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.