OPB has recently been nominated for a national Peabody Award and 30 Northwest Regional Emmy Awards – recognition that is a testament to and underscores the power of a shared story across our communities.

The OPB podcast “Salmon Wars” in partnership with ProPublica received the nomination for the 85th annual Peabody Awards in the Documentary, News, Public Service and Radio/Podcast category. This impactful, six-episode series tells the story of one Yakama Nation family who has spent generations fighting for salmon. It uncovers who is to blame for the fish vanishing and why their disappearance affects all of us. OPB’s partnership with ProPublica is one of the many ways OPB serves our communities through a network of collaborations.

“Salmon Wars” is produced by OPB’s Tony Schick and Julie Sabatier, along with reporting by ProPublica’s Katie Campbell. OPB’s Anna Griffin edited the series and Nalin Silva and Steven Kray provided sound engineering. The podcast has earned the consideration for an award that is respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence in television, podcast/radio, and streaming media. The Peabody awards elevate stories that defend the public interest, encourage empathy with others, and teach us to expand our understanding of the world around us.

In addition to this national award, OPB also recently received 30 Northwest Regional Emmy nominations for its journalism and storytelling work about the people, places, events and history that define Oregon and the Pacific Northwest – from food producers and diverse artists evolving the creative landscape, to scientists working on cutting-edge solutions and communities celebrating rich cultural traditions and more.

“We thank the people across our region for trusting OPB to tell their stories with the care, respect and thoughtfulness they deserve,” said Rachel Smolkin, OPB president and CEO. “These are stories that help us understand each other, make us feel more connected and anchor us to this special place. Every story from OPB is made possible by the communities we serve – those who so generously share their stories with us and also OPB Members and communities who generously support the work we do every day.”

The Regional Emmy nominations reflect both long form and short form content produced in 2024 by OPB reporters, editors, executive producers, producers, videographers, audio engineers, writers, photographers, graphic artists and more. The nominated stories and in-depth reporting span a broad range of categories and subjects from arts and culture to science, environment, food, history, politics, equity and more.

Emmy-nominated OPB stories include:

Business/Consumer - Short Form or Long Form Content:

Environment/Science - Short Form Content:

Environment/Science - Long Form Content:

  • Axial Volcano Special (Ed Jahn, Executive Producer; Jes Burns, Producer; Stephani Gordon, Photographer/Editor; Danika Sandoz, Editor; Lisa Suinn Kallem, Editor)

Politics/Government - Short Form or Long Form Content:

Arts/Entertainment - Short Form Content:

Arts/Entertainment - Long Form Content:

Historical/Cultural - Short Form Content:

  • Sensing Sasquatch (Eric Slade, Producer; Danika Sandoz, Editor; Jeff Kastner, Photographer; Arya Surowidjojo, Photographer; Andy Adkins, Graphic Designer; Rita Sabler, Artist/Illustrator)
  • Jimmy Slept Here (Nora Colie, Producer; Stephani Gordon, Photographer; Arya Surowidjojo, Editor; Byron Titus, Graphic Designer)

Historical/Cultural - Long Form Content:

Diversity/Equity/Inclusion - Long Form Content:

  • The Living Legacy of Colegio César Chávez (Alicia Avila, Producer; Christie Goshe, Editor; LaRonn Katchia, Photographer; Jeff Kastner, Photographer; Cameron Nielsen, Photographer; Todd Sonflieth, Photographer; Emily Hamilton, Graphic Designer; Larry Johnson; Nate Wey)

Documentary - Cultural/Historical:

  • Horsewomen of the Hen Party (Jule Gilfillan, Producer; Brandon Swanson, Photographer/Editor; Dan Evans, Photographer; Steven Vaughn Kray, Audio/Assistant Producer; Andy Adkins, Graphic Designer; Titus, Graphic Designer)

Entertainment:

  • The Apricots (Cameron Nielsen, Producer; Prakruti Bhatt, Producer; Arya Surowidjojo, Photographer; Stephani Gordon, Photographer; MacGregor Campbell, Executive Producer; Nalin Silva)

Human Interest - Short Form Content:

  • Loot The Deschutes (Emily Cureton Cook, Producer; Cassandra Profita, Producer; Brandon Swanson, Photographer/Editor)

Informational/Instructional - Short Form Content:

Informational/Instructional - Long Form Content:

Individual Award nominations:

  • Program Host: Jes Burns
  • Director: Jule Gilfillan
  • Photographer - Short Form or Long Form Content: Brandon Swanson
  • Graphic Arts: Emily Hamilton

These nominated stories – and all of OPB’s journalism and programs – are made possible by the generous support of OPB members. Learn more at www.opb.org.