Government of the District of Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor



Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications
3007 Tilden Street, N.W., Pod-P
Washington, D.C. 20008

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2007

CONTACT: ERIC E. RICHARDSON, DIRECTOR
202-671-0066

(Washington, DC) The District of Columbia's Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications (OCTT) has been awarded two first place programming awards, one second place programming award and one third place programming award from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA).

Claiming first place in the Promotion of a City/County category was Washington Full Circle - an all-access backstage pass to ALL things Washington. This is the second time this OCTT program has been recognized at a national awards ceremony. In August of 2007, Washington Full Circle received The Videographer Awards' Award of Excellence. OCTT Director and Washington Full Circle Executive Producer Eric E. Richardson expressed gratification for the recognition and noted "we've discovered and revisited a number of amazing places and spaces in Washington, DC and hope that this production will be seen as not only an entertaining half hour but as a tool and resource for residents, tourists and tastemakers."

Also claiming first place in the Documentary - Event Coverage category was A Bridge Beyond: 2006 Trade Mission to Africa - an exclusive look at former DC Mayor Anthony A. Williams' historic trip to Africa. A Bridge Beyond: 2006 Trade Mission to Africa documents the 2006 trade and cultural mission, and highlights the District's noteworthy ties to Ghana and Senegal.
Collecting second place in the Event/Program Promotion category was Washington Full Circle Promo: Uptown Downtown - a thirty second high-energy collection of images and narration designed to pique viewer interest and anticipation in advance of the premier of Washington Full Circle.

Picking up third place in the Public/Community Meetings category was OCT TV-13's coverage of the DC City Council's February 10, 2007 Committee of the Whole Public Hearing on the "District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007".

The winners of this prestigious national competition were announced on Friday, October 5, 2007 in Portland, Oregon at NATOA's 22nd Annual Government Programming Awards Gala.

NATOA's Annual Government Programming Awards recognize excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia and electronic programming produced by local government agencies. NATOA received over one thousand two hundred (1,200) competition entries from municipalities located across the country, and it made its awards in sixty-three categories.

NATOA promotes community interests in communications. A national trade association based in Alexandria, VA, NATOA represents local government jurisdictions and consortiums, including elected and appointed officials and staff, who oversee communications and cable television franchising.

OCTT is the District Government Agency that manages the District's Government Access Channel's OCTT TV-16 and OCT TV-13. The mission of OCTT TV-16 is to provide information regarding the many programs, services and opportunities made available by the District of Columbia Government. The mission of OCT TV-13 is to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the live and recorded activities of the DC City Council and its various committees. Together these two channels are intended to provide District of Columbia residents access to the activities and processes of their government.

For more information regarding OCTT, please visit the agency’s website:
http://www.octt.dc.gov