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BOARD OF GOVERNORS AWARD
Letter from the President
Welcome to the 38th Heartland Emmy® Awards on behalf of our Board of Governors. We are thrilled to celebrate excellence in our region at simultaneous live galas in Denver and Oklahoma City!
It is an honor to recognize the significant contributions to our craft across the five-state Heartland Emmy region, from heartbreaking and heartwarming news stories to documentaries and unique programming that showcase the challenges, the opportunities, and the shared history of daily life. Your work serves as an important record of this moment in time.
This year, we received nearly 900 entries from you in both English and Spanish. Of those, 317 were nominated after a judging process that included independent reviews by panels of at least 7 peer judges from across 11 different NATAS regions. Tonight, we will honor 130 entries with Emmy awards.
In addition, we are delighted to welcome four fantastic additions to the Gold and Silver Circles. Jon Janes joins our Gold Circle with more than 50 years of service to the industry. Vic Lombardi, Rob Quirk, and Manny Sotelo will be inducted into the Silver Circle with 25 years or more of dedication and service beyond their job descriptions. They are innovators and trailblazers and we’re lucky to have them in the Heartland region.
Earlier this spring we held our 2nd annual Student Production Awards and are very pleased with the growth of the program. We also recognized our Heartland scholarship recipient, Jacqueline Ruiz-Rodriguez!
Tonight, we also recognize the significant contributions of Julie Lucas by bestowing upon her the Governors Award for her decades of service and dedication to NATAS on a local, regional, and national level. Julie helped found the Heartland chapter in 1986 and has been a guiding force in its success year after year.
A big thank you to the Heartland Chapter Board of Governors for all they do throughout the year to make tonight a big success! They are dedicated professionals who volunteer their considerable time and expertise to make our chapter better.
Thank you to Traci Bilek and Ashton Gaultier for their amazing leadership in running the Heartland Emmy® office. We couldn’t do any of this without them and it’s an honor to work alongside this dynamic duo!
And finally, a big thank you to all of you for submitting entries and for supporting NATAS and the Heartland chapter. Without your work of excellence none of this would be possible. Congratulations to tonight’s nominees and winners!
Juliana Broste
President
Heartland Chapter Board of Governors
2024 Inductees
Jon Janes
Vic Lombardi
Manny Sotelo
Rob Quirk
NATAS HEARTLAND REGION
The Heartland Chapter consists of 12 DMAs in five states:
Colorado Markets
Denver
Colorado Springs/Pueblo
Grand Junction/Montrose
Durango
NEBRASKA MARKETS
Omaha
Lincoln/Hastings-Kearney
North Platte
OKLAHOMA MARKETS
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
KANSAS MARKETS
Wichita/Hutchinson
Topeka
WYOMING MARKETS
Cheyenne/scottsbluff
Casper/Riverton
The Board meets monthly to process the business of the chapter; its membership consists of representatives from all areas of broadcast, media, production and education, both affiliated and independent.
They are proud to represent the 1031 members of our chapter and encourage you to contact them at any time.
BOard of governors
The Heartland Chapter’s Board of Governors is comprised of members of our industry who are committed to furthering the interest of the Heartland Chapter and the Emmy® Awards. They meet monthly and volunteer their time; most are elected by the membership to a 3-year term.
Any Heartland chapter member in good standing may apply for a position on the board; elections are held in the fall. If you are interested for one of our open positions please contact us at office@emmyawards.tv.
Officers are elected by the board members to a 2-year term of office.
