Somerville Community Access Television, the public access TV station for Somerville, won the prestigious 2005 Hometown Video Festival award for Overall Excellence.

The annual contest is run by the International Alliance for Community Media, and the award will be presented at the national conference in Monterrey, Calif. in July, said Wendy Blom, SCAT’s executive director.

The award recognizes SCAT’s TV programming  and the quality of the organization, including its media training program and its committment to the community.  SCAT won the award in its budget category, and two other Massachusetts public access centers, Boston and Shrewsbury, won in the other two budget categories, she said.

"SCAT stands out because of the diversity of its programming which reflects the diversity of community itself.  It also makes youth media training a top priority, with classes in the Somerville Schools’ 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and the SAYMedia! media club at SCAT," she said.

This is not the first time that SCAT, the oldest access center in Massachusetts, has won this award. It won the top award in 1989 and won Honorable Mention in 2002.  Each year the competition grows as more access centers are formed across the country, she said.

SCAT is a non-profit organizations run by a twelve-member Board of Directors and a staff of five. Funding for the station comes through the City of Somerville from cable franchise fees, membership fees, donations and grants. SCAT operates one channel for the community, Channel 3 on the Comcast and RCN cable systems in Somerville, she said.