Upper Midwest Media to Honor Gold and Silver Circle Inductees During Saturday Evening's Awards Show

Upper Midwest Media to Honor Gold and Silver Circle Inductees During Saturday Evening's Awards Show

Three national honors will celebrate extraordinary careers and accomplishments

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Upper Midwest Chapter, has announced Gold and Silver Circle honorees for 2009. The national honors, presented locally by the Chapter, will be awarded during the 2009 Upper Midwest Emmy Awards on Saturday, September 26.

Gold and Silver Circle honorees are a celebration of extraordinary careers and accomplishments - men and women who have made significant contributions to their industry and communities over the course of their lifetime. Selection requires service to the industry, the community and to the next generation of broadcast professionals. Silver Circle inductees must have at least twenty-five years in the industry. Gold Circle inductees must have at least fifty years in the industry.

Those honored with Gold and Silver Circle induction for 2009 are:

Bill Carlson, Gold Circle

Bill Carlson was one of WCCO's most versatile anchors, and one of this region's most recognized and beloved personalities. His fifty-year career started in high school, as a page at WCCO Radio. In 1959, after earning a degree from the University of Minnesota, Carlson transferred to WCCO-TV and began a career that included nearly every phase of radio and television work. Most known for covering the Arts & Entertainment beat for WCCO, Carlson's interviewing style earned him the respect and admiration from all he met. Carlson died in 2008, succumbing to prostate cancer. Loved and respected by his colleagues, he was a pro to the end, wrapping up his film reviews for the 2008 Academy Awards a mere week before he died.

Jane Helmke, Silver Circle

Starting with a sports department internship during her senior year at Augsburg College, Jane Helmke's 27-year career includes only one station: KARE. Now a Managing Editor for the station, Helmke works primarily with digital platforms, including overseeing kare11.com. Jane has won numerous national and regional awards for her work, and she served as a founding board member of the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Helmke spearheaded the effort that lead to the first National Emmy for Regional Chapters in Breaking/Spot News and Investigative categories. This chapter's reputation for innovation and focus on education are based on Jane's work.

Chester Reiten, Gold Circle

Chester Reiten has had the unique opportunity to guide television from its infancy to its maturation into a digitally-delivered, full-grown force in our lives. Reiten began his career in television at KCJB-TV in Minot, North Dakota in 1955 - soon after the station signed on as the state's first. Within five years, Reiten was the owner of the newly-named KXMC-TV in Minot and helped establish television in the region. Reiten involved his station in the community by featuring local kids baseball teams on weekly live game broadcasts, broadcasting local musicians in live concerts, and using the station to broadcast critical alert messages during a devastating flood in 1969. KXMC also pioneered the now-commonplace broadcast of live sporting events. In addition, Reiten served his community as mayor and state senator for several years and has been presented North Dakota's highest civilian honor, the Roughrider Award. In the 1990s, Reiten transferred ownership of his television stations to his children.

For more information, please visit MidwestEmmys.org or contact Teresa Vickery at info@midwestemmys.org or 952-474-7126.

Media Contact:
Whitney Mares
(612) 455-1748
wmares@psbpr.com

Source: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Upper Midwest Chapter

CONTACT: Whitney Mares, +1-612-455-1748, wmares@psbpr.com, for National
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Upper Midwest Chapter

Web Site: http://www.midwestemmys.org/

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