Rogers State University Public TV has earned a Heartland Emmy award for an episode of “Green Country Perspectives with Sam Jones” that provided a personal view of one family’s encounter with domestic violence.
RSU Public TV received the award in the category of Interview/Discussion – Program or Special for the episode entitled, “Not In My Family.” The show featured a first-hand account of domestic abuse through the experience of Neile Jones, a television news anchor at KNWA in northwest Arkansas and daughter of the show’s host Sam Jones. OETA also earned an award in the category during the July 21 ceremony held simultaneously in Oklahoma City and Denver.
Dale McKinney, who serves as producer and director for the Green Country Perspectives, said the show was intended to provide a public service for those in abusive relationships.
“From the beginning, we wanted to tell a dramatic story, where host and guest were both involved,” McKinney said. “Our goal was to reach out to people who feel trapped in abusive relationships, and to share with them resources that might help them escape their situations.”
The episode premiered on June 3, 2011 as the final episode of the fifth season of “Green Country Perspectives with Sam Jones.” It has repeated twice and can be viewed on demand at http://vimeo.com/25365652.
The production crew nominated for the Heartland Emmy include McKinney; Jones; general manager Dan Schiedel, executive producer; Ernest Kara, engineer; and Kevin Hoffman, audio.
Founded in 1947, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Emmy Award stand for the best in the television industry. The national academy is the only non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing outstanding achievement, raising industry standards, and improving the quality of television. Its dedication to excellence is pursued every day by members of its 19 chapters across the country.
The Heartland chapter was formed in 1986 to meet eligibility standards of the National Academy’s national board, and serves the television industry in these markets: Denver, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita-Hutchinson, Kan., Omaha, Neb., Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo., Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney, Neb., Topeka, Kan., Grand Junction-Montrose, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo.-Scottsbluff and North Platte, Neb.
As the only full-powered public television station licensed to a public university in Oklahoma, RSU Public TV provides educational, cultural and general interest programming to an audience of 1.3 million viewers in northeastern Oklahoma, and the Tulsa metropolitan area. RSU Public TV broadcasts via DISH, DirectTV and UHF Channel 35 and is carried on 76 cable systems including Cox Cable Channel 109 (35.1) and 110 (35.2) in Tulsa and Claremore.
More information is available by visiting www.rsu.tv.