Jay: A Rockefeller's Journey Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WVPB Wins National Award for 'Jay: A Rockefeller's Journey'

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has won the 2016 NETA Best Documentary Award for Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey. “As a former VISTA myself, I’ve long known the powerful story of Jay Rockefeller falling in love with West Virginia,” said Scott Finn, WVPB executive director.

“It is our privilege to bring that story to the world, and our honor to be recognized by NETA for the documentary’s excellence,” said Finn.

The film’s producer/writer Suzanne Higgins and producer/editor Russ Barbour accepted the award at the National Educational Telecommunications Association’s annual conference for PBS member stations in Baltimore Monday night. Higgins and Barbour also won regional Emmys for the documentary earlier this summer.

“I’m very proud of our producers and the entire production team,” said Chuck Roberts, WVPB director of video production and chief operating officer. “We competed with the best documentaries produced by PBS stations in 2015, so it’s very exciting.”

Key WVPB video production members on the Rockefeller project included Aaron Shackelford, Chip Hitchcock, Chuck Frostick, Larry Dowling, John Hale, Janet Kunicki, Jeff Higley, John Nakashima, Chuck Kleine and composer Matt Jackfert.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting has won the 2016 NETA Best Documentary Award for Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey.

Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey is a 2-hour program tracing the 50-year public service career of John D. Rockefeller IV, capturing much of the political history of West Virginia, his adopted home. As one historian states in the film, the Rockefeller name was notorious and despised for more than the first half of the 20^th century, and the great grandson of industrial titan John Davison Rockefeller spent his professional career in an effort to rehabilitate that name.

The documentary explores Jay Rockefeller’s influences and motivation, his successes and failures, from early childhood, to his arrival in West Virginia as a poverty worker, through chairmanships of some of the most influential committees in the United States Senate.

Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey was produced with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Two WVPB Documentaries Win Emmy Awards

Two WVPB documentaries took top prizes at the 52nd Annual Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards.

“Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey” won for best historical documentary, and “The First 1,000 Days: Investing in West Virginia’s Children When It Counts” in the societal concerns category.

“These documentaries have created such an impact in our state, and it is good to see them recognized in competition with stations in our entire region,” said Scott Finn, executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

The awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Ohio Valley Chapter, representing video producers in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia.

WVPB is the only West Virginia television station to be recognized in this year’s awards.

“Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey” documents the half-century career of John D. Rockefeller IV in his chosen home of West Virginia, produced by WVPB’s Suzanne Higgins and Russ Barbour.

“Jay” seeks to answer these questions: Why would the heir of one of the wealthiest families in America come to one of its poorest states – and stay? What influenced him and who inspired him along his journey to becoming one of the state’s most influential leaders of the last 50 years?

“The First 1,000 Days: Investing in West Virginia’s Children While It Counts” explains the science and techniques that build healthy brain architecture during those early years, produced by WVPB’s John Nakashima.

Rockefeller Legacy Exhibit Opens at WVU & Online

A new exhibit has opened at West Virginia University chronicling the legacy of former Senator Jay Rockefeller.

The West Virginia and Regional History Center opened the Rockefeller exhibit Tuesday. Titled, ‘Jay Rockefeller: A Legacy of Leadership,’ it’s located in Wise Library’s Rockefeller Gallery on the Morgantown campus of West Virginia University. Much of the content is also available online.

The exhibit includes memorabilia from Senator Rockefeller’s early years in West Virginia, his election to the United States Senate, and some of his many accomplishments during his long career as a U.S. senator.

Also available are the Rockefeller Legacy Memos, a collection of 12 memos detailing the senator’s work in health care reform; West Virginia’s jobs, economy and industry; children, families and education; and veterans’ affairs.

In 2014, the university announced its library would serve as Rockefeller’s official senatorial archive. That same day, WVU President Gordon Gee also announced the creation of a school in the Senator’s namesake called the John D. Rockefeller IV School of Policy and Politics. It opened in the fall.

Byrd Center Featuring WVPB's Rockefeller Film

The Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History & Education at Shepherd University will host a special screening of WVPB’s documentary Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey, Wednesday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m.).

The film, which examines the life and public career of John D. Rockefeller, IV, explores why the heir to one of the nation’s largest family fortunes would come to one of the poorest states in the nation – and stay.

