TBAE Network Wins Two Bronze Telly Awards

Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network Earns Two Bronze Telly Awards at the 47th Annual Telly Awards

TBAE programs are recognized for excellence in public safety education and arts programming.

TAMPA, Fla. (July 27, 2026) Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network (TBAE) is proud to announce that two of its original programs have received Bronze Telly Awards at the 47th Annual Telly Awards, one of the most respected honors in video and television production. The awards recognize outstanding achievement across television, online video, and film. It also underscores the value of collaboration with trusted partners who share our commitment to education, awareness, and cultural enrichment. Earning Tellys places TBAE among the top producers of content that combines exceptional quality with meaningful public impact.

“These awards are a testament to the passion, expertise, and collaborative spirit that define TBAE programming,” said G. Scott Maiden, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network. “We are especially proud to share this recognition with our partners at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Tampa Museum of Art. Their dedication helps us produce media that informs, inspires, and strengthens our community.”

TBAE’s winning programs were honored in the following categories:

Inside the Scam: The Grandparents Scam wins a Bronze Telly in General - Public Interest & Awareness Category

Co-hosted by Master Deputy Jeff Merry of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Kim Droege, the episode examines one of the most emotionally manipulative frauds targeting older adults.

In the grandparents scam, a criminal contacts a grandparent, usually by phone, but sometimes by email, text, or social media, and pretends to be a grandchild or someone calling on the grandchild’s behalf, such as a lawyer, police officer, or hospital staff member. The scammer claims the grandchild is in urgent trouble (arrested, injured, or stranded) and demands immediate payment through hard-to-trace methods such as wire transfers, gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or cryptocurrency.

The program educates viewers on how to recognize the scam, understand the tactics of urgency and fear, and take protective steps. Awareness remains the strongest defense: pause, verify the story by contacting other family members directly, and never send money without confirmation. Viewers are directed to trusted resources through the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at teamhcso.com or the non-emergency line at 813-247-8200.

Art Perspectives – “Joseph Veach Noble: Through The Eye of a Collector” wins a Bronze Telly in General - Museums & Galleries Category

Hosted by Dr. Branko van Oppen, the Richard E. Perry Curator of Greek and Roman Art at the Tampa Museum of Art, the episode explores the Joseph Veach Noble Collection, the cornerstone of the museum’s permanent antiquities holdings. Acquired in 1986, the collection contains approximately 175 ancient Greek and South Italian objects amassed primarily in the 1950s and 1960s by Noble, a prominent museum administrator and scholar. It is internationally recognized for its exceptional quality and educational depth.

Dr. Van Oppen guides viewers through Noble’s distinctive perspective as a connoisseur fascinated by technical mastery, firing processes, and the “artistic mistakes” of ancient potters. Highlights include an extensive array of Attic black-figure and red-figure vases illustrating myths, religious practices, and daily life in Athens; Noble’s most cherished possession, a black-figure Attic pseudo-Panathenaic amphora (ca. 540 BCE) famously captured in his portrait by Yousuf Karsh; and significant marble sculptures, including a life-sized torso of Aphrodite and a Roman statue of Neptune, along with ancient coins and jewelry.

The episode connects themes of mythology, justice, and athletics to the foundations of modern democracy and Western civilization while spotlighting the museum’s “Museum from Home” initiative.

About Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network: Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network (TBAE) is a nonprofit public media organization dedicated to producing and broadcasting educational, cultural, and community-focused programming. TBAE is available on Spectrum Channel 636, Frontier FiOS 34, and at WATCH.TBAE.NET ###