KCET Wins 19 Southern California Journalism Awards Taking Home More Awards Than Any Other Organization

CONTACT:
JP Shields
jpshields@pmgsocal.org
747-201-5886

News Program SOCAL CONNECTED Honored With 10 Wins;
Executive Producer Karen Foshay Named Journalist of the Year

Burbank, Calif. – July 1, 2019 – KCET, Southern California's home for award-winning original public media programming, is proud to announce that it has won 19 First Place Awards at the 61^st annual Southern California Journalism Awards presented by the Los Angeles Press Club on Sunday, June 30. This is the second consecutive year that KCET has won more honors than any other Los Angeles broadcaster and its first as most honored Los Angeles outlet across all media platforms including TV, radio, print and online organizations.

KCET’s wins include 10 for its acclaimed news program SOCAL CONNECTED, including “Best Talk/Public Affairs Show.” In addition, SOCAL CONNECTED executive producer Karen Foshay was named “Journalist of the Year” and was described by the judges as “a towering force in producing important and meaningful stories. Her work is a mirror to life in Los Angeles.” Additionally, the news program’s former host and award-winning journalist Val Zavala was awarded “Best Television Host/Anchor” following her retirement in 2018 after 30 years.

KCET’s original arts and culture series ARTBOUND garnered seven awards including “Documentary Short” while CITY RISING (in partnership with the California Endowment) and THE MIGRANT KITCHEN (produced in partnership with acclaimed culinary publication Life & Thyme) each received one.

“We are proud that our original content – which reflects  the spirit and diversity of our region - continues to be recognized year after year,” said Andrew Russell, President and CEO of the Public Media Group of Southern California, formed last year by the merger of KCET and PBS SoCal. “It’s a testament to the importance of quality storytelling and in-depth journalism, which are at the core of our mission.”

The 61^st Annual Southern California Journalism Awards for KCET are: 

TALK/PUBLIC AFFAIRS

• SoCal Connected (KCET)
  Karen Foshay, Deepa Fernandes, Nic Cha Kim, Dina Demetrius and Kathy Kasaba

DOCUMENTARY, SHORT, under 25 minutes

• Artbound (KCET) - “Open Your Eyes: Lula Washington Dance Theatre”
  Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Adebukola Bodunrin, Angela Boisvert and Matt Bass

TELEVISION JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

• Karen Foshay (SoCal Connected)

ANCHOR/HOST

• Val Zavala (SoCal Connected)

ACTIVISM JOURNALISM

• City Rising: The Informal Economy (KCET)
  Joanna Sokolowski, Kate Trumbull-LaValle, Justin Cram, Kelly Parker and Pascale Joassart-Marcelli

PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS or FEATURE

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “Stolen Paychecks”
  Deepa Fernandes, Lata Pandya, Alberto Arce, Austin Stoecklein and Dennis Nishi

CONSUMER NEWS or FEATURE

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “Blood Money”
  Katie Cooper, Karen Foshay, Eduardo Gil de Montes, Michael Ray and Tori Edgar

PHOTO ESSAY, Culture/Entertainment

• Artbound (KCET) - “Land Artifacts: A Didactic of Ruins”
  Osceola Refetoff

FEATURE PHOTO

• Artbound (KCET) – “Boarded Up Farmhouse”
  Osceola Refetoff

MINORITY/IMMIGRATION REPORTING

• Artbound (KCET) - “La Raza”
  Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Laura Purdy and Dignicraft

GENDER/LGBTQ REPORTING

• Artbound (KCET) - “Artist and Mother”
  Joanna Sokolowski, Kate Trumbull-LaValle, Jori Finkel, Matthew Crotty and Kelly Parker

CRIME REPORTING

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “The People vs. Kiera Newsome”
  Gina Pollack, Andy Viner, Karen Foshay, Luisa Conlon and Helki Frantzen

NEWS FEATURE, over 5 minutes

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “The News Blues”
  Karen Foshay, Andy Viner and David Egen

NEWS FEATURE, under 5 minutes

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “What Happened to ‘LA Weekly’?”
  Karen Foshay, Michael Ray and Tori Edgar

HUMAN INTEREST FEATURE, over 5 minutes

• SoCal Connected (KCET) “Out of Bounds”
  Karen Foshay, Vince Beiser, David Egen and Dan Leonard

LIFESTYLE FEATURE

• The Migrant Kitchen (KCET) “The Jewish Deli”
  James Mann, Antonio Diaz, Stef Ferrari, Matthew Crotty and Jacqueline Reyno

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS or FEATURE

• SoCal Connected (KCET) - “Under the Influence”
  Gina Pollack, Andy Viner, Michael Ray, Tori Edgar and Helki Frantzen

NON-ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW

• Artbound (KCET) - “Electric Earth: The Art of Doug Aitken”
  Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Austin Simons, Lance Drake and Charlie Balch

LIFESTYLE FEATURE

• Artbound (KCET) - “La Raza: The Community Newspaper That Became a Political Platform”
  Carribean Fragoza

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 54-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. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps. KCET is a content channel of the Public Media Group of Southern California.