PBS SoCal, KMEX Lead; KVEA Gets Top Newscast Prizes

PBS SoCal (KOCE and KCET) emerged as the top winner at the L.A. Area Emmy Awards on Saturday night, securing eight awards in categories such as live events programming, entertainment, crime/social issues, and arts. Following closely, Univision’s KMEX received seven awards, while Telemundo’s KVEA earned six.

KVEA once again claimed victories in the newscast Emmys for daily daytime (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and daily evening (7 p.m. to 12 a.m.) broadcasts. In the previous year, KVEA won all three newscast categories, including daily morning (4 a.m. to 11 a.m.). However, this year, KABC/ABC7 secured the morning newscast Emmy.

The 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards took place on Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, with KABC entertainment reporter George Pennacchio serving as the host. KABC’s David Ono was honored with the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, recognizing his over three decades in broadcasting and his dedication to in-depth storytelling. The award was presented by Ono’s KABC co-anchor, Jovana Lara.

The ceremony was produced by Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions, with Greg Taylor and Brian DeCloux as the Los Angeles Area Governors. Award 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.

In addition to PBS SoCal, KMEX, and KVEA, other winners included KABC/ABC7 and KNBC/NBC4, each with four awards; Spectrum News 1 and Spectrum SportsNet, each with two; and LA36, Spectrum SportsNet LA, and USC football, each with one.

Regarding this year’s nominations, PBS SoCal led with 29, KABC/ABC7 earned 21, KMEX obtained 20, KVEA received 18, KNBC/NBC4 secured 15, and Spectrum News 1 had 10.

For the station newscast awards, all TV stations that submitted entries were eligible. The eligibility period was for the 2025 calendar year, and many winners in the news categories focused on the destructive wildfires that impacted the region last January.

Here is a list of this year’s winners:

STATION AWARDS

Station awards do not involve nominations; all entries are candidates for the Emmy statuette.

Regularly Scheduled Daily Morning Newscast: 4:00am-11:00am

“Eyewitness News at 6am” (ABC7)

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Regularly Scheduled Daily Daytime Newscast: 11:00am-4:00pm

“Noticiero Telemundo 52 Al Mediodía” (KVEA)

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Regularly Scheduled Daily Evening Newscast: 4:00pm-12:00am

“Noticiero Telemundo 52 A las 11pm” (KVEA)

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NEWS AND PROGRAMMING

L.A. Local Color

“Hispanic Heritage Month – Candelas Guitars” (Spectrum News 1)

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Independent Programming

No nominations

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Education/Information

“For Dear Life: Art, Medicine & Disability (PST ART)” (PBS SoCal)
Angela Boisvert, Producer
Nic Cha Kim, Executive Producer
Tamara Gould, Executive Producer
Matt Pappas, Director of Photography
Suzanne Méjean Pinney, Editor
Robert McDonnell, Supervising Producer

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Crime/Social Issues

“Aging in America: Survive or Thrive” (PBS SoCal)
Neil Steinberg, Director, Executive Producer
Mark Jonathan Harris, Producer
Steve Purcell, Co-Producer, Editor
Karin Hayes, Co-Producer
Martin Sheen, Host
Michelle Merker, Producer

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Arts

“Aretha! with Sheléa and the Pacific Symphony” (PBS SoCal)
Maura Daly Phinney, Executive Producer
Andy Trimlett, Producer
Steve Purcell, Director
Keena Levert, Associate Producer
Sheléa Melody McDonald, On-Camera Talent

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Culture/History

“Somos de Aquí” (KMEX-TV)
William Negrón, Executive Producer
Julio Octavio Valdez, Anchor
Carlos Leonardo Gonzalez, Camera
Juan Ramirez, Editor
Marco A. Flores, Executive Producer

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Informational Series (more than 50% remote)

“Tu Voz LA” (KMEX-TV)

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Informational Series (more than 50% studio)

“Al Punto California” (KMEX-TV)

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Entertainment

“Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema (PST ART)” (PBS SoCal)
Jaime Morgan Muñoz, Producer
Nic Cha Kim, Producer
Angela Boisvert, Executive Producer
Tamara Gould, Executive Producer
Matt Bass, Director of Photography
Ben Boyd, Editor
Robert McDonnell, Supervising Producer

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Music Composition

“Art & Science Collide” (PBS SoCal)
Dan Deacon, Composer

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News Series

“Black Heritage: Altadena Roots And Resilience” (NBC4)

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Sports Special

“竜巻 – The Story of Nomomania” (Spectrum SportsNet LA)
Aaron Minderhout, Producer
Greg Taylor, Executive Producer
Erick Vazquez, Producer
Cary Osborne, Associate Producer
Logan Montane, Camera
Matthew Blum, Camera
Joseph Forquer, Camera
Brandon Cervantes, Camera
Margie Carson, Camera

