Orion Neighborhood Television (ONTV) producers were honored at the Philo Festival of Media Arts, earning three awards for excellence in local programming.

The Central States Alliance for Community Media hosted the awards ceremony on Oct. 17 at the WKTV Studio in Wyoming, Michigan.

The Philo Awards are an annual public access television cable TV competition within the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan region. The “PHILO” is awarded for excellence in community media in various categories.

Joe Johnson and Stacy Calloway won a Philo Award for the ONTV News cast in the news professional category.

Tessa Bratton and Jenny Bhatti won for the Orion Township Roundabout Benefits video in the instructional professional category.

George Sinnott also took home a Philo for his Active Living show in the political awareness non-professional category.

“I feel ONTV is one of the best access centers in the state, if not in the country,” says ONTV Station Manager Joe Johnson. “The Philo awards validate the fact that we put out quality programming.”

Community access television was established in the Orion area more than 30 years ago and has become a vital part of the community.

“Our volunteers and staff work really hard to provide media tailored to our residents,” says Tessa Bratton, ONTV’s Production Manager. “It feels great and it’s inspiring for all of us at ONTV to be recognized for that effort and passion.”

The Philo Awards are named after Philo T. Farnsworth, who is credited as “the father of modern television.” Farnsworth was born in 1906 and invented the first receiving tube for television transmission, successfully demonstrated the first television signal transmission on Sept. 7, 1927.

The ACM Central States Region honors the memory of Philo T. Farnsworth by recognizing the effort of access producers who promote the use of media in their community.

For more on Orion Neighborhood Television, visit orionontv.org. – J.N.