KCET's Award-Winning Weekly Series 'SOCAL CONNECTED' Begins May 14 at 8 p.m. with a New Format and Multimedia Production Team
Chapman
University Joins Ahmanson Foundation and the MaddocksBrown Foundation in
Funding
New
Season
BURBANK, CA - April 30, 2014 - KCET's award-winning signature series, SOCAL CONNECTED,
returns for a sixth season with a new look, format and group of reporters who
will cover eclectic, smart and informative stories about Southern California.
This season marks the launch of a dynamic collaboration between digital and television
journalists to achieve greater impact and community engagement.
Debuting on May 14, 2014, SOCAL CONNECTED will be a weekly
half-hour series airing each Wednesday at 8 p.m., (repeated on Fridays at 8 p.m.
and Sundays at 6:30 p.m.) anchored by 15-time Emmy-award winner, Val Zavala.
The new format marks a major change
from the previous seasons by takingSOCAL
CONNECTED
out of the studio and into the community. The series willemphasize coverage of the environment, health, government and local arts and
culture. The creation of
a multimedia production team with television journalists
working in tandem with web producers will maximize
the audience experience and develop deeper community connections.
In addition, Chapman University, one
of California's oldest and most respected private universities, joins The Ahmanson Foundation and the MaddocksBrown
Foundation as a major funder for the new season with a $200,000 gift. "We are
grateful to Chapman University for their generous support of this breakthrough
season," said Mary Mazur,
Chief Operating Officer, KCETLink. "With
a multi-faceted, multimedia team in place, our 6th season
of SOCAL CONNECTED builds on its
history to provide an immersive, interactive community experience, and create a
broader dialogue around local issues and ideas. This further extends our
ongoing organizational strategy of becoming more platform agnostic while
underscoring the issues of greatest importance to the communities we serve."
Val Zavala, the newly named executive producer for the
series, said, "I am looking forward to offering our viewers a wider fare that
includes not just in-depth hard news stories, but also features on innovative
problem-solvers, artists, interesting places, music and food culture. At the
end of each program, viewers will have discovered more reasons to love Southern
California."
Zach Behrens, KCET's digital Editor-in-Chief and the series
multimedia executive producer, added: "This season, viewers will start to
experience a full digital integration with SOCAL CONNECTED.
The ideal story process for new segments will begin online with stories and
community engagement, which in turn will shape the on-air reports."
Some
of the initial features onSOCAL
CONNECTED will include:"Breathing
Uneasy." It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation:
the expansion of the 710 Freeway between Long Beach and the 60 Freeway.
Why is it needed and how will it impact the health of nearby families?
"The
Lawn Goodbye." With a severe drought upon us Gov. Jerry Brown has issued an
executive order urging homeowners to cut down on lawn watering. Brown also said recently, "It
may well be that cactus and lizards take the place of rosebushes and
lawns." What will happen to our yards? In the future will our kids
have grass to play on? SOCAL CONNECTED visits one neighborhood
where more than 40 families have gotten ahead of the drought by ripping
out their lawns.
"The
$1.00 House." Why would a grown man move back in with his mother in order
to rent out his own lovely Spanish home for only a dollar a month?
"Fishing
for the Truth." Do you know what you're getting when you buy fish? One
consumer watchdog group found more than half of all fish sold in Southern
California is mislabeled. Should we go to the docks where fresh fish is an
option? Would you want to eat it?
"Betting
on Plastic." In Riverside County, an entrepreneur has built the largest
plastic bottle recycling plant in the country. Bottles are washed,
chopped, dried, melted and turned into useable pellets. Find out what
happens next
"Crazy
Contraption." This pedal-powered dining table glides down L.A. streets
drawing attention everywhere it goes. We meet the creative artist/engineer
behind "A Moveable Feast."
"Art
on the Wind." One day a year artists gather on Santa Monica Beach to
launch their creations high overhead. We capture the beauty of this
gallery in the sky.
On-camera contributors to the new SOCAL CONNECTED 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, Zach Behrens; and Linda Burns, senior
producer.
ABOUT
SOCAL CONNECTED
SoCal
Connected
, winner of a Peabody and two duPont Awards, 20 Emmy®Awards, 24 Golden Mikes, 47 LA Press Club Awards, two Gracie Awards, and three
regional 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.