Tennessee’s Wild Side earns top award from conservation group

Release Date: 8/18/2005. Expired: 9/18/2005

Tennessee’s Wild Side, a weekly television program produced by The Renaissance Center, has been named the best outdoor television show in North America by the Association for Conservation Information (ACI).

The award was presented at ACI’s 2005 Annual Conference in Ogden, Utah, July 10-14, hosted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. An awards banquet was held July 14 at the Snowbasin Resort.

Tennessee’s Wild Side was named the winner in the Television Series category for 2004 from a list of 10 nominees. Texas Parks and Wildlife, the category winner last year, finished second, followed by New Hampshire Fish and Game, the previous year’s winner. Tennessee’s Wild Side previously won second-place awards at the 2001 and 2000 conferences and third place in 2002.

Now in its sixth season, Tennessee’s Wild Side is a family oriented outdoor adventure program produced by the Multimedia Department of The Renaissance Center in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Hosted by Bill Cody and Janet Ivey, the program features segments by Wild Side Guides highlighting outdoor activities for the entire family as well as promoting outdoor safety and conservation.

“Tennessee’s Wild Side is a quality television program promoting conservation and outdoor activities for the entire family,” said Doug Jackson, executive director of The Renaissance Center and executive producer of the program. “Our highly professional team in the Multimedia Department works closely with the professionals at TWRA to keep the program content current and interesting.”

Founded in 1938, ACI is a non-profit association of information and education professionals representing state, federal and Canadian agencies and private conservation organizations. The organization conducts an annual awards contest recognizing excellence in more than 25 categories, including awards for magazines, articles, news releases, radio programs, television programs, public service announcements, photography, web sites and educational programs promoting wildlife conservation.

Tennessee’s Wild Side also has received several Mid-South Regional Emmy Awards, including being named Best Magazine program in 2003.

“What I enjoy most about producing Tennessee’s Wild Side is the sense of family and togetherness that exists within our department,” said Steve Hall, director of the Multimedia Department at The Renaissance Center. “From our hosts and Wild Side guides to the many talented folks who work behind the scenes to put each show together, we have assembled an extremely talented group of professionals who consistently produce quality shows one after the other.”

Tennessee’s Wild Side can be seen on public television stations across Tennessee and western Virginia and has been added to the Kentucky Educational Television lineup. The program’s new season features closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

For more information on Tennessee’s Wild Side, including stations and airtimes when it can be seen, visit www.tnwildside.org or contact The Renaissance Center’s Multimedia Department at (615)740-5511.