PBS Reno Earns Silver Signal Award for
PBS Reno ARTS Podcast
RENO, NV (OCT 30, 2026) – PBS Reno ARTS, the locally-produced podcast from PBS Reno, has earned a Silver Signal Award in the Interview or Talk Show category in the Individual Episodes division of the 5th Annual Signal Awards. This year’s program honors podcasts that take creative risks: work that breaks format, takes on hard subjects, or finds a new way to reach listeners.
The PBS Reno ARTS episode featuring actor/director Kristoffer Polaha and PBS Reno ARTS host Dave Santina earned the recognition from The Signal Awards earlier this week.
“We took a chance by asking Kristoffer Polaha to join me in studio even though it was the morning after his movie Mimics, his directorial debut, premiered, and I knew he would have a long night,” said Santina. “To my surprise and delight, he accepted, and I can’t tell you the relief I felt when he arrived on time at 9 a.m. on very little sleep! We wanted to make this happen because Kristoffer is a hometown boy from Reno and a successful actor who is something of a Hallmark Christmas movie legend with fans across the country, and we hoped people would enjoy the story of this film he loves so much. That connection to home makes this Silver Signal Award mean that much more.”
Each year, The Signal Awards present Gold, Silver and Bronze honors, and the listening public votes for their favorite Finalists to receive the Listener’s Choice Award in each category. In 2026, Listener’s Choice voting drew over 260,000 votes from 94,000 listeners.
“Podcasting is no longer defined by a single format, platform or approach to storytelling, and this year’s submissions make that evolution impossible to ignore,” said Jemma Brown, General Manager of The Signal Awards. “Charts and download counts can only tell us what’s popular. At Signal, our role is to notice the creative risks that are quietly changing what everyone else makes next. This year’s Winners offer a first look at podcasting’s next chapter.”
Winners are selected by The Signal Awards Judging Academy, an esteemed collective made up of the architects, instigators, and trailblazers of the medium. Featured Academy Members this year include Shayne Topp, Host, Smosh Reads Reddit Stories; Dan Roth, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President, LinkedIn; Crissle West, Co-Host, The Read; Asma Khalid, Co-Host, BBC World’s The Global Story; Bobby Finger, Host, Who? Weekly; Graham Litten, Podcast Partnerships, YouTube; Stephanie Kuo, Vice President of Content, PRX; and many more. A complete directory of judges can be found here.
“I am humbled by the recognition PBS Reno has received this year from industry experts, peers, community members, and audiences beyond our region,” said Megan Myers, PBS Reno Chief Content Officer. “Team PBS Reno continues to demonstrate what can be accomplished when talented, passionate people work together toward a shared mission. Our success is rooted in the community we serve, and we take great pride in using the power of public media to elevate local voices, celebrate the people and organizations making a difference, and share the stories that bring us together.”
About PBS Reno
PBS Reno reaches 692,000 monthly viewers in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California across multiple platforms including three broadcast channels (PBS Reno 5.1, Reno Create 5.2, and PBS KIDS on PBS Reno 5.3), a YouTube channel, YouTube TV, online, livestreams, and digital platforms. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content, with many local segments posted weekly to PBS Reno’s YouTube channel. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.PBSReno.org that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since September 29, 1983.
About PBS Reno ARTS
PBS Reno ARTS brings listeners up close with the creators, performers and cultural enrichment opportunities in our region. Meet the people who are the arts in our region, learn what stokes their passions and preview what’s coming up in theater, music and more.
About The Signal Awards
The Signal Awards recognizes the podcasts that define culture. The awards body is mission-focused on uplifting the podcast medium by recognizing the most potent, meaningful and unprecedented audio projects being made today as decided by The Signal Awards Judging Academy.
Contact us:
Membership Questions: membership@pbsreno.org
Programming Hotline: programming@pbsreno.org
Phone: 775.600.0555
Address: 1670 N. Virginia St. • Reno NV 89503