Orion Neighborhood Television (ONTV) was honored at the Philo Festival of Media Arts, winning three awards for excellence in local programming.
ONTV was the winner in the Political Awareness category for its “Special Evening on the General Elections”. On November 3, 2020, ONTV brought the election race into the homes of local residents with its LIVE coverage and results, ONTV Outreach Coordinator Becky Andrus said in a press release.
“One of ONTV’s main goals is to provide local news and information to the people of Lake Orion, and that’s even more important during our elections,” said production manager Tessa Penzien. “It’s great to be able to give Lake Orion a live, in-depth look at election results that affect our community.”
ONTV was also recognized as a finalist for its “2020 Virtual Flower Fair” program in the Professional Community Events category and for its “ONTV Newscast” in the Professional News category.
“The ONTV News episode that was submitted for a Philo Award was our recap of the impact COVID has had on the community in 2020,” station manager Joe Johnson said. “I’m very proud of this particular episode and being named a finalist reaffirms that ONTV News ranks among the best in the country for local news coverage.”
The Central States Community Media Alliance held a virtual ceremony last month to announce the awards.

The Philo Awards are an annual public-access cable television competition in the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan area. The “PHILO” is awarded for excellence in community media in various categories.
The Philo Awards are named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of modern television. The ACM Central States Region honors the memory of Philo T. Farnsworth by recognizing the efforts of access producers who promote the use of media in their community.