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Sports Series – Programming

“Backstage: Lakers” (Spectrum SportsNet)

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Live Sports Coverage

“Nuestra Copa, Nuestra Pasión” (KVEA)

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Sports Feature

“After the Fire (Backstage Dodgers)” (Spectrum SportsNet)

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Sports Tease

“Shohei Ohtani: Baseball’s Solar Eclipse” (Spectrum News 1)
Taylor Schaub, Producer

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Live Special Events – Programming

“66th Annual LA County Holiday Celebration” (PBS SoCal)
Taylor Comen, Executive Producer
Letitia Fernandez Ivins, Executive Producer
Michelle Merker, Producer
Jennifer Chang, Writer
Cristina Lucio, Associate Producer
Patrick Traylor, Associate Producer
Madeleine Ciano, Associate Producer
Aloe Blacc, Host
Maya Jupiter, Host

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Live Special Events – News

“ABC7 Presents the 40th Annual Kingdom Day Parade” (ABC7)

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Feature Segment

“Indispensables, Pero Invisibles: Manos que Reconstruyen (Al Punto California)” (KMEX-TV)
Arturo Quezada, Camera, Editor, Producer
Dina Rodriguez, Producer

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Information Segment

“Combating Climate Change with Trees (Earth Focus)” (PBS SoCal)
Daniel H. Birman, Director of Photography, Executive Producer, Producer, Writer, Director
Megan E. Chao, Editor, Executive Producer, Producer
Angela Boisvert, Executive Producer
Tamara Gould, Executive Producer
Clarissa Guy, Producer
Jaime Morgan Muñoz, Producer
Susy Garciasalas Barkley, Producer
Jason Janocko, Director of Photography
Erik C. Andersen, Editor
Robert McDonnell, Senior Supervising Producer

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Live Coverage of an Unscheduled News Event

“Breaking News: SoCal Firestorms” (ABC7)

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Entertainment News Story

“Bob’s Brush with Fame” (NBC4 News at 5) (NBC4)
Michael Brownlee, Producer, Reporter, Writer

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Business/Consumer News Story

“Ausentismo en los Campos de Cultivo” (Noticiero Telemundo 52 a las 6pm) (KVEA)
Enrique Chiabra, Producer, Reporter
Luis Enrique Rivera, Producer
Manuel Pineda, Camera
Yolimar Aquino, Editor
Yansily Reyes, Editor

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Crime/Social Issues News Story

“Infierno en Adelanto” (Noticias 34 6pm) (KMEX-TV)
Candela Martinez, Reporter, Writer

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Art/Cultural/Historical News Story

“L.A. Cumbia” (Noticias 34 6pm) (KMEX-TV)
Arturo Quezada, Camera, Editor, Producer
Dina Rodriguez, Producer
Alvaro Corzo Virviescas, Co-Producer

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Environment News Story

“Cryo-Rescue: Race to Preserve Life” (NBC4 News at 5pm) (NBC4)
Enrique Roman, Camera
Annette Arreola, Reporter

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Health/Science News Story

“Inteligencia Artificial y la Ciencia Del Cambio Climático” (Noticias 34 6pm) (KMEX-TV)
Gabriela Teissier, Producer, Reporter, Writer
Andres Fernando Pruna, Camera, Editor, Producer

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Human Interest News Story

“KVEA Repartidor de fresas detenido” (Noticias Telemundo 52 A las 6pm) (KVEA)
Enrique Chiabra, Anchor

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Investigative News Story

“SoCal Firestorms 6 months later: Palisades Fire Investigation” (Eyewitness News at 5pm) (ABC7)

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Sports News Story

“La Huella Del Fútbol” (Noticiero Telemundo 52 A las 5:30pm) (KVEA)
Alejandro Navarro, Anchor

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Short Promo – Sports

“War Time” (USC Football)
Eric Michael, Camera, Director, Executive Producer
Sanay Saboo, Director, Editor, Producer
Luke Cuellar, Graphic Designer
Mic Ferrante, Editor
Michael Malara, Editor
Geo Robinson, Editor
Ezekiel Wagner, Editor
Zahir Martin, Editor
Douson Yuan, Editor
George Tyler He􀆯ley, Editor
Radmen Niven, Associate Producer
Cody Worsham, Associate Producer

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Short Promo – News

“NBC4: Picking Up the Pieces” (NBC4)

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Short Promo – Programming

“Climate & Environment (PBS SoCal)” (PBS SoCal)
Olivia Cox, Editor, Producer

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Public Service Announcement

“Emergency Lights? Pull to the Right” (LA36)
Vance Kotrla, Director, Producer, Writer