This week, we’re revisiting our episode “What Is Appalachia?” from December 2021. Appalachia connects mountainous parts of the South, the Midwest, the Rust Belt and even the Northeast. That leaves so much room for geographic and cultural variation, as well as many different views on what Appalachia really is.
[CHARLESTON, WV] – West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) announced today that they have received a 2025 Ohio Valley Emmy Award in the category of Magazine Program – Single Program for the Inside Appalachia-Folkways Special.
“I’m very proud of and excited for Bryce Smith, the producing editor who assembled this piece into a 30-minute magazine program format,” said WVPB Director of Video Production, Chris Barnhart. “He did a great job assembling the individual pieces together into a seamless and coherent entity. I’m sure Bryce would agree that this award also belongs to all of the contributors who worked on the project.”
The Ohio Valley Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The Columbus, Ohio division was founded in 1964. In addition to granting the Ohio Valley Emmy Awards, this division awards scholarships, honors industry veterans at the Silver Circle Celebration, conducts National Student Television Awards of Excellence, has a free research and a nationwide job bank. The chapter also participates in judging Emmy entries at the regional and national levels.
“It’s such a nice honor,” said Inside Appalachia Producer, Bill Lynch. “We think we tell good stories. It’s great when other people think so, too.”
In this special program, Mason Adams shows us three pieces from our prolific Folkways Reporters. Clara Haizlett introduces us to a group restoring cane chairs, as well as a few musicians keeping the musical history of Osage, WV alive. Zack Harold shows us students at an elementary school in Boone County that is keeping a 100-year-old playground game alive.
About West Virginia Public Broadcasting:
The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is to educate, inform, and inspire people by telling West Virginia’s story. WVPB is an indispensable resource for education, news and public affairs, emergency services and economic development. Learn more at https://www.wvpublic.org or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
The West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Teacher Award is in honor of educators from all grade levels (K-12) and disciplines who go the extra mile. These teachers are known for paving the way for academic achievement, using new and innovative strategies to reach students, or simply making a difference in the lives of their students every day.
Join West Virginia Public Broadcasting this evening at 7 p.m. for Gov. Patrick Morrisey's 2026 State of the State address. You can watch the broadcast on WVPB-TV, The West Virginia Channel or stream it with WVPB Passport or our YouTube channel.
Appalachia has had high rates of substance abuse and mental health disorders for years. After the problem reached a boiling point during the COVID-19 pandemic, a few communities tried using crisis response teams, and so far, that seems to be working. Last year, Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spent several months with some of these teams and has this story.