: GNPS/TV
> $1,000,000 division: 


Overall Excellence in Governmental Access Winners

>$1,000,000 division: Fairfax County Government Channel 16
$650,000 – $1,000,000 division: HOMTV
$300,000-$650,000 division: Takoma Park City TV
<$300,000 division: KPUtv


Standard Categories Winners

The Standard Categories awards recognize producers for their program efforts in a concentrated area/topic. Producers are split into three divisions based on their level of expertise:

  1. Access Center Professional – Programs created by employees of community media or access centers.
  2. Independent Producer – Programs created by producers independent of community media or access centers (no compensation).
  3. Student Division – Programs created by current students enrolled in primary, secondary or undergraduate schools. Non-students may supervise the production, but the overall direction, control of the production and all technical tasks (camera, directing, editing, sound, etc.) must be performed by the youth involved.

About Access & Empowerment Winners

Access Center Professional division: Community Media Access Collaborative
Independent Producer: GNAT -TV


Access Program Promo

Access Center Professional division: Thurston Community Media
Independent Producer division: Brookline Interactive Group
Student division: Methuen Community Television


Animation Winners

Access Center Professional division: Evanston City Channel 16
Independent Producer division: Cambridge Community Television 
Student division: CMAC Fresno/Clovis


Audio Programming Winners

Access Center Professional division: Queens Public Communications 
Independent Producer division: BevCam
Student division: PhillyCAM


Children’s Programs Winners

Access Center Professional division: Dakota Media Access
Independent Producer division: Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Student division: Thurston Community Media


Community Events- Activism/Rallies Winners

Access Center Professional division: Boston Neighborhood Network
Independent Producer: The Media Factory
Student division: Berkeley Community Media


Community Events- General Winners

Access Center Professional division: City of Palmdale
Independent Producer division: WACATV
Student division: CAPS Media Center

Community Events- Parades/Festivals Winners

Access Center Professional division: Queens Public Television Corporation 
Independent Producer division: CAPS Media Center
Student division: CMAC Fresno/Clovis


Community Impact Winners

Access Center Professional division: MATV, Malden's Media Center
Independent Producer division: WPAA-TV and Community Media Center


Cultural Perspectives Winners

Access Center Professional division: Capital Community Television 
Independent Producer division: CCPTV - Community College of Philadelphia 
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television

Democracy in Action Winners

Access Center Professional division: High Five Access Media and Eagle Valley Library District
Student division: Brookline Interactive Group


Documentary Winners

Access Center Professional division: Somerville Media Center
Independent Producer: OpenSignal
Student division: Manhattan Neighborhood Network


Documentary Biography Winners

Access Center Professional division: SWCTC
Independent Producer division: Cambridge Community Television
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television

Educational Activities Winners

Access Center Professional division: WCA - TV
Independent Producer division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television
Student division: GNPS/TV

Educational Profile Winners

Access Center Professional division: City of Lakewood/City TV
Independent Producer division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television


Entertainment & Arts- Series Winners

Access Center Professional division: Peabody TV
Independent Producer division: Arlington Community Media, Inc.
Student division: CAPS Media Center 

Entertainment & Arts- Single Episode Winners

Access Center Professional division: Around Town: Queens Public Television Corporation 
Independent Producer division: CCPTV, Community College of Philadelphia 
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television


Experimental Winners

Access Center Professional division: HC Media 
Independent Producer division: Berkeley Community Media 
Student division: Woburn Public Media Center 


Government Activities Winners

Access Center Professional division: Queens Public Television 


Government Meeting Coverage Winners

Access Center Professional division: Lower Cape Community Access TV


Government Profile Winners

Access Center Professional division: Torrance CitiCABLE


Informational Talk Show- Single Episode Winners

Access Center Professional division: Queens Public Television Corporation
Independent Producer division: GHS-TV Germantown High School Television
Student division: GHS-TV Germantown High School Television

 

Informational Talk Show- Series Winners

Access Center Professional division: 'ÅŒlelo Community Media
Independent Producer division: Holbrook Community Access & Media 
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television


Instructional/Training Winners

Access Center Professional division: MetroEast Community Media
Independent Producer division: OpenSignal
Student Division: WCTV


Local Performances Winners

Access Center Professional division: The OMNI Centre for Public Media & The City of Carmel, IN
Independent Producer division: Arlington Community Media Inc.
Student division: GNPS/TV


Magazine Shows Winners

Access Center Professional division: Montgomery County, Maryland
Independent Producer division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television


Mixed and Transmedia Winners

Access Center Professional division: Northampton Open Media
Independent Producer division: Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Student Division: Northampton Open Media


Music Video Winners

Access Center Professional division: Public Media Network
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television


News Winners

Access Center Professional division: ONTV
Student division: GHS - TV Germantown High School Television

Original Drama/Comedy Winners

Access Center Professional division: HC Media
Independent Producer division: Northampton Open Media
Student division: The Media Factory


Public Service Announcements Winners

Access Center Professional division: KOCT - The Voice of North County
Independent Producer division: WCTV
Student division: NewTV


Spiritual/Inspirational Winners

Access Center Professional division: Queens Public Television Corporation
Independent Producer division: BevCam


Sports Coverage Winners

Access Center Professional division: The OMNI Centre for Public Media & The City of Carmel, IN
Independent Producer division: MetroEast Community Media
Student division: GHS-TV Germantown High School Television


Underserved Voices Winners

Access Center Professional division: MetroEast Community Media
Independent Producer division: CMAC Fresno/ Clovis 
Student division: North Shore TV


Voter Education Winners

Access Center Professional division: Lower Cape Community Access TV
Independent Producer division: CMAC Fresno/Clovis 

Web Based Program Winners

Access Center Professional division: LMCTV
Independent Producer division: Billerica Access Television, Inc.