NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Sherry Taylor, Marketing Director, 410-386-4415
for Coverage of the 128th Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair
Westminster, Maryland (July 9, 2026) Community Media Center (CMC) received a 2026 Hometown Media Award from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation (ACM). CMC's production of the 128th Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair was selected as the winner in the Community Events Parades/Festivals - Access Center Professional category.
The Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair is one of the largest events in the county. The week-long event provides opportunities for local youth to showcase their skills and projects. The Community Media Center produced 83 hours of live coverage that was distributed across two cable channels and social media.
CMC installed cameras in the Shipley Arena at the Carroll County Agricultural Center to facilitate the live streaming of major events happening during the fair. Camera crews at other locations ensured live streaming of high-profile events outside the arena. For a unique perspective, CMC’s exclusive Showman Cam took viewers live inside the ring as judges reviewed the presenter’s knowledge, skills & showmanship along with the conformation of the animals.
Richard Turner, CMC’s Chief Executive Officer said, “Celebrating our community is at the heart of what we do at the CMC. The 4-H & FFA Fair is one of the county’s signature events, and we are proud to be able to utilize our digital media technologies to provide live coverage of select fair events via video streaming and cable channels in support of our county’s proud agricultural accomplishments.”
Coverage of eighteen events were streamed live to cable channel HD-1072, cable channel 19, the CMC website, and on social media. The Community Media Center also created a special 4-H & FFA Fair page on its website at carrollmediacenter.org. The page included daily live streaming coverage, on-demand viewing of previously recorded events, links to the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair website, a complete event schedule as well as an archive of CMC’s fair coverage from previous years.
The Community Media Center will once again provide live streaming coverage of the Carroll County 4-H & FFA Fair beginning August 1, 2026. To learn more visit carrollmediacenter.org
The Hometown Media Awards ceremony took place on June 24, 2026, during the annual ACM National Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Richard Turner, Executive Director of the Community Media Center and Rachel Kamel, CMC Patron Member Coordinator/ Multimedia Content Producer accepted the award on behalf of the CMC.
“The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, president & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
Each year, nearly one thousand entries are submitted to the Hometown Media Awards. These entries, or programs, are submitted and evaluated on several factors resulting in over 100 award winners. A panel of judges from the industry evaluate the entries. Awards are presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats and move viewers to experience television in a different way.
About the Alliance for Community Media (www.allcommunitymedia.org)
Founded in 1979, the Alliance for Community Media is a national, non-profit membership organization committed to ensuring access to electronic media for all people. The Alliance for Community Media carries forth its mission by educating, advocating and acting as a resource for the more than 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) cable channels nationwide.
About the Community Media Center
The Community Media Center is a 501c-3 non-profit organization serving the residents and nonprofits of Carroll County, Maryland. We operate the county’s Public, Education, and Government Access Center. Our mission is to provide innovative digital technologies and content to inform, engage and connect the many voices of our communities. For additional information, please visit www.carrollmediacenter.org or call 410-386-4415.
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1301 Washington Road, Westminster, MD 21157 ~ 410/386-4415 ~ fax: 410/875-2358 www.carrollmediacenter.org
