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Westford Community Access Television has joined an elite group by winning one of the most prestigious awards in the community access television industry.
A news show about weekly events in Westford placed first in the news category of the Mass Creator Awards on Jan. 28. The show featured an interview with a local school administrator who was seriously injured this summer in an accidental fall.
In July, Westford elementary school principal, Kevin LaCoste, fell out of a tree and severely damaged his spinal cord leaving him a quadriplegic. The news show captured how the Westford community banded together to remodel his house to accommodate his wheelchair. But the show went beyond that. Editor and Producer Patty Stocker and Production Technician Nick Woodbury interviewed LaCoste on camera. The change of life was heartrending as he and his family began adapting.
The future was an unknown and hope was uncertain.
“They don’t say if you work hard for six months, you’d get movement in your hands,” LaCoste said, referring to his health care providers. “If that were the case I’d be moving my hands in six months.”
“The Mass Creator Awards recognizes outstanding media being produced in communities across Massachusetts,” stated Shaun Neville, vice president of Mass Access and executive director of Wilmington Community Television. “Our judges come from professional media backgrounds and score entries based on various criteria, including storytelling, creativity and audio/visual techniques. It seems like every year, the competition gets stiffer. The winners represent some of the best work being done in their respective categories.”
The show also provided a preview of the October special Town Meeting, a tutorial on how to use handheld devices for voting at town meetings, an interview with state Sen. Ed Kennedy, a School Committee update on support services for students facing challenges, a feature on a local photographer, suggestions for cultural events to attend, and a town manager’s report.
The judges called it “a fantastic example of how community television can connect residents with information they want and need.”
“Westford residents were well-served by this newscast,” they added.
The award was presented to the station’s news director, Joyce Pellino Crane, and the production coordinator, Patty Stocker who also wrote and delivered the piece on Kevin LaCoste.
Lauren Horton produced the show. Video Systems Engineer Steve Edwards was the technical director. Board member Nancy Burns anchored the show, and Betsy Alvarez, another board member, delivered the cultural suggestions.
The prestigious Massachusetts Creator Award is represented as an engraved crystal statue. A winner is chosen from each category, along with an honorable mention.
UPDATE – Steve Edwards’ name was added on Jan. 30.
