The Santa Maria Communications Division recently received a WAVE award (Western Access Video Excellence) for excellence in local cable programming.
The WAVE Awards are held annually by the Alliance for Community Media (ACM) at the ACM West Conference. A program produced by the Santa Maria City Manager’s Office won first place this year.
Joe Payne, Santa Maria PEG (Public, Education, Government) production manager, attended the annual ACM West Conference Feb. 11-13 in Sacramento and received the award for Culture & Lifestyle programming for an episode of the city’s series “Culture in the Valley,” which featured the Natural History Museum of Santa Maria.
The city was a finalist in three WAVE Awards categories, and brought home its first award after competing with public/government access stations from across the western United States.
“One of the best things about my work for the city of Santa Maria is getting to showcase the services and resources available to the community here,” Payne said.
“This program not only features the Natural History Museum and the organization’s story, but it also shares plenty of fun facts about our local plants and animals for an educational and enriching video experience,” Payne said.
To view the winning episode of “Culture in the Valley,” tune in Santa Maria’s Comcast Cable channels 23 or 24, which are also available to livestream online at cityofsantamaria.org/tv. The episode is also available on demand on the city’s YouTube channel here.
The Santa Maria City Manager’s Office operates three PEG cable channels, including public access programing on Channel 25; educational content on Channel 24; and city government information and meetings on Channel 23.
Funding for the PEG Division comes from a portion of each cable subscription in the city thanks to a state franchise agreement with Comcast cable.