Energycast received three 2024 Hometown Media Awards. The awards program was established to honor and promote community media, radio, and local cable programs that are distributed on public, educational, and governmental access cable television channels.
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
May 21, 2024
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OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — “Energycast Oak Ridge” received three 2024 Hometown Media Awards from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation. The awards program was established to honor and promote community media, community radio, and local cable programs that are distributed on public, educational, and governmental access cable television channels.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) launched “Energycast Oak Ridge” in May 2022. The monthly news show airs on community television channels in 24 counties across middle and eastern Tennessee.
Stories from the show won the top spot in three award categories: public health programming, educational activities, and government meeting coverage by an independent producer.
Public health programming followed a partnership that is increasing accessibility to a promising new form of cancer treatment, known as alpha targeted therapy. An OREM project is extracting rare medical isotopes from nuclear material that is slated for disposal. Those isotopes are supporting clinical trials and will help produce more than 500,000 cancer treatment doses annually.
The newscast covered the Junior Achievement of East Tennessee’s BizTown and reported how this unique and engaging environment teaches students the responsibilities involved in numerous careers. Elementary and middle school students at the facility in Clinton, TN get the opportunity to run their own businesses and city for a day.
The “Energycast Oak Ridge” team also won the government meeting coverage category for its reporting at the National Cleanup Workshop in Washington, D.C. The annual meeting brings together top government and business leaders who share top lessons and approaches to advance environmental cleanup in communities nationwide.
“We’re honored to receive this national recognition,” said OREM Manager Jay Mullis. “Our communications team does a tremendous job of identifying and sharing stories that educate the community about our organization and the positive impacts our mission has across the region.”
Each year, nearly 1,000 entries are submitted to the Hometown Media Awards. A panel of more than 150 judges from the industry evaluate entries on several factors. Awards are presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats, and move viewers to experience television in a different way.
“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. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, president & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
“Energycast Oak Ridge” airs on CTV Knoxville across east Tennessee, BBB-TV in Anderson, Roane, and Morgan counties, Anderson County Television, and IQTV in Nashville and middle Tennessee.
Episodes are also available on OREM’s YouTube channel.