Board Members
elected
Andrew Barker
KJRH, Tulsa
Juliana Broste
Traveling Jules Productions, Denver
Paulina Castro
Telemundo Denver, KDEN
Annette Lawless
KAKE, Wichita
Julie Lucas
Denver
Mark Pinkerton
KOTV, Tulsa
Lucas Ross
Talent-Performer, Oklahoma City
Paula Roth
Denver
Amy Sabreen
Sabreen Media, Denver
George Taylor
KWCH, Wichita
Valerie VanDerSluis
KTWU, Topeka
Board Members
appointed
Nathan Higgins
KUSA, Denver
Jeremy Hubbard
KDVR, Denver
Tony Kovaleski
KMGH, Denver
Jeremy Moore
RMPBS, Denver
Kati Weis
KCNC, Denver
Officers
Juliana Broste
President
Annette Lawless
1st VP
Paulina Castro
2nd VP
Kati Weis
Secretary
Nathan Higgins
Treasurer
NATAS National Board
Julie Lucas
Secretary
Jeremy Hubbard
Director
Committee Chairs
Annette Lawless
Awards
Paulina Castro
Programs
Paula Roth
Education/Sponsorship
Jeremy Hubbard
Silver Circle
Julie Lucas
Scholarship/Marketing
Kati Weis
Student Production Awards
OFFICE
Traci Bilek
Executive Director
THE JUDGING PROCEDURE
The purpose of the Awards is to provide incentives for continuing outstanding individual and production achievements within our industry and to focus public attention upon the multi-talented individuals who comprise the industry. As a result, there can be one award, more than one award, or no award in each category. This year, almost 900 entries in 142 categories were judged by television professionals in various chapters around the country: Rocky Mountain Southwest, Suncoast, Lone Star, Boston, Southeast, National Capital/Chesapeake Bay, Mid-America, Michigan and Chicago/Midwest.
In accordance with national NATAS guidelines, panels of at least 7 peers scored each entry on Content, Creativity and Execution. English and Spanish language entries are judged independently. Tabulated ballots scores were compiled and checked, then a coded sheet representing the scores of the entries in each category (but without identifying features) was presented to the Awards Committee during a special Curve Cut meeting.
The committee members did not know which entries were being considered. They determined a cut-off score high enough to ensure a standard of outstanding achievement; all entries above the cut-off were considered nominees. The highest scoring entries will receive Emmy® awards. There are no winners or losers here tonight – only those who continue to make our markets representative of the best work in the country!
Our Judging Policy
The success of the Emmy® Awards process depends on the willingness of qualified professionals to serve as judges.
By entering, you agree to serve as a judge when asked, and that judging must occur during calendar year of your entry.
• If you enter once, you’ll need to judge once
• If you enter twice, you’ll need to judge twice
• If you enter three or more times, you’ll need to judge at least 3 times
Those who meet these judging requirements during the current calendar year will receive substantial discounts on entry fees next year.
There are typically 6-10 opportunities to judge other chapters’ entries during the year (we call them Rounds) and all entrants are notified via email. You can also check your NATAS account online to see if judging opportunities await.
What’s the time commitment for judging? 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the category; judging can be done anywhere you have a computer; it’s all online.
When you judge 3 or more times during a calendar year, you’ll earn a $10 discount on membership dues for the upcoming year. There is no limit to the amount of judging you can do, as long as you’re qualified to judge the categories you choose. You don’t have to be a member or entrant, as long as you have experience in the category you’re judging.
THE NATAS STORY
The Emmy® statue is a symbol of excellence in the television industry that has been awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) since 1949. NATAS is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing outstanding achievement and improving the quality of television on all levels. In June 1986, the Heartland Chapter became the 17th chapter in the country, culminating an intense three-month campaign to meet the high eligibility standards of the Academy’s national board. Denver television executives were united and aggressive in their efforts to create a local chapter.
In 1987, the “Denver Chapter” was granted the privilege of being authorized to hold its own Emmy® Awards. For many years, only markets located within the boundaries of established NATAS chapters were eligible to participate in the local Emmy® awards and be rewarded for their best work. In 1989, the national Board of Trustees expanded the territory of the 17 existing chapters to include over 90 percent of the Unites States.
In 1991, the regional NATAS Board of Governors voted to change our name to the Heartland Regional Emmy® Awards to formally recognize the participation of other states in our chapter’s awards. Today we are known as the Heartland Chapter in recognition of the contribution of our five-state chapter area. We are one of 19 chapters nation-wide.
CATEGORIES:
NEWS
2024 Gold Circle Inductee
The television news career of Jon Janes began in the summer of 1969, when he won a major WMT (now KGAN) scholarship to cover news at the University of Iowa, where he worked numerous hours covering the Vietnam War protests at the University through May of 1970.
