AZPM honored for Public Affairs reporting at 56th Public Media Awards
The National Educational Telecommunications Association announced Sunday that AZPM's acclaimed podcast "The Buzz" has won a Public Media Award in the category of Radio - News & Public Affairs Content for the episode "The Buzz: El Tour de Mayor of Tucson." NETA's annual Public Media Awards honor public media's finest work in community engagement, content, education, marketing/communications, independent productions, and overall excellence.
"Thank you to the team who, through their innovation and creativity, raised our bar for reporting," said Jack Gibson, AZPM chief executive officer. "This award not only acknowledges AZPM's dedication to excellence but also inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of what public media can achieve."
"The Buzz: El Tour de Mayor of Tucson" is a take on the renowned perimeter bicycle race, El Tour de Tucson, that occurs in and around the city every fall. The host and producer of The Buzz drove the three candidates for Tucson Mayor, one at a time, around the same route and talked with them about what they saw out the windows of the vehicle. The ride was meant to give a first hand view of the city to the candidates and to hear their proposed solutions to some of the most challenging issues facing Tucson, like infrastructure, housing, and crime.
"The Buzz: El Tour de Mayor" was also honored by the Public Media Journalists Association and recently won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation. AZPM received a PMA for education content in 2023.
With the exception of the overall excellence categories, stations compete within their divisions based on their station size, AZPM is Division 1. The awards were judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media. Winners were recognized during the 56th Public Media Awards presentation at the annual NETA Conference in Pittsburgh on September 15.