Akakū President and CEO Jay April receives national special recognition award

Jay April, President and CEO of Akakū Maui Community Media, was honored with a Special Recognition Award on Wednesday at the Alliance for Community Media’s National Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

The award recognizes April’s contributions and leadership as a community television and small-
format video pioneer whose work helped lay the foundation for public access media.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, April has made contributions across multiple sectors of the media industry. His accomplishments include work in telecommunications policy, the groundbreaking Guerrilla Television movement featured on PBS, a special correspondent with CNN’s Environmental Unit, and the launch of E! Entertainment Television. His award-winning documentaries exploring wildlife, environmental issues, and American culture have been recognized at film festivals around the world.

Following his national media work, April led Synchromic Studios on Maui, where his animation team earned national acclaim by producing USA Today’s Best Super Bowl Commercial of 1995.

In 2007, April returned to his roots in community media, accepting the leadership role at Akakū Maui Community Media. Under his direction, Akakū has evolved into one of the nation’s leading public, educational, and government access media organizations, providing local daily news, programming, training, and community engagement opportunities throughout Maui County.

Reflecting on his career, April remarked, “I’ve worked my way down to the smallest television market and couldn’t be happier.”

In a video acceptance message presented at the conference, April highlighted growing concern about efforts by government entities and powerful corporate media interests to diminish independent, non-commercial public and community media. He emphasized the importance of local access media as an essential platform for free expression and civic engagement.

“As America approaches its 250th anniversary, community media remains a vital, non-algorithmic, fully local beacon of free speech,” April said. “It is more important than ever that communities maintain independent platforms where every voice can be heard.”

The Alliance for Community Media’s Special Recognition Award honors individuals whose dedication, innovation, and leadership have made a lasting impact on the community media movement nationwide.