The City of Lenoir was among 21 North Carolina governments to earn recognition in the North Carolina City & County Communicators’ (NC3C) 2020 Excellence in Communications Awards.
The City of Lenoir won First Place in Digital Technology – Audio, and Second Place in Digital Technology – Website.
Local government communicators from across North Carolina submitted 192 entries in the 2020 NC3C awards program. All entries were judged by professional communications peers from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators.
“It is my honor to congratulate all the 2020 NC3C Excellence in Communications contest winners,” said Rebecca Carter, NC3C President. “Each year, I’m blown away by the incredible talent of local government communicators in North Carolina. The creativity and expertise NC3C members show in communicating, informing, and educating their residents showcases not only their ability and skill, but also how much they care about their communities. I’m so proud to be part of this remarkable group.”
The Communication and Public Information Department handles internal and external communications for the City of Lenoir. Department Director Joshua Harris is responsible for writing and publishing press releases, promoting city services and events, monitoring public engagement with the City, and managing the City’s digital presence.
City of Lenoir City Manager Scott Hildebran said it’s important for government to keep residents informed.
“Communication and transparency are vital for good government,” Hildebran said. “The City of Lenoir City Council values and prioritizes those qualities as we work to keep our community informed on the happenings in the City. I appreciate the recognition of Joshua’s efforts in finding new avenues to communicate with our residents.”
The City of Lenoir’s First Place award was given for the City’s radio public service announcements (PSAs). Harris started producing the PSAs last year. He wrote and recorded 27 radio PSAs in 2019. The PSAs were broadcast more than 3,000 times across the Foothills Radio Group stations, totaling more than 1,600 minutes of air time.
Some of the judge’s comments for the entry included, “This was a great opportunity to tap into unused and cost-effective media to convey your message to your target audience,” “It’s good to be aware there is a whole market of people not yet on digital or have fully moved away from print newspaper,” and “The metrics pulled for this effort, especially the more than 27 hours’ worth of airtime at a $0 total project cost, clearly demonstrated the goals were achieved.
