KCET's Award-Winning Weekly Series 'SoCal Connected' Takes an Inside Look at the Growing Interest in Insects as Food and How Bug Farms and Restaurants are Meeting the Demand

BURBANK, CA

- August 7, 2014

-

SOCAL CONNECTED, KCET's Emmy® and Peabody®

Award-winning series looks at the increasing popularity of insects as a source

of protein for humans. Reporter Derrick Shore tries cricket tacos at a Mexican

restaurant and visits the Rainbow Mealworms Farm in Compton where a billion worms and other insects are

raised and shipped out to feed reptiles, and more recently, humans.

SOCAL

CONNECTED

also talks to a U.C. Riverside entomologist who says the

ecological advantages of eating insects are plentiful, but that society will

need to overcome cultural barriers to feed a global population expected to

climb to nine billion by 2050. Based on webHYPERLINK "http://www.kcet.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?tag=bugs%20as%20food&limit=20" stories from KCET Food.

The story airs on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 8 p.m.

This week's SOCAL CONNECTED also features:

Resurrecting a Damaged Cultural Landmark -  South L.A. is

not known for its historic landmarks, but a church on the corner of Compton and

49^th Ave. was the only church designed by famed L.A. architect

Rudolph Schindler. Vandalism and neglect made this house of worship

uninhabitable until a pastor, unfamiliar with Schindler's work, brought the

damaged property back to life for his congregation and Schindler aficionados.

Based on a story from

KCET's Artbound.

Modern-Day Gold Panners - The Gold Rush may be history, but there are still

ambitious people panning for gold along the banks of the San Gabriel

River.  How much do they find? Is it

worth the effort? Reporter Judy Muller catches a bit of gold fever as she joins

these 21^st century prospectors.

Hummingbirds in Slow Motion - Videographer Tom Tanquary aimed his camera at two baby

hummingbirds in a nest near his back door. The result is mesmerizing slow

motion footage of a mother nurturing her young from birth to an empty nest.

Broadcast Premiere Date:  Wednesday,

August 13 at 8 p.m.

Repeated: Friday,

August 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 17 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.

The television broadcast executive producer for

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, 23 Emmy® Awards, 24 Golden Mikes, 48 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.