October 2, 2023

Outstanding Work Recognized

 

 

Stream the Awards Presentation

WQPT PBS receives 2023 Mid-America Regional Emmy® Award

 

WQPT PBS was honored at the 2023  Mid-America Emmy Awards, taking home a prestigious Emmy in the Historical Documentary category for our locally written and produced documentary, Snapshots: Your Dutch Friend.

The documentary tells the story of how two young sisters, Juanita and Betty Wagner of Danville, Iowa, became pen pals with Anne Frank and her sister Margo, just as Nazi Germany occupied Amsterdam in 1940.

 

The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, California, now owns the letters that united these four young girls. The Station Museum in Danville, Iowa, is the only remote location where the Wiesenthal Center allows copies of the original letters to be displayed.

This Emmy Award-winning documentary was written and produced by Lora Adams-Kopriva, recently retired WQPT PBS Director of Marketing and Local Content. “It’s important to recognize and acknowledge the documentary’s editor/videographer, Chris Ryder,” said Lora Adams, “Chris originally brought this story to my attention. We created this together.”

“I’m thrilled to see Lora and Chris recognized for their exceptional talent,” said Dawn Schmitt, WQPT PBS General Manager. “Congratulations to them for this well-deserved recognition of telling the stories of our region.”

WQPT PBS is honored to have been the PBS station to air other local documentaries that have also been nominated. Once WQPT PBS airs a film, the filmmaker can place that film for Emmy consideration. In addition to WQPT PBS, Fourth Wall Films (four-time Emmy winners with two nominations this year) and New Mile Media Arts also received Emmy nominations.

Stream the Awards Presentation