KCET's SoCal Connected Wins 3 LA Area Emmy® Awards

Steve Lopez Sweeps Outstanding Non-News Writer, and Best Feature and Information Segments

LOS ANGELES, CA--August 6, 2011--SoCal Connected, KCET's hard-hitting weekly news program, was honored with 3 Emmy® awards tonight at the 63rd Annual Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards at The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood.

The third season of SoCal Connected, which had received Emmy® nominations this year in seven categories, won for the following episodes:

1. Feature Segment: "Putting on Ayers" - Los Angeles Times Columnist Steve Lopez catches up with his friend, cellist Nathaniel Ayers (the subject of Lopez's acclaimed novel The Soloist) at a recording session for his debut CD. Rick Wilkinson produced, with Bret Marcus, executive producer; Justine Schmidt, senior producer; Alberto Arce, editor; Kenny Gioseffi, camera.

2. Information Segment: Steve Lopez "Separated by War," looks into how one family copes with their father's deployment to Afghanistan.  Angela Shelley produced, with Bret Marcus, executive producer; Justine Schmidt, senior producer; Christal Smith, associate producer; Michael Bloecher, editor; Brett Wood, camera.

3. Outstanding non-News Writer: Steve Lopez

Episodes of SoCal Connected are available to view online at www.kcet.org/socalconnected.

SoCal Connected now has won fourteen Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards since its first season in 2009.

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, 11 Emmys, 15 Golden Mikes, including Best News Public Affairs Show, 25 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 Wednesday (8:30 - 9:00 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; The California Endowment; 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. KCET currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia 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 website, 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.

About The Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards

The Los Angeles Area Emmy® Awards are given for broadcast achievements produced or solely financed and controlled by the Los Angeles television stations or cable television systems. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the Los Angeles Area Awards Committee, comprised of station program and news directors, determines the awards structure.

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