KCET and PBS SoCal Win Two National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards Presented by the Los Angeles Press Club
Press Contact
Allison Gray
747-201-5298
agray@PMGSoCal.org
Los Angles, Calif. – December 5, 2022 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations, announced today two wins at the 15th Annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards presented by the Los Angeles Press Club. Winners were announced in all categories presented during a regional ceremony on Sunday, December 4. A complete list of wins can be found at lapressclub.org.
KCET Original arts and culture series ARTBOUND received both wins for “Diversity in Music/Arts” and “Documentary or Special Program, Feature” which highlighted the “Con Safos” episode regarding Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara. The program’s win in the “Documentary or Special Program, Feature” category topped some competition from national outlets that included ABC News and MSNBC Films. A pioneer of Chicano rock 'n' roll, ‘Con Safos’ (‘With Respect’) is a tribute to Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara who recounts his youthful experiences in Santa Monica during the 1940s which prepared him for early success in the music world. The film spans his time as lead singer of the Frank Zappa-inspired band Ruben and the Jets, his collaborations with Cheech and Chong, his crossover into the Chicano art world of the 1960s and 1970s, and his unique influence on Mexican American culture. Directed by Michael Vargas and Moni Vargas. Produced by Friends We Love, Inc.
The organizations’ previously announced ten total nominations were spread across eight different categories representing locally produced series/productions from KCET and PBS SoCal. Additional nominations included three for week day news documentary series SOCAL UPDATE (a public media partnership between KCET, PBS SoCal and KPCC), one for “Personality Profile, Performing & Other Arts” and another for KCET Original historical documentary series LOST LA for “Documentary or Special Program, Short under 30 minutes.”
To view the two winning stories from the organizations’ ten nominations, please click on the links below:
Diversity in Music/Arts
KCET ARTBOUND Production Team, “Artbound: Con Safos”
Judges’ comment: What an extraordinary story to unravel the journey of a cultural icon and his people. This look into the evolution of Ruben Guevara drives home the point that we are the sum of our ancestors and without their stories, we cannot come to fully realize the value in our own selves and what we have to offer the world today.
Documentary or Special Program, Feature
KCET ARTBOUND Production Team,“Artbound: Con Safos”
Judges’ comment: This documentary was informative, entertaining and took you through the artist’s career without the feeling of being dragged through someone’s life timeline. I felt encouraged to research this artist (topic) after watching.
About PBS SoCal and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region's diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org KCET Originals and PBS programming are available to stream on the FREE PBS App on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.