The Northeast Los Angeles River Collaborative Enlists KCET Departures for Innovative Community Revitalization and Civic Engagement Project

Burbank, CA - January 23, 2013 - KCETLink,

the new national independent public media organization created by KCET's recent

merger with the Bay Area-based independent media company, Link Media, today

announced the innovative partnership between KCET Departures and the Northeast Los

Angeles (NELA) River Collaborative.

An interdisciplinary project, funded

by the Federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which includes Housing

and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Transportation and the

Environmental Protection Agency, the NELA River Collaborative process builds

upon the growing momentum of efforts already underway to transform the Los

Angeles River into a "riverfront district" and to create a focal point of

community revitalization, recreational activities, environmental stewardship,

sustainable civic engagement and economic growth. 

The NELA Riverfront Collaborative will

affect the communities of Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park,

Cypress Park and Lincoln Park.

Details of the project will be

introduced to the community during a press event on Jan. 24, 2013 from 9-10

a.m. at Marsh Park in Elysian Valley, 2960 Marsh Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039.

"This initiative is truly

groundbreaking and we're excited to participate in such an important project

for the future of the Los Angeles," said Juan Devis, KCET's Vice President of

Arts and Culture Programming and Producer of KCET's Departures. "Our installment on the Los Angeles River is an

integral part of our success.  We're

pleased to be the media voice for the community and hope to bring a new level

of engagement to the region."

Currently, KCET Departures has installed kiosks in the neighborhoods and online at

www.mylariver.org asking people to

complete the sentence, "I want my river to be..." The site will later

become an online hub for all things NELA, allowing residents to show the city

what makes their neighborhood so distinct, but also give real-time feedback to proposed

projects that grow out of the NELA Riverfront Collaborative effort.

The NELA Riverfront Collaborative team

is led by the Los Angeles Community Development Department, and includes the

Los Angeles Planning Department, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation,

Workforce Investment Board, University of Southern California Annenberg School

for Communication and Journalism's Metamorphosis Project, Occidental College's

Urban Environmental Policy Institute, KCET Departures,

the L.A. River Revitalization Corporation, Tierra West Advisors and the L.A.

Conservation Corps.

On-air, online and in the community,

KCETLink is a donor-supported independent public media organization distributed

via satellite nationally on DirecTV and DISH and via broadcast in Southern and

Central California. For additional information about KCETLink productions,

web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit

kcet.org or linktv.org.

KCET Departures provides a 360º

people-centric experience; is participatory in nature; and serves as a central

nexus in people sharing, commenting, collaborating, and finding ways to be

involved in their communities. These relationships are fostered offline and on

by engaging community residents, non-profit organizations, schools and

students, in the creation and procurement of relevant and relatable content.

From development to production, the neighborhood and its community (the stake

holders) are involved in the process of production, resulting in a tight knit

between the aspirations of the local community and the station. Departures is a

participatory platform, a series, and a network where people can convene

information and ideas about our city and its people, and engage in the interpretation

of the city that we live in.  Departures is

funded by The Boeing Company, California Council for the Humanities and the

City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

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