After graduation, and in the space of 14 months, Jon earned a Master of Science in Mass Communications from San Diego State University. While working on his degree, Jon was hired as a full time News Photographer at CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego. In 1971, Jon began three years in the Air Force, and after his Air Force service, Jon returned to KFMB for a year, then moved to KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa, as a Statehouse Bureau reporter and eventually Bureau Chief covering the Iowa Statehouse. Other roles include News Director, KAAL TV in Austin, Minnesota (1978), news management positions in Cape Girardeau, Missouri; St. Louis; Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa; and Minneapolis, Corporate Vice President for news with the News Press-Gazette company in St. Joseph, Missouri, News Director, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jon made his final career move to WIBW-TV in Topeka, in August 1999 and was the longest-tenured News Director in the history of WIBW-TV, with 23 years at the helm of the newsroom when he retired July 1, 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the WIBW team has had one-fourth of the staff out on various occasions, but Jon never missed a day at the helm. He led the department through eight staff changes, a major election, and the Chiefs second Super Bowl Season, while also directing coverage of numerous major stories in the 17-county designated viewing area. During his 51-year career in broadcasting, Jon has led more than 700 news people is his 43 years as a News Manager. He has helped, worked for, or assisted 33 General Managers at 19 different news stations, as well as two United States Air Force agencies. Most of Jon’s career has involved maximizing the abilities of young reporters by allowing them to develop their skills in their first real-world experience.
His WIBW community work includes Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Topeka; Helping Hands Humane Society; the Topeka Zoo; the Salvation Army; the annual Red Cross Battle of the Badges Blood Drive; Salute Our Heroes, featuring law enforcement, first responders, and civilians who have done heroic actions; and Wednesday’s Child, highlighting children in need of adoption. Welcome to the Heartland Gold Circle, Jon Janes.
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MARKETING & PROMOTIONS
2024 Gold Circle Inductee
"And that's how we DO IT on the west side!" That was just one of Vic Lombardi's signature calls as he delivered the highlights and other sports news and insights on the CBS4 5, 6 and 10PM newscasts every weeknight for years. He grew up on the west side of Denver, was a fan of all Denver sports and became a ball boy for the Denver Nuggets, tossing the ball to NBA greats such as Bill Hanzlik, Alex English, and to a coach named Doug Moe.
It was that passion for sports at an early age that pushed him to a career in broadcasting and he got his first sports broadcasting job in Elkhart, Indiana in 1991, leading to jobs in Austin, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, before going back home to the sports world and community he knew best at KCNC-TV in 1998, where he took home 28 regional Emmy® awards. In 2015, he moved on to Altitude Sports & Entertainment, hosting Nuggets pre-game and post-game shows. In late 2017, Vic turned to another form of media – the radio waves. He was part of the launch of Altitude Sports Radio, and in 2019 the morning show “Moser, Lombardi & Kane” was formed and four years later, that morning show became the #1 morning sports show in Denver.
He also understands his standing in the community and emcees 40-50 charity events around Colorado. Denver has seen multiple championships by the Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets, and Vic has been there the entire way, reporting on every championship. The term “legend” is not a term used for many, but when all is said and done, Vic Lombardi will be remembered for being a sports broadcasting legend in Denver.
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SPORTS
2024 Gold Circle Inductee
When he began his career in 1980 as a daily newscast researcher at KAET in Tempe, Arizona, Rob Quirk could not have predicted how the broadcast industry would change. But what never changed was his professionalism, reliability, integrity and desire to serve the viewers.
He was an anchor, producer, writer, editor and producer (KAET), a one-man band journalist (KUSK), executive producer, news anchor and reporter (KPTX), weeknight news reporter (KCNC). But it was at KOAA, where he began in 1989 as weekend anchor and weekday reporter, then on to weekday evening news anchor, where he covered some of Colorado’s and the nation’s biggest stories, including United Flight 585 Crash, the Tim McVeigh trial, New Life Church shooting, Columbine, the Democratic National Convention, Waldo Canyon Fire, Black Forest Fire and many more. Working with crews in the field and back at the station, Rob clearly was a journalist who cared deeply about covering these unforgettable events - at the same time, helping, teaching and mentoring young reporters, producers and photographers who had never been this close to what would ultimately be monumental and historic times.
