Public broadcaster PBS SoCal and sister station KCET walked away with eight statuettes at the 77th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, held Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center and produced by Bob Bain Productions.
Their haul, the highest of the night, edged out Spanish‑language rivals KMEX‑TV and KVEA, which each collected seven awards, while ABC7 and KTLA5 earned three apiece; Spectrum News 1 and Spectrum SportsNet LA followed with two each. Host Kelvin Washington of Spectrum News 1 kept the three‑hour ceremony moving before an industry crowd that included regional journalists, producers and community leaders.
PBS SoCal’s wins spanned culture, education and arts programming, including honors for “Lost LA,” “Artbound: The Cheech” and “Snapshots of Confinement,” underscoring the station’s deep investment in locally focused nonfiction storytelling. KCET chief executive Andrew Russell called the result “a mandate to keep telling Southern California stories that rarely make the national feed,” moments after accepting the evening’s final trophy for Independent Programming, “Possible Selves”.
The strong showing by KMEX‑TV and KVEA highlighted the influence of Los Angeles’s Spanish‑speaking audience. Univision flagship KMEX picked up statues for news series “Orgullo Mexicano” and the investigative report “Infertilidad: En Busca de un Milagro,” among others. Telemundo outlet KVEA swept the daily newscast categories and captured the Crime/Social Issues honor for “Telemundo 52 Investiga: Epidemia Oculta”.
Veteran KCBS/KCAL sportscaster Jim Hill received the Governors Award for five decades of on‑air service. “It’s not often I get speechless, but this time I am,” Hill told the audience after NBA great James Worthy presented the crystal‑based Emmy. Television Academy chair Cris Abrego praised Hill as “a trusted voice who humanized our heroes” during the surprise announcement earlier this month.
The Los Angeles Area Emmys honor programming produced and aired in the nation’s second‑largest market and are voted on by local peer groups. Submissions opened in January, nominations were revealed on 3 June and ballots closed 23 April, setting up Saturday’s celebration three weeks before national Emmy voting begins.