The retired United States Senator discusses in many instances for the first time his motivations, inspirations, successes and failures, as well as lessons-learned from his arrival in West Virginia as a poverty worker to his chairmanship of some of the most influential committees in the U.S. Senate.

After the screening of the one-hour film, Shepherd University Communications specialist and former WVPB news reporter Cecelia Mason will moderate a discussion with the film’s award-winning Senior Producers, Suzanne Higgins and Russ Barbour.

Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey also includes in-depth conversations with Sharon Percy Rockefeller, legislative colleagues, constituents, staff members, historians, and journalists. The program threads archival news footage from the West Virginia State Archives and Marshall University’s Special Collections, with material from the Rockefeller Archive Center, donated photographs, film, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting video.

As West Virginia’s U.S. Senator, Rockefeller authored the MINER Act of 2006, the most significant mine safety legislation in a generation.

The event is the third in the Byrd Center’s Spring 2016 Film Series, which are held in the auditorium of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education at 213 North King Street, in Shepherdstown. There is no admission fee for the film screenings, but attendees are asked to reserve seats at jbrumage@shepherd.edu or (304) 876-5648.

It's West Virginia Night on TV

Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey airs at 9:30 this evening.

The new documentary recounts the half-century career of John D. Rockefeller IV in his chosen home of West Virginia. Why would the heir of one of the wealthiest families in America come to one of its poorest states – and stay? What influenced him and who inspired him along his journey to becoming one of the state’s most influential leaders of the last 50 years?

The Senator has often said he was “born again in a secular sense” when he experienced life in Emmons, WV. This West Virginia Public Broadcasting program will explore Rockefeller’s successes and disappointments, his motivation, character and focus from his arrival as a poverty worker to his chairmanship of some of the most powerful committees in the United States Senate.

Producers at West Virginia Public Broadcasting Receive Awards

Two staff members at West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) have received awards related to telling West Virginia’s story in their roles as documentarians, reporters and producers.

Suzanne Higgins received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters Association.

John Nakashima, and Suzanne Higgins, both senior producers have been honored by the social workers of West Virginia, and the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters Association (VAPB) respectively.

“We are so proud of John and Suzanne and their collection of award-winning work,” said Scott Finn, Executive Director of WVPB. “Our documentaries and news programs tell West Virginia’s stories in ways other media cannot. The fact that John’s and Suzanne’s work is recognized by our peers and organizations using their work is a testament to that.”

Nakashima’s powerful documentary The First 1,000 Days: Investing in West Virginia’s Children When It Counts earned him the National Association of Social Workers West Virginia (NASW-WV) Chapter’s “Public Citizen of the Year Award” which was presented at the NASW-WV annual conference this week. The film explores the multi-faceted and often misunderstood world of early child development. It looks at issues within the state and introduces viewers to family programs that are changing the lives of children and helping adults become better parents.

“On the whole issue of child poverty in West Virginia, focusing on early childhood development is the best place to start,” says Nakashima. “A child’s first 1,000 days occur only once in a lifetime. Both parents working to keep a family afloat is just one of several obstacles facing our parents and quality parenting time during these crucial years.”

Nakashima has produced, directed, shot, and edited documentaries for WVPB since 1977. His work explores West Virginia culture in the widest sense –- including visual and performing arts as well as traditional and modern culture. In addition, he has edited five documentaries that have won regional Emmy Awards for Best Documentary or Historical Documentary. In 2014 he was awarded the West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year.

In March, Higgins received the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters’ Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given annually by the VAPB to an individual who has made significant contributions to news reporting, management, or education in West Virginia broadcasting for at least 20 years. Suzanne is the recipient of the national Pew Charitable Trust’s Batten Award for Excellence in Civic Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting, an Emmy Award, and several West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association awards.

Her newest television documentary, Jay: A Rockefeller’s Journey (co-produced with WVPB’s Russ Barbour, also an award-winning documentarian) premieres later this month at West Virginia University and will be broadcast in June. This two-hour documentary will explore Rockefeller’s 50 years of public service, including his successes and disappointments, his motivation, character, and focus — from his arrival as a poverty worker to his chairmanship of some of the most influential committees in the United States Senate.

Also at the VAPB awards, WVPB took home nine outstanding and superior awards for various news categories including spot news, in-depth reporting, best anchor, best sports feature and best human interest story. Jessica Lilly, Southern News Bureau Chief, received The Douglas Southall Award for Public Service Reporting for her in-depth series about clean water struggles in Wyoming County.

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