(L-R) Danny Hess and Chris Miller (Photo – pasadenamedia)
Pasadena Media received multiple top honors at the 2026 WAVE Awards, presented by the Alliance for Community Media (ACM) West Region. The annual event was held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Sacramento Promenade in Sacramento.
By News Desk
The organization took home top awards in several major categories, including News Programming for Pasadena Monthly: Eaton Fire & Altadena, Community Issues for Arroyo Now: Rise from the Ashes, and Magazine Show for What’s Up Pasadena.
In addition to its wins, several ARROYO community producers were named finalists across multiple categories. Justin Chapman was recognized for Well Read with Justin Chapman in the Talk Show category, while Veronica Vargas earned finalist honors for Your New Odyssey: An Inward Journey to Imagination in Experimental. Lori McShane, Donald Schweitzer, and David Lindley were finalists for Talkin Divorce with Don & Lori in the Talk Show category.
Lea Welles also received finalist recognition for the “Crawfish Jamboree” episode of Travel Today with Lea in the Culture & Lifestyle category. Meanwhile, the “LIVE Chapman Stick” episode won in the Arts, Entertainment & Performance category.
Chief Operating Officer and ACM West President Chris Miller and Media Production Specialist Danny Hesse attended the annual conference to accept the awards on behalf of the organization.
“I am extremely proud of our team and our ARROYO channel community producers for this recognition,” said George Falardeau, Executive Director and CEO of Pasadena Media. “These honors reflect our continued dedication to delivering high-quality programming that informs, inspires, and serves the people of Pasadena.”
The WAVE Awards, short for Western Access Video Excellence, are part of the ACM West Region Conference and Trade Show. The competition is open to public, educational, and governmental (PEG) video programming from California, Nevada, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Arizona.
The Alliance for Community Media is a national membership organization that advocates for media training, production, distribution, civic engagement, and education in support of diverse community voices through PEG access channels and other forms of local media.
Pasadena Media is a nonprofit operating company of the City of Pasadena that manages the community media center. In addition to providing hands-on video production experience and job skills training, the organization facilitates four local PEG cable television channels and produces a broad spectrum of programming created for and by members of the community.
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