2013 Board of Governors Emmy® Award
The National Academy of Television Arts & Science (NATAS) – Upper Midwest Chapter Board of Governors Award is the most prestigious Regional Emmy® Award in our chapter. It is voted on by solely by the board. The Governor’s Emmy® Award honors visionary, long-standing relationships that creatively and effectively use corporate, non-profit and broadcast resources to showcase the power of broadcasting to advance a mission or message. The award is presented to a broadcaster, advertiser or company, as well as a non-profit organization, each of whom has contributed to forward a cause.
2013 Recipients: Battlefield to the Home Front
Twin Cities Public Television, Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs
Click here to watch 2013 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy® Gala Award presentation
Since 2006, Twin Cities Public Television has paid close attention to how more than a decade of war has affected our troops and their families. During this time tpt has also examined how Veterans of past wars have been affected by their service to the country. In particular five television programs, produced in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota National Guard, have helped a general audience of Minnesotans connect with our military and Veteran communities.
Just one-‐half of 1 percent of Americans served in uniform at any given time during the past decade, which has been the longest period of sustained conflict in the country’s History. Such a tiny percentage of Americans carry 100 percent of the responsibility to answer the call of duty. Honor, integrity, and selfless service call people to volunteer years of their life to protect America’s people and esteemed way of life.
Meanwhile, the connections between military members and the broader civilian population appear to be growing more distant. TPT is committed to educating Minnesotans about the sacrifices fellow neighbors, coworkers, friends and family have made when the nation called for their support.
The long-‐standing partnership between Twin Cities Public Television, the Minnesota National Guard and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs has resulted in several multi-‐year productions that intimately capture history throughout a long, tumultuous wartime. For seven years, tpt dedicated their talents and risked their lives to document and share stories from the battlefield to the home front.
Twin Cities Public Television showcased real stories that captured the life stories of our military members and their missions, but also of the spouses, children, and other family members who have shared in the sacrifice of military service. Of the five programs created, two of them, “Iraq & Back” and “Bridging war & Hope”, involved tpt embeds to Iraq and Afghanistan, capturing a sampling of the thousands of statewide military deployments that have occurred in the past decade.
Furthering the partnership with our military community tpt worked in tandem with the Minnesota National Guard by utilizing footage shot in the theater of war by Guard soldiers and has relied on advice and guidance in preparing for and completing two safe and successful embeds.
Likewise, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and tpt have formed a tight bond. It is through this relationship our community of viewers is able to better connect with, and understand the plight of, our State’s veterans.
TPT is committed to informing Minnesotans about the true nature of war for service members, families and Veterans. Through continued partnerships with the Minnesota National Guard and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs tpt will educate and inform a statewide audience of viewers about issues affecting our state’s military and Veterans community. (gala video)
