Two diverse groups honored WWJ-TV's highly acclaimed four-part documentary on the economic ties between Michigan and China called "Building Bridges:  From the Great Lakes to the Great Wall."

Michigan State University (MSU) and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) are the most recent organizations to acknowledge the tremendous impact of this program.  MSU is featuring Carol Cain, WWJ-TV's Editorial Director, and the "Building Bridges" documentary as the keynote presentation for of an upcoming special event.  The MAB acknowledged the special presentation with awards of excellence.

On March 11, 2008, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters presented "Building Bridges" Executive Producer Carol Cain and Chief Videographer Paul Pytlowany with awards for Best Feature Use of Medium and Best Special Interest Program.  Pytlowany also received a Merit Award as Photographer of the Year for his work on the project.  In addition to the awards for "Building Bridges," the MAB also honored WWJTV Producer Charlie Forbes with an award for Best Commercial for his work on "Lumberjack – Christmas Wishes."

On April 18, 2008 Carol Cain will discuss her experiences in China producing "Building Bridges: From the Great Lakes to the Great Wall" at the second annual Internationalizing Michigan Education conference sponsored by MSU's College of Education, Office of K-12 Outreach Programs.

Ms. Cain was selected as the keynote speaker because the information presented in "Building Bridges" closely ties into the theme of the conference…how Michigan's students need to be prepared to understand and engage in the wider world in which we live.

"We're extremely pleased by the positive reception from viewers, business leaders, educators and now the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for "Building Bridges," the inaugural production of WWJ-TV's new "Eye on the Future" community initiative," said Trey Fabacher, Vice President and General Manager of WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV.  "Carol and Paul are very deserving of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters awards for their hard work and excellent production."