Pioneer PBS' 'Postcards,' 'Prairie Sportsman' take home six Emmy awards for local programming

Donna Middleton, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·2 min read

Oct. 19—APPLETON

— Pioneer PBS' locally-produced programs Postcards and Prairie Sportsman received a combined total of six Upper Midwest Emmy® awards from the Upper Midwest Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Oct. 15.

This is the 10th year in a row that Pioneer PBS has received Upper Midwest Emmys® for its local programs, for a total of 26 Emmys since 2013.

Five Emmys were received by the Pioneer PBS Postcards team of producer Dana Conroy with videographers/editors Ben Dempcy and Kristofor Gieske.

* "Bone Brushes and Hide Painting," featuring Granite Falls artist Fern Cloud, received an award in the Historical/Cultural/Nostalgic — Short Form Content category. Cloud is a Native American designer and Dakota painter who uses bone brushes and traditional paint pigments to convey symbolism and history on buffalo and deer hides.

* "Beautiful Kingdom: Where Love Takes the Lead" features the origin story of Luverne, Minnesota-based band Beautiful Kingdom. It received an award in the Arts & Entertainment — Short Form Content category.

* "The Thing That Makes Your Heart Sing," about the work of Kandace Creel Falcón, a queer Chicana interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer and visual artist who lives and works near Erhard, Minnesota, received an award in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion — Short Form Content category.

* "40 Thieves On Saipan: A Son Uncovers His Father's True Story" tells the story of Frank Tachovsky (as told by his son Joseph), who was the commanding officer of a platoon of Marine Scout Snipers in WWII's Battle of Saipan. The episode received an award in the Historical/Cultural/Nostalgic — Long Form Content category.

* "Bonded By Sacrifice: Gene Murphy and Lyle Bowes" won an award in the Military — Short or Long Form Content category. The story traces the history of the relationship between two Vietnam veterans who are bonded by the experiences they shared and the tragedy of war.

Since 2013, stories created by the Postcards production team have received 22 Upper Midwest Emmys.

Prairie Sportsman's story "Conflicting Canines" received an award in the Public Affairs program category. In this segment, University of Minnesota researchers examine whether foxes are moving into urban residential areas to escape coyotes.

Prairie Sportsman's 2022 season team includes Cindy Dorn, producer/writer; Bret Amundson, host/editor; and Dylan Curfman, editor/videographer. This is the fourth Upper Midwest Emmy received by the program since 2019.