KCET's 'SoCal Connected' Wins 13 Los Angeles Press Club Awards, Including First-Place Wins In All Major Television Categories
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Los Angeles - June 28, 2010 - KCET's hard-hitting weekly news program, SoCal Connected, won a total of 13 Los Angeles Press Clubs awards, including first-place wins in all major television categories at the 52nd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. The Los Angeles Press Club Awards honor high-caliber journalism in traditional and emerging media formats, with winners being selected by press clubs from across the country. The Emmy® and Peabody-winning SoCal Connected won first place in all of the categories in which it was nominated, winning in six of the competition's seven television categories. In several categories, SoCal Connected also placed second or received Honorable Mention in addition to the first-place win.
The Los Angeles Press Club Awards come just weeks after SoCal Connected won the prestigious Peabody Award. SoCal Connected is currently nominated for 12 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. The Los Angeles Press Club awards are judged by press clubs in Arizona, Cleveland, Denver, East Bay, Houston, Kansas, New Orleans, Missouri, Ohio, Syracuse and Wisconsin. SoCal Connected earned high praise from the judging panel for producing timely informational stories with insight and emotion. The complete list of KCET's SoCal Connected wins and judges' comments, including links to segments, is below.
INVESTIGATIVE
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Up In Smoke" awarded to Bret Marcus, Karen Foshay, Judy Muller, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burn, Alberto Arce and Val Zavala. Judges commented: "A very thorough well written and produced piece on how easy it is to open a medical marijuana dispensary, and the inaction of the local government. This piece was able to convey a lot of information in a very organized and simplified manner."
Honorable Mention - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Hung Out to Dry" awarded to Bret Marcus, Karen Foshay, Judy Muller, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns, Alberto Arce, Val Zavala, Lata Pandya and Brian Frank.
DOCUMENTARIES
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Return to Locke High" awarded to Bret Marcus, Angela Shelley, Justine Schmidt et al. Judges commented: "This was an emotional documentary that did a great job of bringing out the positive nature of the human spirit, especially from young people who have so little. We are thankful we were able to see the documentary and a snippet of these inspiring young adults. Great job of putting this all together in a cohesive piece."
Honorable Mention - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Is Anybody Listening?" award to the staff of SoCal Connected.
TALK/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Driving While Distracted" awarded to the staff of SoCal Connected. Judges praised: "Great piece and very thorough. Very timely information on how texting and mobile phones affect how well we drive. I hope the topic caught the attention of many viewers, and the well-done editing kept the attention of the viewer."
Second Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "State of Foreclosure" awarded to Angela Shelley, Vince Gonzales, Lisa Ling, Judy Muller et al.
Honorable Mention - KCET
SoCal Connected: "California's Pot of Gold" awarded to Bret Marcus, Rick Wilkinson, Karen Forshay et al.
FEATURE
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Is Anybody Listening?" awarded to Bret Marcus, Karen Foshay, John Larson, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns, Alberto Arce, Michael Bloecher and Joe Whiting. Judges praised: "Great segment about how the economic downturn has affected the children, [and even though] these kids feel like they have no control over their lives...they took control. We were amazed at how these people are living in such poor conditions, but still have hope and are so unselfish. The report created the right mood for the piece. The piece was well thought out and the editing was great. It enticed the viewer and kept the emotions going throughout."
Second Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "The Year of Living Dangerously" awarded to Bret Marcus, Karen Foshay, Angie Crouch, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns and Alberto Arce.
Honorable Mention - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Beauty, Brains & Eggs" awarded to Bret Marcus, Saul Gonzales, Judy Muller, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns and Michael Bloecher.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS OR FEATURE
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Behind the Big Top" awarded to Bret Marcus, Rick Wilkinson, Val Zavala, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns, Alberto Arce and Brett Wood. Judges praised: "A wonderfully produced piece with great insight and information about the behind the scenes of traveling Cirque de Soleil. It was a very visually pleasing video. It could have been too 'busy' with a lot of information and visuals, but they did a great job of breaking it down to make it pleasing, not overwhelming."
Honorable Mention - KCET
SoCal Connected: "Running Out of Luck" awarded to Bret Marcus, Joseph Angier, John Ridley, Cristal Smith, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns and Alberto Arce.
SPORTS
First Place - KCET
SoCal Connected: "The Year of Living Dangerously" awarded to Bret Marcus, Karen Foshay, Angie Crouch, Val Zavala, Justine Schmidt, Linda Burns and Alberto Arce. Judges remarked: "Nicely produced piece, it really brought us into the story. The story was clean and concise. It brought out the emotion of the story and made it easy to follow along."
About SoCal Connected
SoCal Connected, KCET's hard-hitting weekly news program, covers the economy, healthcare, the environment and local issues. Winner of the Peabody Award, six Emmys, eight Golden Mikes, including Best News Public Affairs Show, 18 Los Angeles Press Club awards for journalism, recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Documentary, and Los Angeles Magazine's "Best New Local TV Program" of 2009, SoCal Connected airs Thursdays (8:00 - 8:30 p.m.), Fridays (8:30 - 9:00 p.m.), Saturdays (6:00 - 6:30 p.m.), and Sundays (6:30 - 7:00 p.m.) exclusively on KCET. For more information, to view episodes online or to post comments, please visit www.kcet.org/socal. SoCal Connected is made possible through the generous support of The Ahmanson Foundation, serving the Los Angeles community since 1952; Jim and Anne Rothenberg; Maddocks-Brown Foundation; The Elizabeth Hofert-Dailey Trust; The John Randolph Haynes & Dora Haynes Foundation; The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, UCLA and U.S. Bank.
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. More than four million viewers watch KCET in the average month. KCET is the most-watched PBS station in Southern California and the second most-watched public television station in the nation. KCET has the largest geographic reach of any PBS station in California. National PBS series produced from the station's Hollywood studios include four-time NAACP Award winner Tavis Smiley and the Peabody Award-winning series A Place Of Our Own and Los Niños En Su Casa. The educational animated series Sid The Science Kid is co-produced for PBS by KCET and The Jim Henson Company. KCET also produces the Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time weekly television news program that examines the issues and people of Southern California. Throughout its more than 40-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 Web site, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. More than half of the funds raised to support KCET's operating budget come from individual support. For additional information about KCET productions, Web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org.
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