KCLU has been honored with seven Golden Mike awards for news coverage, including two for its reporting on the massive Thomas brush fire, and the related Montecito debris flow.
All of the station’s awards are in Division B (small staff size).
The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California (RTNA) presented the station’s staff with a Golden Mike for “Best Continuing Coverage” of the twin disasters, and KCLU News Director Lance Orozco with one for “Best Live Reporting” for his field reporting on the Thomas Fire.
KCLU’s Debra Greene won three Golden Mikes. One was for “Best Government And Political Reporting,” for “Kids Help A Ventura County Government Agency.” It’s a story about some Boy Scouts using birds as natural predators to control rodents from damaging dams, and levees. Greene won a Golden Mike for “Best Medical And Science Reporting,” for “Scientific Invention To Save Sea Turtles From Extinction,” a feature about efforts to stop the theft of turtle eggs.
And, Greene won a third Golden Mike for “Best Use Of Sound” for “Improv At The Zoo,” a story about how comedy is being used to teach science at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
Orozco won two additional Golden Mikes. One was for “Best Individual Writing” for “A Second Shot At Life,” a story about some Ventura County children in foster care being formally adopted; and “Best Entertainment Reporting” for “The Violin Master,” a story about an Ojai man who makes handmade violins.
KCLU was also nominated for an eighth Golden Mike for
“Best Radio Newscast Under 15 Minutes,” with Willa Sandmeyer, John Palminteri, and Lance Orozco.
The RTNA also presented its special “Freedom Of Information” Award to former Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean. The organization honored Dean for his efforts to work with the media while in office, and for the way he handled the Borderline Bar and Grill attack plus the Hill and Woolsey Fires even though he was only two days from retirement.
The Golden Mikes were presented January 19th at the Universal Hilton hotel in Los Angeles.
