KCET Wins 19 Southern California Journalism Awards, More Than Any Broadcaster
KCET is honored to announce the win of 19 First Place Awards at the 61st annual Southern California Journalism Awards presented by the Los Angeles Press Club on Sunday, June 30. This is the second consecutive year that KCET has won more awards than any other Los Angeles broadcaster and its first as most honored Los Angeles outlet across all media platforms including TV, radio, print and online organizations.
KCET’s wins include 10 for its acclaimed news program SOCAL CONNECTED, including “Best Talk/Public Affairs Show,” which judges called “honest, touching, informative, and thought provoking."
In addition, SOCAL CONNECTED executive producer Karen Foshay was named “Journalist of the Year” and was described by the judges as “a towering force in producing important and meaningful stories. Her work is a mirror to life in Los Angeles.” Additionally, the news program’s former host and award-winning journalist Val Zavala was awarded “Best Television Host/Anchor” following her retirement in 2018 after 30 years.
KCET’s original arts and culture series ARTBOUND garnered seven awards including “Documentary Short,” for its “beautifully constructed and edited” work.
Judges called CITY RISING (in partnership with the California Endowment), “smart, emotional, a great mix of human stories and big picture breakdown. Just a great piece of journalism,” and granted it one award.
THE MIGRANT KITCHEN (produced in partnership with acclaimed culinary publication Life & Thyme), was called “masterful” and also received one award.
“We are proud that our original content – which reflects the spirit and diversity of our region — continues to be recognized year after year,” said Andrew Russell, President and CEO of the Public Media Group of Southern California, formed last year by the merger of KCET and PBS SoCal. “It’s a testament to the importance of quality storytelling and in-depth journalism, which are at the core of our mission.”
The 61st Annual Southern California Journalism Awards for KCET are:
TALK/PUBLIC AFFAIRS
SoCal Connected - "Freelance Nation and Made in L.A."
Karen Foshay, Deepa Fernandes, Nic Cha Kim, Dina Demetrius and Kathy Kasaba
Judges’ comment: What an absolutely excellent program. Both segments (Freelance Nation and Made in LA) were so very well-produced, shot, edited, and written. They were both honest, touching, informative, and thought provoking. This is everything that great TV should be!
DOCUMENTARY, SHORT, under 25 minutes
Artbound - “Open Your Eyes: Lula Washington Dance Theatre”
Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Adebukola Bodunrin, Angela Boisvert and Matt Bass
Judges’ comment: Lula Washington Dance Theatre is a great show. Recorded and produced in a way that loving demonstrates the history, artistry and passion of Lula Washington and her partner Erwin. The cinematography, edit, score, mix, pacing and story is about pitch perfect in portraying an important story on the intersection of artistry and community. A story worth telling, about people, perseverance and passion worth knowing.
TELEVISION JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Karen Foshay (SoCal Connected)
Judges’ comment: Karen Foshay is a towering force in producing important and meaningful stories. Her work is a mirror to life in Los Angeles.
ANCHOR/HOST
Val Zavala (SoCal Connected)
Judges’ comment: Val is quite simply a genuine paragon of journalistic professionalism. Our Life and Times are grateful for her.
ACTIVISM JOURNALISM
City Rising: The Informal Economy
Joanna Sokolowski, Kate Trumbull-LaValle, Justin Cram, Kelly Parker and Pascale Joassart-Marcelli
Judges’ comment: Massive subject brilliantly explained. Smart, emotional, a great mix of human stories and big picture breakdown. Just a great piece of journalism.
PUBLIC SERVICE NEWS or FEATURE
SoCal Connected - “Stolen Paychecks”
Deepa Fernandes, Lata Pandya, Alberto Arce, Austin Stoecklein and Dennis Nishi
Judges’ comment: The winner gives a voice to the economically abused. Very well told.
CONSUMER NEWS or FEATURE
SoCal Connected - “Blood Money”
Katie Cooper, Karen Foshay, Eduardo Gil de Montes, Michael Ray and Tori Edgar
Judges’ comment: This story shined a light on a growing, large scale problem with effects millions of families. We found the story interesting, compelling and easy follow.
