SUN PRAIRIE MEDIA CENTER TAKES 12 AWARDS AT “BEST OF THE MIDWEST” MEDIA FEST

300 East Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590-2227
Website: https://cityofsunprairie.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 4, 2026
Colin Lessig
Production Manager, Sun Prairie Media Center
clessig@cityofsunprairie.com
(608) 837-4193
 

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Wisconsin Community Media, in conjunction with the Alliance for Community Media’s Midwest Region, celebrated outstanding video and radio programming during its annual award ceremony for the 2026 Best of the Midwest Media Fest.

The Sun Prairie Media Center is happy to announce that 12 shows, created for KSUN and 103.5 FM The
Sun Community Radio, received awards at the fest, which was held in Onalaska on Thursday, May 1.
Included in the 11 awards are three “Excellence” awards:

• Andy Shoenherr’s city-themed program, “What Are We Building?”
• The Sun Prairie Area School District’s “Homeroom,” hosted by Todd Milewski and Superintendent, Brad Saron
• “Everybody’s Got a Story,” Sharyn Alden’s radio program showcasing interviews with fascinating people with interesting stories.

Three additional programs produced at the SPMC won “Achievement” awards, including two for
Dannelle Gay’s “Traveling Cheesehead” program and for the “Sun Prairie Media Center Membership
PSA.”

Finally, six SPMC shows took home “Merit” awards, including “The Allen and DJ Show,” “2025 Isthmus
Bowl Radio Coverage,” “Sun Prairie West High School Football vs Oregon,” “Library Expansion Update,”
“Seldom Heard,” and “Take Immediate Cover.”

More information on all of these shows (and the shows themselves) can be found on
sunprairiemediacenter.com.

“We’re fortunate to have so many talented member producers creating content for us and the Sun Prairie community,” said SPMC Production Manager, Colin Lessig. “In addition to thanking our volunteer member producers, I also want to express my gratitude for all that my colleagues, John Schmidt and Erika Case, do behind the scenes to make these productions happen. I also want to thank our Friends of Sun Prairie Media Center group for picking up the cost for entry fees so producers could enter the judging process with no cost out of pocket. They also paid for those winning the Excellence awards. We appreciate all they do for us and our members.”

To be eligible for an award, a program must have been produced and/or distributed through the facilities of a community media center and premiered on a cable access channel, community radio station, or its website.

Want to be an award-winning community media producer? The Sun Prairie Media Center is currently
looking for producers to take advantage of its awesome studio facilities and excellent staff. Anyone interested should call 608-837-4193 or check out sunprairiemediacenter.com, where program ideas can
be submitted directly to SPMC staff.

Episodes of SPMC’s award-winning programs can be accessed by going to sunprairiemediacenter.com by downloading the Sun Prairie Media Center app, available for free from the App Store or Google Play.
More information on Wisconsin Community Media and the Media Fest can be found at wisconsincommunitymedia.com.
About City of Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie is a vibrant and thriving community located in northeastern Dane County, just east of the City of Madison. The City of Sun Prairie has experienced strong population growth since its incorporation from a village to a city in 1958, undergoing a transformation from a relatively small community of less than 4,000 to an estimated 39,419 today.