The Montgomery County Black Coffee Podcast has won a national Hometown Media Award from the Foundation for the Alliance for Community Media, taking the top honor in the Audio Programming Access Center Professional category. The recognition, announced June 29, 2026, cited the podcast’s episode “Minority Scholars” and was presented at the Alliance for Community Media annual conference.
Key Takeaways
- The Montgomery County Black Coffee Podcast won a 2026 Hometown Media Award in the Audio Programming Access Center Professional category.
- The winning entry was the episode “Minority Scholars,” produced by the Montgomery County Office of Public Information.
- The Hometown Media Awards are presented by the Foundation for the Alliance for Community Media, which draws nearly one thousand entries each year.
- The awards ceremony took place June 24, 2026, at the Alliance for Community Media annual conference in Madison, Wisconsin.
What Did the Black Coffee Podcast Win?
The Montgomery County Black Coffee Podcast earned recognition as the winner in the Audio Programming Access Center Professional category of the 2026 Hometown Media Awards. The honor comes from the Foundation for the Alliance for Community Media, a national organization that evaluates community media produced for public, educational, and governmental access channels. The Montgomery County government announced the win through its Office of Public Information on June 29, 2026.
The Hometown Media Awards recognize programming that informs, educates, and engages audiences while emphasizing local storytelling. The Foundation for the Alliance for Community Media reports that nearly one thousand entries are submitted each year, evaluated across multiple criteria to produce more than one hundred award winners. Eligible programs must have had their first cable access telecast or initial stream between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
What Is the Winning Episode About?
The award-winning episode, “Minority Scholars,” was produced by the Montgomery County Office of Public Information and features a conversation with Michael Williams, co-founder of the Minority Scholars Program. In the episode, host Frederick Hawkins and Michael Williams discuss the program’s work to advance equity in education, develop student leadership, and create opportunities for young people to influence their school communities.
The Minority Scholars Program, established in 2005, has functioned as a platform for students in Montgomery County to address disparities and build more inclusive schools. The episode’s focus on student advocacy aligns with the Hometown Media Awards’ emphasis on programming that engages local audiences through community-centered narratives.
Who Hosts the Black Coffee Podcast?
The Montgomery County Black Coffee Podcast is hosted by Frederick Hawkins, who serves as African American community liaison and outreach manager with the County’s Office of Community Partnerships. Hawkins described the podcast as a space for authentic conversations about the people, experiences, and ideas shaping the community, and called the Hometown Media Award a reminder of the value of storytelling.
County Executive Marc Elrich connected the recognition to the county’s broader identity, noting that resident stories contribute to a vibrant and diverse community. His comment framed the award as a reflection of local voices rather than an individual production achievement alone.
How Does the Award Fit Montgomery County’s Media Work?
The Black Coffee Podcast win is part of a wider record of community media recognition tied to Montgomery County producers. The county’s public, educational, and governmental access operations have accumulated awards across several programs, including Emmy honors, NATOA Government Programming Awards, and prior Hometown Media Awards. The county presents its podcast slate through County Cable Montgomery, distributed on Comcast, RCN, and Verizon channels.
The 2026 cycle also saw a separate Hometown Media Award go to a Montgomery Community Media student production, indicating sustained output from the county’s community media ecosystem. The table below outlines the core details of the Black Coffee Podcast recognition.
The Montgomery County Black Coffee Podcast’s national recognition affirms the reach of local government storytelling, turning a county-produced conversation about educational equity into an award-winning example of community media.
FAQs
What is the Black Coffee Podcast? The Black Coffee Podcast is a Montgomery County government program hosted by Frederick Hawkins that features conversations about the people, experiences, and ideas shaping the local community. It is produced through the county’s public information and community partnership offices.
What award did it win? The podcast won a 2026 Hometown Media Award in the Audio Programming Access Center Professional category, presented by the Foundation for the Alliance for Community Media.
Which episode earned the award? The winning episode, “Minority Scholars,” features a conversation with Michael Williams, co-founder of the Minority Scholars Program, about equity in education and student leadership.
What are the Hometown Media Awards? The Hometown Media Awards honor community media distributed on public, educational, and governmental access channels. The program draws nearly one thousand entries annually and names more than one hundred winners.
When and where was the award presented? The award was presented at the Alliance for Community Media annual conference on June 24, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Who produced the winning episode? The episode was produced by the Montgomery County Office of Public Information, which manages the county’s government podcast programming.
