WKAR has been named 2024 Michigan Public Television Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The announcement was made Saturday, April 5, at the Broadcast Excellence Awards Gala at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit.
This year marks the thirteenth time in fourteen years that WKAR has been named Michigan Public Television Station of the Year.
“I'm incredibly thankful and humbled to accept this award on behalf of the incredible team at WKAR Public Media. This award really speaks to the passion, the expertise, and the connection to our community that they bring to work every single day,” said Shawn Turner, WKAR general manager, in accepting the award.
“I also want to thank the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. To be recognized by MAB and to be recognized by all of you really strengthens our resolve to continue to do the work that we do. I want to thank the individual and corporate supporters who help us serve our communities," said Turner. "And then finally, I want to say that for public media, there's a reason that we do the work that we do every single day. To all of you, thank you for continuing to do that work. Let's make sure that we continue to be the public media that we've always been.”
In addition to the Michigan Public Television Station of the Year Award, WKAR television received top awards in the categories of Station Excellence, Membership Appeal, and Community Involvement.
Also honored at the gala was Dave Mann, WKAR director of Broadcast Technology. Mann was presented with the Carl E. Lee Broadcast Engineering Excellence Award by WKAR’s Shawn Turner.
“[This award] recognizes Dave's accomplishments as a visionary in his field,” said Turner. “But at WKAR, he is so much more. He's also an innovative problem solver, a thoughtful leader, and a technical expert of the highest caliber. Dave has been the backbone of our broadcast operations, ensuring that WKAR's content both online and over the air is always available to our audiences when they need it most. His unwavering dedication to excellence has made an indelible mark on our station and on the system.”
The honors awarded at the gala add to the first round of Broadcast Excellence Awards announced in March. In all, across WKAR television, radio, and digital, WKAR earned 25 Broadcast Excellence Awards for the station’s work in 2024.
For more about the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Broadcast Excellence Awards, visit www.michiganmedia.com/broadcast-excellence-awards.
This story was originally uploaded to WKAR.org.