SOUNDWAVES CHRISTMAS was named the winner in the category of COMMUNITY ISSUES at the 2012 WAVE Awards (Western Access Video Excellence), which honors local programming across the western states, including California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Hawaii.

It was the first WAVE win for the annual food, clothing and toy drive, the holiday-themed spin-off of SOUNDWAVES, an acclaimed music show that retired in 2008 after 500 episodes, and had won three of the awards.

Producer Dennis Willis accepted the award but acknowledges his surprised reaction at the podium wasn’t just nerves. “It was a category we submitted to but our nomination wasn’t listed in the list sent out a month ago. I didn’t know we were up for it until it appeared on the screen! And on my way back to my seat, I remembered that I wanted to thank all the stations (who were all present in the room) that aired it and supporting our efforts. So when our second award came up, I was hoping for a win so I could say exactly that, but ’twas not to be. But I’ll take this time to thank those stations and our amazing crew. You all rocked it last year, and this year’s gonna be the best one yet!”