For Immediate Release – July 5, 2023 | Pdf version (without photos)

Bircan Ünver of The Light Millennium Global Received the 2023 Hometown 2 Media Awards from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation

Bircan Ünver, Independent Producer took home the two “Virtual Event” and “Web-based Program” awards follow by the 2023 Hometown Media Awards Ceremony at BRICK TV in Brooklyn, New York on June 28, 2023.

LMGlobal.Org, Queens, New York ─ July 5, 2023 ─ Bircan Ünver of the Light Millennium Global received two (2) 2023 Hometown Media Awards from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation (ACM). The ACM Media Awards program was established to honor and promote community media, community radio, and local cable programs that are distributed on Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) access cable television channels. Proceeds go to the ACM Foundation, which is exclusively used for facilitating, preserving, and promoting education in community media.

The category, title of the winning program, and initially cable-casted public access television station-related information are:

Virtual Events Independent Producer

• OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? (Virtual)

Producer Bircan ÜNVER Co-authors: Bircan ÜNVER & Prof. Olcay ÜNVER, THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM GLOBAL; Cable-casted through QPTV

Web-Based Programs Independent Producer

• OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY?
Producer Bircan ÜNVER Co-authors: Bircan ÜNVER & Prof. Olcay ÜNVER, THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM GLOBAL; Cablecasted through QPTV

Bircan Ünver, as a senior independent producer and content provider at Queens Public Television since 1992, has been encouraged by Queens Public Television QPTV staff to apply to the National Hometown Video Festivals over the years. Ms. Unver received her first award from the Alliance for Community Media – Northeast Region (ACM-NE) for her program, “Walls of the World” in the Arts category in 1998, which also received the following year “Juror’s Award” from the Alliance of Community Media (ACM) in 1999.

In 2015, Producer Ünver’s program, “Pioneer of the Millennium Development Goals”, in short, “MDGS & Atatürk” received the First Place award in the Independent Producers and “Educational Activities” category in Pasadena, California. 

Since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Producer Ünver moved on to virtual and web-based programs, especially, in connection with World Water Day (March 21), which also has brought in diverse and multiple international speakers from diplomatic, government, academia, NGO, and youth perspectives in 2021. The success of the first virtual event led to the 2022 World Water Day global virtual event. Based on that, she has produced it in three parts for the Light Millennium Television Series at QPTV in Queens, New York. 

On the ground of the back-to-back two years of virtual global panels on World Water Day, the LMGlobal.Org was specially accredited to the United Nations 2023 Water Conference at the UN Head Quarters on March 22-24, 2023. The Light Millennium Global organized and presented a side event at the UN 2023 Water Conference as well, which was also included in the New York Water Week. 

A combination of these encouraged the producer to submit the “Our Groundwater: How Can We Work Together To Manage It Sustainably?” under the “Virtual Event” and “Web-based Program” categories.

What does it mean to win a Hometown Media Award for Bircan Ünver?

“It has been great honor and privilege to win two awards at the 2023 Hometown Media Awards, in particular, with the Water concept. During the last 3 years, Light Millennium Global has given great importance to the Water concept, in connection with the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goal: 6 Water and Sanitation. I am grateful to Prof. Olcay Ünver, Arizona State University, Vice-Chair, UN-Water (2018-2020), and Advisory Board Member of Light Millennium Global, who has supported the organization toward undertaking such initiatives from the start and onward. In this line, what makes a program original is, without a doubt, its contents. In that context, I also would like to thank Ambassador Rodrigo A. Carazo of Costa Rica to the United Nations (2018-2022), who made a strong statement in the program with the following words, “Water is a global public good“, and Young talented pianist Korkmaz Can Saglam, who contributed with his piano performances for the opening “Reflections in the Water” by Debussy, and for the closing, “Boat in the Ocean” by Ravel, and the rest of the speakers in the three parts of the program. However, only the first part-1 was submitted to the 2023 Hometown Media Awards. 

Going back to the initial question, what does Hometown Media Awards mean to me? It provides a unique opportunity to meet both other community media producers and representatives of the public access stations nationwide, along with, providing the latest updates on both opportunities and challenges in the Public, Community, and Government (PEG) Programming, in particular, through the Alliance of Community, in particular, through the Alliance of Community Media’s Annual Conference.
To me, being able to attend the ACM’s Annual Conference is equally important and valuable as receiving the award. Further, it brings out to the surface the program that has been produced, which is already public domain. Furthermore, it provides a better understanding of the current technological developments that how it leads toward policy changes and ongoing legislative bills in connection with the “cable channel franchise agreements” about the PEG Programming’s current status, which also encourages to become an advocator toward engaging, protecting and empowering of the PEG Programming.”

Each year, nearly one thousand entries are submitted. These entries, or programs, are submitted and evaluated on several factors resulting in over 100 award winners. A panel of over 150 judges from the industry evaluates the entries. Awards are presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats, and move viewers to experience television differently.

The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, president & CEO, of Alliance for Community Media.

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About the Alliance for Community Media (www.allcommunitymedia.org)

Founded in 1979, the Alliance for Community Media is a national, non-profit membership organization committed to ensuring access to electronic media for all people. The Alliance for Community Media carries forth its mission by educating, advocating, and acting as a resource for the more than 3,000 Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) cable channels nationwide.

Contact: The Light Millennium Global – Bircan Ünver │ Email: LMTV(at)Lightmillennium.org │ Phone Number: 1-718-441-3816 │ Website: www.lmglobal.org 

Queens Public Access Television – QPTV.Org: Roslyn Nieves, Community Development Manager – Phone: 718-886-8160 EXT. 324

• LMTV-2022: OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? P. 1 #WWD2022 (Virtual)

• LMTV-2022: OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? P. 2 (Virtual)

• LMTV-2022: OUR GROUNDWATER: HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO MANAGE IT SUSTAINABLY? P. 3-4 #WWD2022 (Virtual)

Photos from the Award Ceremony by Demet Demirkaya, Board Member, LMGlobal.Org

About the Light Millennium Global | About the Producer
#LightMillenniumTV Programs are available through www.vimeo.com/channels/LightMillenniumTV

Pdf version of this Media Release (without photos)

Photos:
• 2023 ACM Hometown Media Awards
• QPTV.Org Congratulates Bircan Ünver;
• Independent Producer Bircan Ünver with received two awards under “Virtual Event” and “Web-based” Programs;
• 2015 Hometown Media Award, Independent Producer and Educational Activities, Pasadena, CA.
• ACM President Mike Wassenaar hosted the Award Ceremony and congratulated the winners.
• Ross Nieves, Community Development Manager and Rodney Cummins of QPTV.Org interviewed Bircan Ünver on the received awards at the BrickTV on June 28, 2023.
• For the 2015 Hometown Media Awards, a media release issued by QPTV.Org.
• Very first received First Place NorthEast Alliance for Community Media Award, which was covered by Daily News in the Queens Profile column, dated October 16, 1998.