I have been remiss! I’ve shared this just about everywhere but here…
I am thrilled — and humbled — to report that Choose to Be Curious has won the 2024 Alliance for Community Media’s Hometown Media Award for Best Audio Programming by an independent producer!
The Alliance for Community Media is a national, non-profit membership organization committed to ensuring access to electronic media for all people. The Best of Audio Programming Award honors news, talk, music or entertainment audio programming on radio, internet, or as a podcast.
I’ve been producing Choose to Be Curious for just over eight years. There’s a lot of terrific work being done out there, so it’s very exciting to be recognized in this way, especially as I try to make my way in the bigger world of syndication with Pacifica Radio Network.**
How It Happened
I took a deep breath in the spring and put Choose to Be Curious up for consideration.
Each year, nearly one thousand entries are submitted for Hometown Media Awards. Entries are evaluated by panels drawn from over 150 judges. Awards are presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television and radio formats, and move viewers to experience media in a different way.
My submission, which had to include clips from three episodes produced in 2023, opened with my friend and community media mentor Antonio Villaronga and included Linguistic Justice with Sonya Lanehart and Open-earedness with Tim McKenry. It felt right to center these three conversations about the importance of community media, language and listening for this award.
What It’s Meant
Much to my delight, ArlNow picked up the story and Arlington Magazine has invited me to write the “My Life” column for November this year. (In 2020 Arlington Magazine selected Choose to Be Curious as an “Editors Pick” for Best Local Podcast. That recognition came completely out of the blue!)
In June I attended the ACM Conference in San Jose and joined the crowds for the awards ceremony. It was especially sweet to be there with Jackie Steven, who got me into all of this is the first place.
I know they played a clip from the talk with Sonja as I walked up to receive the award, but I didn’t hear it. My head was full of the joyful applause in the room and the celebratory buzz in my head.
It means a lot to be recognized by peers in this way.
** As of today, I think I’m on 17 stations, kindness of Pacifica — coast to coast! It’s a moving target and I’m always excited to learn that a new station has picked up the show. If you’ve got a Pacifica-affiliated station near you, encourage them to give Choose to Be Curious a listen! And if you happen to be in the neighborhood of these fine stations, I hope you’ll listen in. Support community media!!
KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, NM)
KCIW 100.7 FM (Brookings, OR) Thurs 7:30pm
KEPJ 96.5 FM (San Antonio, TX)
KGHI 91.1 FM (Grays Harbor, WA) Fri 4pm
KMRE 102.3 (Bellingham, WA) Sun 3:00pm
KNVC 95.1 (Carson City, NV) Sun 10:30am & Thurs 8:30am
KOYS-LPFM 94.1 FM (Bellingham, WA) Thurs 4pm
KPSQ 97.3 FM (Fayetteville, AR) Sun 8:00am
KPTZ 91.9 FM (Port Townsend, WA) Thurs 6pm
KTWH 99.5 FM (Two Harbors, MN) Fri 9:30am
KXCR 90.7 FM (Florence, OR) Sun 8:30am
WCRX-FM (Columbia College, Chicago, IL) Sat mornings
WDRT 91.9 FM (Viroqua, WI)
WMBT 96.7 FM (St. Petersburg, FL)
WPVM 103.7 FM (Asheville, NC) Thurs. 9:30am
WRWK 93.9 FM (Midlothian, VA) Wed. rotation
WWSX 99.1 FM (Rehoboth Beach, DE) Thurs 11:30am