KCET's Award-Winning Weekly Series 'SOCAL CONNECTED' Navigates the Critical Issues Surrounding the Upcoming Revitalization of the Los Angeles River
SOCAL
CONNECTED
, KCET's Emmy® and Peabody® Award winning series sends reporterCara Santa Maria on a kayak trip down the Los Angeles River in next week's
episode. Currently, the waterway has big, exciting changes in store as nearly
$1 billion in federal and city funds are slated to revitalize an 11-mile
section between Glendale and downtown L.A. The dreams of river advocates, who have
been working for years to turn concrete into greenery, will be realized. The
long-established working-class neighbors of Elysian Valley, however, are
concerned about rising property values and over-development. Santa Maria
navigates through the various issues while rowing through a scenic stretch of
the river now open to the public for the summer season. SOCAL CONNECTED
collaborated with KCET Departures, which has been covering the L.A. River on
KCET.org for seven years. Go to kcet.org/lariver to read more. The story airs
on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at 8 p.m.
This week's SOCAL CONNECTED also features:
Diving for Opportunity: A prison rehab program is training a select
group of convicts to become deep-water divers. Reporter Michael Owku looks at
the rigorous training they go through and the high hopes they have toward
securing well-paying, albeit dangerous, jobs once they are released.
A Gallery on the Wind: Anchor Val Zavala heads
to the beach for the Otis College of Art and Design Kite Festival in Santa
Monica. Artists who have turned kite design into an art form launch their
creations to the delight of the crowd. After 10 years, Zavala hopes to meet
again with Tyrus Wong, a famed artist and kite maker.
The Chicano Pop Art of "Germs": Witness the whimsical works of Jaime "Germs" Zacarias
in this segment from Artbound that explores the painter's wide-ranging inspirations. His colorful
pop-surrealist paintings incorporate the visual landscapes of his
youth in South L.A. Germs' works
have also caught the eye of collectors including comedian and Chicano arts
patron Cheech Marin.
Broadcast Premiere Date: Wednesday, June
18 at 8 p.m.
Repeated: Friday,
June 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m.
SOCAL CONNECTED is anchored by 15-time
Emmy®-Award winner, Val Zavala. Contributors include science journalist
Cara Santa Maria, reporters Derrick Shore and Jennifer Sabih, documentary
filmmaker Nic Cha Kim and writer Nick Hardcastle.
SOCAL
CONNECTED
is Val Zavala; digital executive producer is Zach Behrens;
and Linda Burns is senior producer.
ABOUT SOCAL CONNECTED
SOCAL CONNECTED, winner of a Peabody® and two
duPont Awards, 20 Emmy® Awards, 24 Golden Mikes, 47 LA Press Club Awards, two
Gracie Awards, and four regional and one national Edward R. Murrow Awards,
including Best News Documentary and Los Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local
TV Program" of 2009, airs exclusively on KCET. For more information, to
view episodes online or to leave comments, please visit www.socalconnected.org.SOCAL
CONNECTED
is made possible through the generous support of The Ahmanson
Foundation, Chapman University and the MaddocksBrown Foundation.
ABOUT KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital
role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central
California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well
as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its
50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and
regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and
documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's
programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET
is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about
KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community
events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of KCETLink.
