PBS Utah won nine awards at the 49th Annual Rocky Mountain Emmy® Awards held in Phoenix, Arizona, according to pbsutah.org.
The event, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, took place on Nov. 7, 2026, and recognized achievements across the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter.
Our incredibly talented production team has been working very hard to find a new normal with the end of federal funding and the rapid changes in media,
PBS Utah Station Manager James Davie said, according to pbsutah.org. To see their work on both broadcast and digital platforms recognized in this way is so meaningful.
The station secured victories across nine distinct categories, covering documentaries, public affairs, and arts programming. The historical documentary Utah in the 70s won for historical documentary production, featuring work from post-production colorist Colton Mitchell, post-production audio engineer Brenton Winegar, and producer Lisa Olken.
In the public affairs single program category, Utah Insight: Childcare Crisis: Can We Fix It? took home an award. Producers Lauren Steinbrecher and Kelton Wells led that project alongside colorist Lee Ollerton and audio engineer Brenton Winegar.
Roots, Race & Culture: Black Latter-day Saints won in the interview and discussion category, featuring hosts Danor Gerald and Lonzo Liggins. The companion long-form talk program Roots, Race & Culture: Is AI Changing How We See Ourselves earned a separate win with technical director Justin Robinson and editor Colton Mitchell.
Arts and education entries from the series This Is Utah secured multiple wins. won for arts and entertainment long-form content, while The Polyglot Games won in education and schools content with photographer John Meier.
Additional honors went to Utah Insight: Solving the Great Salt Lake Crisis for environment and science short-form content, This Is Utah: Walker Tower Rooftop Tour for content shorts, and Lauren Steinbrecher for work in the performer, narrator, host, moderator, and correspondent category.
Winning programs are available to stream online at the PBS Utah website, via the PBS app, and on YouTube. A complete catalog of all regional nominees and winners remains accessible through the Rocky Mountain Emmy organization.
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