WGVU is happy to announce that its production Messiah with the Calvin Oratorio Society 2007 has received an Honorable Mention for Television in the Arts/Cultural/Performance/Plays category of The Accolade Competition.  The Accolades honor outstanding craft and creativity in film, video, television and commercials.

In this program, WGVU Productions and the Calvin Oratorio Society present Messiah under Calvin College professor of music Joel Navarro.  The performance features four outstanding soloists:  Sang-Yun Kwen, soprano; Gwenneth Bean, contralto; David Troiano, tenor; and Jonathan Ten Brink, bass.  This production of the 88th annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah is a first for WGVU, and the program was a welcome addition to the holiday season.

On Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m., WGVU continues the Independent Cinema series at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts with the film A Dream in Doubt. A discussion will follow with Karen Henry, Arab-American activist and a representative from Partners for a Racism-Free Community.

America's first post-9/11 hate crime murder punctuated a growing wave of violence in retaliation for the terror attacks.  Told through the eyes of the victim's brother, this film travels to Phoenix to tell a personal story of national tragedy, murder, community and the American Dream.

This screening event is part of the ITVS Community Cinema program.  The film will also air on WGVU TV on Tuesday, May 20 at 11 p.m. as part of the PBS series Independent Lens. 

WGVU Productions is excited to announce that four WGVU Productions have received honors from the Michigan Associated Press Broadcasters Association.  WGVU was the only station to receive honors in the Non-commercial Television category for the third year in a row.

In the Non-commercial Radio category, WGVU received the award for Best Feature Story for “She’s Playing That Tune” by Producer/Host Shelley Irwin.  The story profiled Caroline Cook of the New Horizon’s Band, organized through St. Cecilia Music Center.  Shelley Irwin also picked up the Honorable Mention in the category for “A Survivor Speaks Out,” an interview with a survivor of domestic violence. 

On the TV side, High Gear 2007 received the award for Best Enterprise/Investigative Reporting; this is the fourth edition of High Gear to receive this honor.  The program was shot at The Detroit International Auto Show and offered a sneak peak at upcoming models and concept cars.  “Green Building,” which aired as part of the program WGVU Newsmakers, was named Best Feature Story.

WGVU is happy to announce that WGVU Productions have received six Bronze Awards from the 2008 Telly Awards.  These programs were selected from over 14,000 entries received from around the world.  Less than 25% of the productions entered receive a Bronze award.

The program Battle Creek: Celebrating Flight 2007, which covered the Battle Creek Air Show and Balloon Festival, received Bronze Awards in the Entertainment and Live Events categories, as well as one for Videography/Cinematography.  Coast Guard Festival Highlights 2007, featuring interviews and coverage from the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, placed at the Bronze level in the Live Events and Travel/Tourism categories.  High Gear 2007, which covered the International Auto Show in Detroit, received the final award in the Entertainment category. 

WGVU TV & Radio have received five awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The stations received the honors at the annual MAB awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 11 in Grand Rapids.

WGVU Radio picked up three Best in Category Awards at the awards ceremony.  Reporter Kurt Steiner was awarded Best in the Newscast category, with Reporter David Moore receiving the Merit award.  Producer/Host Shelley Irwin received a Merit award in the Community Involvement category for her piece, “End of Summer Tour.”

Two WGVU TV programs also earned MAB awards: a Best in the Sports, Outdoor or Recreation category for an episode of the Grand Valley State Sports Report and a Best in the Membership Appeal category for a special Antiques Roadshow Pledge Night.