Dedicating 35 years to KOAA, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and a steadfast commitment to excellence. And his work took him outside of the newsroom, where he emceed and hosted hundreds of nonprofit occasions, including the Air Force Academy Graduation, the MDA Telethon, the MS Walk, the State Fair, the Charity Cancer Ball and the D-11 Crystal Apple Awards, honoring outstanding teachers, as well as moderating multiple widely broadcast debates among Mayoral, Senate, and Gubernatorial candidates. We welcome Rob Quirk to the Heartland Silver Circle!
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PROGRAM LIGHT
2024 Gold Circle Inductee
Photojournalist Manny Sotelo has been in the middle of Colorado and national news for 40 years at KUSA-TV, leading a team of photojournalists, recruiting, hiring, training, and guiding them to extraordinary performance as one of the best teams of news photographers in America, as evidenced by being named the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Large Market Station of the Year for what is now a record 14 times. An expert at lighting, composition, audio and editing, his projects have influenced generations of Colorado news viewers. His friends and co-workers describe him as a photographer, journalist, lighting expert, teacher, mentor, and leader. When the community is mourning, Manny offers support. He’s shown that so many times, through so many heart-breaking stories: fires and floods, the Columbine and Aurora Theater shootings, and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, as well as national events such as the Pope’s visit, Super Bowls, Presidential elections, and the Olympics.
In 1986, 9News sent a team to Cape Canaveral, Florida to do features on the Challenger Mission, one that had several Colorado ties including a CU Boulder satellite on board. A group of teachers and students from elementary schools in Boulder County were also there to watch “history in the making” and on the morning of the launch, Manny focused on them. When the Shuttle exploded, Manny recorded the most emotional, yet professional story, working in silence, from a short distance away from people so he wouldn’t upset them or affect the scene. Manny was not only a journalist covering those kids, but he was also their friend.
Manny befriends many of the people in his stories, including Randle Loeb, a man living on the streets and working for the Denver Voice – a newspaper that empowers people experiencing homelessness. He still keeps in touch with him. He interviewed a historian about the Greeley Grays, a Latino semi-professional baseball team in the 1940’s in northern Colorado, a story that only he could have told with his characteristic empathy and became his friend. Over the past 40 years, Manny has covered big stories important to the fabric of Colorado. His care for each story is unmatched and even after four decades of work, his love for his craft has never wavered.
CATEGORIES:
CRAFTS
2024 BOARD OF GOVERNORS AWARD
JULIE LUCAS
Julie Lucas is the National Secretary for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She has been involved with the Heartland Chapter of NATAS since its inception in 1986, serving as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President, President and Trustee. As President, she led the expansion of the then Colorado Chapter into a six-state regional chapter that included Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. Texas later spun off to form its own Lone Star NATAS Chapter.
She was Senior Director of Marketing for Metropolitan State University of Denver, directing special projects, university communications and establishment of a brand journalism initiative, whose videos were nominated for a Regional Emmy® Award. Her prior experience includes directing media and public relations at the University of Denver, communications and marketing at On Command Corporation, and Your Choice TV which was a subsidiary of Discovery Communications focused on time-shifted television.
She was Executive Director of the First Amendment Congress, a national First Amendment education organization, helping to develop and implement a national First Amendment curriculum, “Education for Freedom,” now featured at The Freedom Forum. Earlier positions included the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and PBS.
She co-authored a national curriculum on media literacy – “If it bleeds, it leads” – working with legendary news producer Av Westin, who produced ABC’s “20/20” newsmagazine and ABC’s “World News Tonight,” based on his book of the same name.
She holds master’s degrees in marketing from the University of Denver and sociology from Arizona State University.
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SPECIALTY REPORTING
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PROGRAM HEAVY