PHOTO ESSAY, Culture/Entertainment
Artbound -“Land Artifacts: A Didactic of Ruins”
Osceola Refetoff
Judges’ comment: Fantastic black and white photos captures the starkness and mood of the story. Shows the power of black and white photography.
FEATURE PHOTO
Artbound - “Boarded Up Farmhouse”
Osceola Refetoff
Judges’ comment: A stark, almost haunting scene with detail sharply captured through black and white photography.
MINORITY/IMMIGRATION REPORTING
Artbound - “La Raza”
Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Laura Purdy and Dignicraft
Judges’ comment: A deeply poetic exploration of La Raza’s connection to the Chicano community through art and activism. Beautiful work.
GENDER/LGBTQ REPORTING
Artbound - “Artist and Mother”
Joanna Sokolowski, Kate Trumbull-LaValle, Jori Finkel, Matthew Crotty and Kelly Parker
Judges’ comment: Absolutely stunningly shot, told and edited. Wonderful interviews appropriately accompanied by a beautiful score.
CRIME REPORTING
SoCal Connected - “The People vs. Kiera Newsome”
Gina Pollack, Andy Viner, Karen Foshay, Luisa Conlon and Helki Frantzen
Judges’ comment: A teenage girl’s murder conviction is powerfully examined through the eyes of those seeking her exoneration in the face of an indifferent justice system.
NEWS FEATURE, over 5 minutes
SoCal Connected - “The News Blues”
Karen Foshay, Andy Viner and David Egen
Judges’ comment: Exceptionally sourced. The story was captivating, the in-depth material presented was interspersed seamlessly, and the videography was compelling.
NEWS FEATURE, under 5 minutes
SoCal Connected - “What Happened to ‘LA Weekly'?”
Karen Foshay, Michael Ray and Tori Edgar
Judges’ comment: Wow! Very dramatic and intriguing. There were many sourced data inputs and the story felt well-researched and succinctly reported.
HUMAN INTEREST FEATURE, over 5 minutes
SoCal Connected - “Out of Bounds”
Karen Foshay, Vince Beiser, David Egen and Dan Leonard
Judges’ comment: “Out of Bounds” is a masterful piece of videographic storytelling. From the haunting, minimalist opening featuring a mother tearfully searching among L.A.’s homeless for her one-time athletic star son, to the crescendo of truth-telling about California’s –and the nation’s– mental healthcare failures, to its hopeful ending, this piece artfully weaves together multiple strands of a story with which most are familiar, but which here is brought into high relief. The videography is excellent, the music score is effective and well-chosen, supporting the story’s many emotional highs and lows. The narration becomes more than spoken words designed to bridge from one piece of video to another. Rather, it becomes the weaver of the tale, creating a magnificent piece of whole cloth from one young man’s terrible tragedy.
LIFESTYLE FEATURE
James Mann, Antonio Diaz, Stef Ferrari, Matthew Crotty and Jacqueline Reyno
Judges’ comment: A program that uses masterful images of food to tell the story of the migrant experience in the U.S., and the ties between food and culture.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS or FEATURE
SoCal Connected - “Under the Influence”
Gina Pollack, Andy Viner, Michael Ray, Tori Edgar and Helki Frantzen
Judges’ comment: This piece had it all - images, interviews, information and a very relevant topic. The pace was good, and the segment flowed very well. Great job!
NON-ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITY PROFILE/INTERVIEW
Artbound - “Electric Earth: The Art of Doug Aitken”
Juan Devis, Matthew Crotty, Austin Simons, Lance Drake and Charlie Balch
Judges’ comment: Exceptional examination of the exceptional work of a unique artist. Beautifully constructed and edited.
LIFESTYLE FEATURE
Artbound - “La Raza: The Community Newspaper That Became a Political Platform”
Carribean Fragoza
Judges’ comment: Relentless research and reporting drives this powerful, detailed history of a Chicano publication that shaped the communities it covered for the better, and empowered a generation to organize.
Top Image: KCET staff at the awards ceremony | KCET