For stations, producers and press only


login help
Use this icon to open the menu in any section
Login Logout Logged in as {{ vm.userName.replace("__", "@") }}
Stations Producers Viewers Press Educators Fall Marketplace APT Worldwide

American Public Television Announces 2011 Fall Marketplace Awards

Legendary journalist, public television icon Bill Moyers honored with 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award

BOSTON (Nov. 18, 2011) – American Public Television (APT), a leading distributor of programming to the nation’s public television stations, presented several industry awards at its annual Fall Marketplace meeting held from Nov. 9-12 in Memphis, Tenn. The awards recognized standout programs and producers as well as influential public television figures.

Lifetime Achievement Award
APT President and CEO Cynthia Fenneman presented APT’s 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran journalist Bill Moyers, host of the new American Public Television series MOYERS & COMPANY. Moyers is the host and creator of such groundbreaking series including the weekly public affairs programs NOW with Bill Moyers (from 2002 through 2005) and Bill Moyers Journal (from 2007 through 2010). Other notable productions from his production company Public Affairs Television (PAT) include Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, Healing and the Mind; The Language of Life, The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith; Genesis; On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying; Close to Home: Addiction and Recovery; America’s First River; Becoming American: The Chinese Experience; Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason; and Moyers on America.

Moyers has received more than 30 Emmys®; two prestigious Gold Batons from the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards; nine Peabody Awards; and three George Polk Awards, including the Career Achievement Award. In the first year it was bestowed, he received the prestigious Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the American Film Institute. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has also received the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association and has been honored by the Television Critics Association for outstanding career achievement.

"As the Museum of Broadcasting reports, if Murrow founded broadcast journalism, then Moyers has significantly extended its traditions,” Fenneman said in her introductory address.

He was elected to the Television Hall of Fame in 1995, and a year later received the Charles Frankel Prize (now the National Humanities Medal) from the National Endowment for the Humanities “for outstanding contributions to American cultural life.” In 2005, Moyers received the PEN USA Courageous Advocacy Award for his passionate, outspoken commitment to freedom of speech and his dedication to journalistic integrity. He has also been honored with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Producer of the Year Award
Fenneman also presented the 2011 Producer of the Year Award to Japan's NHK network. In 2011, NHK footage provided viewers worldwide breaking and accurate news coverage of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant disaster. Teams worked around-the-clock to bring first-hand reports as the tragedies unfolded. APT distributes NHK's news programs NEWSLINE, ASIA BIZ FORECAST and ASIA 7 DAYS; additionally, NHK continues to produce and supply news specials for distribution by APT focusing on the disaster and its aftermath. Accepting the Producer of the Year Award for NHK was Takahisa Furukawa. Past winners have included international travel television host Rick Steves, culinary experts Lidia Bastianich and Chris Kimball, and producer Charlie Pinsky.

Programing Excellence Awards
APT’s Fall Marketplace featured several additional public television industry awards. Fenneman announced five awards recognizing APT programs which have performed extremely well when slated into local public television station schedules, presenting them with the 2011 Programming Excellence Awards. These awards are determined by a combination of criteria, including importance, content, ratings, carriage and production excellence. This year’s winners and their producers include:

  • EDWARD & WALLIS – A STORY OF LOVE AND DESTINY and WILLIAM & KATE: A ROYAL WEDDING, Andy Goodsir for History Television International
  • BBC WORLD NEWS, Bohdan Zachary for KCET
  • GLACIER PARK'S NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLIES, Aaron Pruitt for Montana PBS
  • AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT, ITV Global Entertainment

A fifth Programming Excellence Award went to legendary travel host Rick Steves. In 2011 alone, Steves produced 11 half-hour specials as well as one, hour-long special on Europe and two highly successful pledge events (RICK STEVES' EUROPE WITH ABANDON! and RICK STEVES' VIVA ESPANA!).

Savvy Scheduler Awards
Fenneman also honored four public television stations across the country with 2011 Savvy Scheduler Awards. This year’s recipients were: Dan Gaitens for WTVS (Detroit); Diane Lucas and Brian Soderman for UNC-TV (North Carolina); Neal Hecker for WPBT (South Florida); and Kevin Harris and Bryant Wilson for WETA (Washington, D.C.). This award honors programmers who have used APT programs to the best advantage of their station. They also earned higher ratings when using APT programs compared to the station's average ratings in daytime and/or primetime.

About APT
American Public Television (APT) has been a leading distributor of high-quality, top-rated programming to America’s public television stations since 1961. Since 2004, APT has distributed approximately half of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles. Among its 300 new program titles per year are prominent documentaries, news and current affairs programs, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies, including For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots, A Ripple of Hope, Rick Steves' Europe, NHK Newsline, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Lidia's Italy, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, Midsomer Murders, Moyers & Company, Doc Martin, Rosemary & Thyme, BBC World News, and The Rat Pack: Live and Swingin’. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. In 2006, APT launched and nationally distributed Create® – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. APT is also a partner in the WORLD™ channel expansion project including its web presence at WORLDcompass.org. For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org. For more information on Create, visit CreateTV.com.

# # #
[""] [{ "id": "", "name": ""}] [] []