Sept. 17, 2024
Original series ‘Mystery League’ receives top honors in 56th annual competition
CONWAY, Ark. (Arkansas PBS) — Arkansas PBS has won two Public Media Awards from the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) in the 56th annual competition. Winners were announced Sunday, Sept. 15, during the PMA Gala at the 2024 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. Videos of the winning and nominated projects may be viewed at myarpbs.org/awardwinning and myarpbs.org/awardnominated.
The Public Media Awards honor NETA members’ finest work in content, community engagement, marketing/communications and education.
"We are proud to be recognized for delivering work of the highest caliber in public media, as we remain committed to creating exemplary programming, educational content and meaningful community engagement for all Arkansans,” Arkansas PBS Executive Director and CEO Courtney Pledger said.
The Arkansas PBS original series “Mystery League” was honored with awards for Educational Resources for the Community and Community Engagement – Kids & Family for a screening at Lawson Elementary School.
This live-action series filmed entirely in Arkansas is designed for kindergarten through second grade students and is aligned with Arkansas academic standards in areas including civic engagement, economics, community involvement and leadership. Featuring three fifth-grade detectives – Millie, Mike and Marta – as they solve the never-ending mysteries of the fictional small Arkansas town of Mulberry Springs, each episode centers on relevant storylines that encourage Arkansas kids to problem solve and build relationships. Lawson Elementary School, a small community school in Southwest Little Rock, served as the fictional Mulberry Springs Elementary School, and Arkansas PBS hosted a premiere party for students, faculty and staff in appreciation to the district.
Arkansas PBS was also a finalist in the following PMA categories:
- Overall Excellence in Content.
- Overall Excellence in Community Engagement.
- Overall Excellence in Education.
- “Mystery League” – Educational Resources for the Classroom
- “TOTALITY: The Great Arkansas Eclipse” – Content – Topical Feature.
The complete PMA winners’ gallery may be viewed here.
With the exception of the overall excellence categories, stations compete within their divisions based on their station size. Awards are judged by a group of expert panelists from within the public media system, as well as industry professionals working outside of public media.
About NETA
The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) is a professional association representing 303 member stations in 49 states, the Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. NETA provides leadership, general audience content, educational services, professional development, and trusted financial management services, including human resources and benefits administration, to individual public media licensees, their affinity groups, and public media as a whole. More information is available at netaonline.org.
About Arkansas PBS
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/live, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Russellville), KETS (Forrest City), KETS (Gaither) and KETS (Yancy).
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