WKYU-PBS, the public television service of Western Kentucky University, received a station record four Emmy awards Saturday night at the 46th Annual Ohio Valley Emmy Awards Ceremony in Columbus, Ohio. 

All of the awards this year were in recognition of work on two programs related to Mammoth Cave National Park.  Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder and the companion program, Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder (Behind the Scenes Stories and More), were the first High Definition program offerings from WKYU-PBS and WKU.

WKYU-PBS was nominated for six awards in six categories, a station record. This marks the sixth consecutive year that WKYU-PBS has received nominations, receiving the coveted award nine times. 

 “We are extremely proud of the quality television that our staff produces here at WKYU-PBS,” said Jack Hanes, director of Educational Telecommunications. “Viewers in South Central Kentucky get to experience this quality on a regular basis; and it’s nice to have our peers in the television industry recognize it as well.” 

WKYU-PBS received awards in four categories. One award was in a television program category and three others were in professional categories.

 “All of our WKYU staff are committed to excellence,” said Dr. Bob Owen, vice president of Information Technology at WKU.  “These awards affirm WKYU’s presence among the nation’s PBS stations as a leader in educational television.”

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder focuses on history, science, the arts and human stories of the land that has become a national park.  WKYU-PBS’s crew conducted 12 interviews and traveled to the park 40 times over 13 months to shoot above and below ground.  The program first aired in October 2009 as a complementary piece to the six-episode Ken Burns film, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. WKYU-PBS is now marketing Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder to other outlets across the country, and it is available as a sales item benefiting the Friends of Mammoth Cave National Park and the station.

“The park and WKYU-PBS have worked together for more than 15 years, doing short pieces about the research and activities at Mammoth Cave,” Public Information Officer Vickie Carson said.  “On Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder, I coordinated locations and park staff — who played an integral role in the project — and accompanied the crew on almost every shoot, including down ropes, on the river, and off-trail in the backcountry. We approached each shoot with a plan in mind, and every time the result exceeded our expectations. Mammoth Cave is a beautiful place and the high definition footage captures its every detail.”

“We were already delighted with the program when it debuted last September,” said Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Patrick H. Reed. “We saw from the project’s inception its potential to bring Mammoth Cave to nationwide and even global audiences, and through its words and images to inspire viewers to experience the world’s longest cave first-hand. Our partnership with WKYU-PBS has realized this potential far beyond our expectations, and these Emmy Awards show what can happen when talented Americans embrace their national parks. We are very grateful to the Academy for its acknowledgement.”

The Program Category recipient: 

Informational/Instructional Program Category

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder (Behind the Scenes Stories & more), WKYU-PBS

Cheryl Beckley, David Brinkley, Jessica Gibbs, Brent Boyens, Vickie Carson

“Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder is about stories of exploration and we were privileged to be able bring those to our audience in this documentary. These Emmy awards are the culmination of a wonderful partnership between WKYU-PBS and Mammoth Cave National Park,” said Cheryl Beckley, producer of Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder.

“This pair of programs represents the sum total of a complete team effort.  All of the staff, students and university family share responsibility for the success of these efforts.  This also further cements the understanding that WKU students train in the best environment possible to help ensure their career success.  WKU has demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to student success and we are thrilled, as professionals, to get to work with the future leaders of our industry,” said David Brinkley, senior producer/director for WKYU-PBS.

The Professional Category recipients:

Videographer – Program

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder, WKYU-PBS

David Brinkley

“WKYU-PBS has dedicated resources to make sure that we can be industry leaders.  We are thrilled to be able to demonstrate such a significant return in their investment.  It has been an honor to also represent WKU for several years now.  This project was a unique challenge that required months of effort and I am honored to have worked alongside such talented people,” Brinkley said.

Editor – Program

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder, WKYU-PBS

Cheryl Beckley

“Editing Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder was as much fun as I’ve ever had with a project, the visuals were superb and the show came together quickly.  It’s great to be recognized for something that I love doing, I have the best job in the world,” Beckley said.

Set Design, Lighting & Technical Achievement

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder (Composite), WKYU-PBS

David Brinkley

“We are thrilled to be able to showcase important television programs and people from our area in this manner.  It is an even greater privilege to do it as an employee of WKYU-PBS and WKU,” Brinkley said.  “This was undoubtedly the most difficult project that I have ever worked on related to television lighting. This ecologically sensitive environment required a great amount of specialized preparation on our part. It is an honor to be recognized for this effort.”

About the regional Emmy awards: The Emmy Award is the highest award given in the television industry and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards (for film), Grammy Awards (for music) and Tony Awards (for stage).

The Ohio Valley chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has members in 25 television markets (including Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, and Charleston) across four states (Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia) and continues to recognize not only the best in local news, weather, and sports, but they have grown to celebrate accomplishments in writing, editing, children’s programming, documentaries, student productions, art design, and new media.

WKYU-PBS, channel 24.1 and Insight channel 11, is Bowling Green’s local public television service.  WKYU-PBS broadcasts the only locally-based, locally-programmed public television service to south central Kentucky and northern Tennessee.