By KATIE SAXON

Wadsworth Post editor

Wadsworth Community Television hosted the 2010 Clapper Awards, which recognize the best of local television in 14 different categories, as well as several other coveted awards, including the Host with the Most Award. The event was held Nov. 29 in the Fellowship Hall of Grace Lutheran Church.

Local producers, WCTV talk show hosts and other members of the WCTV community gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of their fellow television enthusiasts.

Prior to the awards ceremony, John Madding, cable TV programming and access manager, thanked all of the producers for taking the time to create new programming for the community. He also thanked residents for their continued support of WCTV and talked about several of the accomplishments WCTV had made during the past year.

"We've had about 1,800 hours of programming so far during 2010 ... We also added my.pegcentral.com this year. Within the first week of adding my.pegcentral.com, we realized we were running out of bandwidth because so many people had accessed programming through the site, so we had to take care of that. Also, as you can see, we developed a new logo for WCTV. We want everyone to help spread the word, so everyone will get a free WCTV t-shirt tonight," Madding said.

Madding continued by thanking Johanna Perrino, operations and community relations coordinator, for putting together the annual awards ceremony. Perrino sifts through the 1,800 hours of programming, organizes the ballots and prepares everything for the actual awards ceremony. Madding, on behalf of WCTV, presented Perrino with a bouquet of flowers.

Madding also thanked John Barnard, studio operations technician, for his efforts and dedication throughout the last year.

Lastly, before starting the awards, Madding dedicated this year's Clappers to Uncle Ed Riley, the late producer of the WCTV show "The Wonderful World of Music." Riley passed away in late September, but had been a long-time member of the WCTV community.

Madding continued through the awards ceremony with the presentation of the milestone awards. These awards are given to producers who have produced hundreds of shows, passing a milestone mark during the previous year. Shows recognized for 100 episodes include: "Money Matters," "The Steve Miracle Show," "Surviving Life" and "Wadsworth City Schools." In addition, "Home Scents" was recognized for reaching its 200th episode and "What Catholics Really Believe" was recognized for reaching its 300th episode.

For the Best School Event category, the Clapper Award went to "Overlook Variety Show" produced by Sarah Garman and Ashley Powell. The runner-up went to "Pumpkin Decorating Contest" produced by Franklin School and the honorable mention went to "Central Intermediate Veterans Day" produced by Terry Livers.

For the Best Look into our Schools category, the Clapper Award went to "Grizzly Gang Reading Club," produced by WHS Speech II Class. The runner-up went to "Wadsworth City Schools - UA Whale Exhibit" produced by Paula Canterbury and Brian Williams and the honorable mention went to "Wadsworth Middle School Announcements" produced by Dan Bailey.

For the Best School Performance category, the Clapper Award went to "Big Bad Musical" produced by Terry Livers. The runner-up went to "Valley View Star Search Talent Show" produced by Gary Neffinger and Michael Whitehair and the honorable mention went to "The Grinch" produced by Tricia Easton and Sacred Heart School.

For the Best Documentary category, the Clapper Award went to "RSVP - Peninsula Art Academy" produced by the RSVP crew. The runner-up went to "Community Connections - John Root" produced by Michael Kovack and the honorable mention went to "Traditional Chinese Music Club from Capital University, Beijing" produced by Joe Molnar.

For the Best Religious Message category, the Clapper Award went to "What Catholics Really Believe" produced by Tim Perry. The runner-up went to "Surviving Life" produced by Gary Oliver, Michael Mancari and Key to my Father's House Church and the honorable mention went to "New Life Ministries" produced by Paul Blankenship.

For the Best Performing Arts category, the Clapper Award went to "Live from Bethlehem Christmas Eve Pageant" produced by Bob Parmelee, Steve Thomas and First Christian Church. The runner-up went to "A Baby Changes Everything" produced by Reimer Road Baptist Church and the honorable mention went to "The First Leon - Valley View Chapel" produced by Paul Blankenship, Jay Kelker and Kammy Willis.

For the Best Public Service category, the Clapper Award went to "Wadsworth City School Construction Update" produced by Brian Williams and Joe Magnacca. The runner-up went to "One of a Kind Pets Rescue - Spay and Neuter Clinic" produced by Georjette Thomas and the honorable mention went to " Legal Briefs - Answers to Questions" produced by Judge Steven McIlvaine.

For Best Special Event category, the Clapper Award went to "Medina County Pet Adopt-A-Thon" produced by Michael Kovack. The runner-up went to "Swing into Spring Fashion Show" produced by Bob Parmelee and Wadsworth Salvation Army and the honorable mention went to "Walking the Blue Tip Parade" produced by Roger Polk.

For Best Event Promo, the Clapper Award went to "A Midsummer Night's Dream Promo" produced by Phoenix Ramsey. The runner-up went to "Inside Wadsworth - Center for Older Adults Dog Day Celebration Promo" produced by Jim Kovacs and the honorable mention went to "Red Cross Chocolate Festival Promo" produced by Ron Hager.

For the Best Sports category, the Clapper Award went to "2009 Wadsworth Grizzlies Football Highlights" produced by Matt Reed and Nick Kennell. The runner-up went to "WHS Swimming 2009-2010" produced by Vickie Ware and the honorable mention went to "2010 State Wrestlers Parade and More" produced by Deb Tavanello.

For the Best Informational category, the Clapper Award went to "One of a Kind Pet Rescue" produced by Georjette Thomas. The runner-up went to "RSVP - Container Gardening Graf Growers" produced by the RSVP crew and the honorable mention went to "Animal Crackers - X-rays" produced by Jan Sponsler and Dr. Larry Markley.

For the Best Talk Show category, the Clapper Award went to "Downtown Wadsworth - Historic Banners" produced by Jack Ollom and Roger Havens. The runner-up went to "Law Talk - Drug Court with Judge Collier" produced by John Celebrezze and the honorable mention went to "Wadsworth City Schools - State Wrestlers" produced by Brian Williams.

For the Best Entertainment category, the Clapper Award went to "Unfinished Business - 2009 WHS Senior Band Video" produced by Colin Baker, Katie Bauer and Danny Feller. The runner-up went to "Polka Time Again" produced by Gene Kovack and Joe Gabrosek and the honorable mention went to "Top Dog Contest 2010" produced by Michael Kovack.

Closing out the ceremony, Madding announced the winner of the coveted Host with the Most Award - Gene Kovack and Joe Gabrosek, producers of "Polka Time Again." The pair was also nominated for the second year in a row to the Polka Hall of Fame.

Lastly, Madding concluding the ceremony by presenting a special service award to Charlie Aukerman, chairperson for the Wadsworth Cable TV Commission. Aukerman has served on the commission for 28 years and is the only remaining original member. He is set to retire in February and as a sign of their gratitude for his service, WCTV presented Aukerman with an official WCTV jacket.

¬