PBS SoCal Announces Fine Cut Student Filmmaker Winners From USC, CSUN, California College of the Arts

It's become an annual tradition for my Variety colleague Angelique Jackson and myself, to host the annual "Fine Cut" student filmmaker awards. This year, the event was once again held at Vidiots in Eagle Rock, and we had a great time spotlighting some new, young talent.

Student filmmakers from USC, California College of the Arts and Cal State Northridge were the top winners at PBS SoCal‘s 27th annual Fine Cut Festival of Films. The winners, revealed during a screening and awards ceremony on Tuesday at Eagle Rock’s Vidiots (inside its Eagle Theater), shared prize packages valued at more than $55,000.

This year’s winners included Daniel Simon Zhang (USC), in narrative, for “Stop When Your Ancestors Say So”; Mia Hagerty (USC), in documentary, for “A Good Death”; and John Angelo Serrano (California College of the Arts), in animation, for “Bigger Picture.” The evening’s top prize, the Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award, went to Sam Markson (CSUN), for “Jewish Moms Scare the Crap Out of Me.”

“Fine Cut” is PBS SoCal’s longest-running series — launching in 1996 with just four local schools. This year, the competition garnered more than 430 film submissions from 53 schools.

Read more here.

PBS SoCal, KMEX Lead L.A. Local Emmy Wins; KVEA, KABC Land Top Newscast Prizes

PBS SoCal (KOCE and KCET) was the big winner Saturday night at the L.A. Area Emmy Awards, landing eight — including for live events-programming, entertainment, crime/social issues and arts. Univision’s KMEX was next, with seven, followed by Telemundo’s KVEA with six.

KVEA once again won the newscast Emmys for daily daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and daily evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.). Last year, KVEA won all three — also picking up daily morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.). But this year, KABC/ABC7 won that morning newscast Emmy.

The 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards were held Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, hosted by KABC entertainment reporter George Pennacchio. KABC’s David Ono received the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, “recognizing his more than three decades of broadcasting and his passion for in-depth storytelling.” Ono’s KABC co-anchor, Jovana Lara, presented him the honor.

Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions produced the ceremony, while Greg Taylor and Brian DeCloux are the Los Angeles Area Governors. Categories included Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Health and Science, Human Interest, Music, Sports and the Environment.

Beyond PBS SoCal, KMEX and KVEA, other outlet winners included KABC/ABC7 (four), KNBC/NBC4 (four), Spectrum News 1 (two), Spectrum SportsNet (two), LA36 (one), Spectrum SportsNet LA (one) and USC football (one).

As for this year’s nominee totals, PBS SoCal landed 29 nominations; KABC/ABC7 received 21, Univision outlet KMEX received 20, Telemundo’s KVEA had 18, KNBC/NBC4 landed 15 and Spectrum News 1 had 10.

For the station newscast awards, every TV station that submits is eligible. This year’s eligibility period was for the 2025 calendar year, which means many of the news categories winners focused on the devastating wildfires that ripped through the region last January.

Read more, and see the list of winners here.

Coverage of Last Year’s Devastating Fires, and the Aftermath, Dominate L.A. Area Emmy Nominations — as PBS SoCal, ABC7, KMEX Lead Tally

PBS SoCal, KABC/ABC7 and KMEX led the tally on Tuesday as the TV Academy announced nominations for the 78th annual L.A. Area Emmy Awards.

The annual ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 25, at the Skirball Cultural Center. As for this year's nominee totals, PBS SoCal landed 29 nominations; KABC/ABC7 received 21, Univision outlet KMEX received 20, Telemundo's KVEA had 18, KNBC/NBC4 landed 15 and Spectrum News 1 had 10.

Per the TV Academy, the Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards "honor locally produced programs in the categories of Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Human Interest, Sports, the Environment, and Live and Breaking News Coverage."

For the station newscast awards, every TV station that submits is eligible. This year's eligibility period was for the 2025 calendar year, which means many of the news categories were dominated by local coverage of the devastating wildfires that ripped through the region last January.

Last year, PBS SoCal (KOCE/KCET) led the 2025 L.A. Area Emmy awards with eight total, but the other big winner of the night was Telemundo’s KVEA-TV, which took home all three station awards for best newscasts — for daily morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.), daily daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and daily evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.).

Find this year's nominees here.

Josh Groban, Jamie Lee Curtis Among Stars to Appear on PBS SoCal Telethon Supporting Public TV In Wake of Trump’s Elimination of Funding

In the wake of the Trump administration’s defunding of public broadcasting, local stations PBS SoCal (KOCE and KCET) are planning a telethon next week from the PBS outfit’s Burbank Studios home. “We ❤ Public Television!” is billed as a live, three hour telethon “honoring 55 remarkable years of public television – America’s trusted, free public media service that reaches every city, town and rural community across the nation.​.. This program celebrates the extraordinary musical artists and personalities who have graced PBS stages and screens, showcasing the cultural richness that public media and local PBS stations offer all Americans.”

Set to take place on Saturday, Nov, 8 at 4 p.m. PT, Rickey Minor will serve as music director for the telecast. Guests right now are scheduled to include Josh Groban, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ken Burns, Ziggy Marley, Lily Tomlin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Marlee Matlin, Nicholas Ralph, Noel Paul Stookey, Rick Steves, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Adam Arkin, Courtney Vance, Martha Plimpton, Joe Bonamassa, Sheléa, Jesse Cook, Judy Blume, Celtic Woman, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Mychal the Librarian, Lindsey Stirling and more.

The telethon will also feature performances from Nashville PBS including Kathy Mattea, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor.

After its initial broadcast on PBS SoCal, “We ❤ Public Television” will air on PBS stations across the country on Thursday, Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving night). It will also be available on the PBS app from Nov. 27 to Dec. 24. Additionally, PBS SoCal will rebroadcast the event on Thanksgiving night at 7 p.m. PT.

Read more here.

PBS SoCal Leads L.A. Area Emmys 2025 Winners Tally, While Telemundo’s KVEA Sweeps All Three Station Newscast Awards

PBS SoCal (KOCE/KCET) led the 2025 L.A. Area Emmy awards with eight total, but the other big winner of the night was Telemundo’s KVEA-TV, which took home all three station awards for best newscasts — for daily morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.), daily daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and daily evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.).

The 2025 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards were held Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, hosted by Spectrum News 1 host/anchor Kelvin Washington.

Jim Hill was recognized with 2025 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, for his five-decades-long career in broadcasting and 45 years as a sportscaster at KCBS/KCAL in Los Angeles. The award was presented by former LA Laker star James Worthy.

Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions produced this year’s event, featuring categories including Live and Breaking News Coverage, Crime and Social Issues, Culture and History, the Arts, Health and Science, Human Interest, Music, Sports, and the Environment.

KVEA and KMEX both landed seven Emmys total on Saturday — a strong dual showing for L.A.’s top two Spanish-language stations. KABC-TV and KTLA-TV followed with three each, while Spectrum News 1 and Spectrum SportsNet LA got two a piece.

Go here for the winners for this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.