SAN FRANCISCO, September 12, 2017 – ABS-CBN International The Filipino Channel’s (TFC) daily news show, BA (Balitang America) will join 11 other first place winners and 13 merit recipients at the 2017 New America Media (NAM) California Ethnic Media Awards in a Gala Ceremony to be held on September 19 at the PG&E Auditorium in San Francisco.
BA, which is marking its 15th anniversary, was chosen winner in the Outstanding Coverage of Voter Engagement category for its Election Day 2016 newscast and its special called, “The Fil-Am Vote”.
BA Executive Producer Troy Espera said, “The team’s efforts in 2016 resulted in BA’s most comprehensive election reportage ever. Throughout the entire roller coaster ride of the presidential race, BA kept the pulse of Fil-Am voters and showed what an engaged Filipino community looks like. When the NAM winners were announced last Friday, I was informed that the judges agreed that BA ‘exemplified what the role of ethnic media should be during an election season.’ I am very proud of our team.”
Meanwhile, another Filipino winner is INQUIRER.net’s Cecile Ochoa who is a Merit Recipient in the Outstanding Coverage of Arts, Culture and Entertainment category for her piece, “86-Year-Old Fil-Am to Ride in Biker Rally, If He Ignores His Doc”.
The 2017 NAM California Ethnic Media Awards celebrates outstanding journalism on issues ranging from the environment, health and education to politics, immigration, sports and arts and culture.
A distinguished group of judges selected from more than 140 individual entries submitted by African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American print, online, and broadcast ethnic media outlets. A special panel of youth media practitioners selected the winner of this year’s Emerging Youth Voice award. The awards committee also selected four “Ethnic Media Champions” – individuals who embody the resilience and dedication of the sector.
Emceeing the ceremonies will be Martin Reynolds, co-director of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and former editor-in-chief of the Oakland Tribune, and Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, NAM’s national media network director and former executive producer/co-news anchor for ABS-CBN International-TFC.
This year’s awards event marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of investigative reporter Chauncey Bailey, a NAM co-founder who was gunned down on Aug. 2, 2007 while pursuing a report for the Oakland Post.
Below is the official list of winners as announced by New America Media (NAM):
2017 NAM CALIFORNIA ETHNIC MEDIA AWARDS
Official Roster of Winners & Honorees
A. NEWS BEAT CATEGORIES:
1. Outstanding Health & Health Care Coverage:
WINNER:
SKYLINK TV – ‘Bay Area Today’ program – Danny Wong – “What is Cancer?” episode
MERIT RECIPIENT:
LA OPINION – Araceli Martinez Ortega – “Latinos & Diabetes” [series]
2. Outstanding Coverage of the Environment:
WINNER:
EASTERN GROUP PUBLICATIONS/EGPNews.com – Nancy Martinez – “Exide, Porter Ranch: A Double Standard”
MERIT RECIPIENTS:
LA OPINION – Jorge Macias – “Thousands in the San Gabriel Valley at Risk for Lead and Arsenic Contamination”
SKYLINK TV – ‘Bay Area Today’ program – Danny Wong – “Three-Color Bins” episode
3. Outstanding Coverage of Politics & the 2016 Elections:
WINNER:
KDTV UNIVISION 14 – Maria Leticia Gomez, Joe Perry, Luis Felipe Godinez – “En Espera de la Muerte” [Waiting for Death]
MERIT RECIPIENT:
El TECOLOTE- Alexis Terrazas & Atticus Morris – “Alternate Reality: Growing Acceptance of White Nationalism in Trump’s America” / “Realidad Alterna: Creciente Aceptaciòn del Nacionalismo Blanco en el América de Trump”
4. Outstanding Coverage of Immigration:
WINNER:
SKYLINK TV – ‘Bay Area Today’ program – Danny Wong – “Under the Same Roof” episode
MERIT RECIPIENTS:
CHICO SOL – Bianca Quilantan — “Door of Hope”
LA OPINION – Araceli Martinez Ortega – “Stranded on the Border, Without Asylum and Without Hope” [series]
5. Outstanding Education Coverage:
TWO WINNERS:
INDIA CURRENTS – Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan – “How Much Is Too Much? The Price Of Pushing Kids To Attain Elite Status”
SKYLINK TV – ‘Bay Area Today’ program – Jasmine Chen — ‘Relentless Learning” episode
6. Outstanding Coverage of Arts, Culture & Entertainment:
WINNER:
KDTV UNIVISION 14 – Beatriz Ferrari & Eduardo Mancera – “El Pintor de Las Patronas”
MERIT RECIPIENTS:
INQUIRER.net – Cecile Ochoa – “86-Year-Old Fil-Am to Ride in Biker Rally, If He Ignores His Doc”
KDTV UNIVISION 14 – Flavio Lacayo & Eduardo Mancera – “Exodo a La Santeria” [Exodus to Santeria]
7. Outstanding Sports Coverage:
WINNER:
SING TAO DAILY – Mingyue [Flora] Xu – “American Boy Embodies Shaolin Spirit”
MERIT RECIPIENTS:
VIDA EN EL VALLE – Juan Esparza Loera – “Cabada’s Run Fueled by His Past”
KDTV UNIVISION 14 – Leon Felipe Gonzalez, Joe Perry – “La Cancha de la Esperanza” [The Field of Hope]
B. SPOTLIGHT AWARDS:
8. Outstanding Coverage of Gender/LGBTQI Issues:
WINNER:
MIDPENINSULA COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER – ‘Talking with Henrietta’ program – Henrietta Burroughs – “In the Aftermath of the Mass Shooting in Orlando”
MERIT RECIPIENT:
SING TAO DAILY – Isabelle Yiu – “Chinese American LGBT Community Asks for Respect for All”
9. Outstanding Cross-Cultural Reporting:
WINNER:
EL TECOLOTE – John Morrison – “Frisco 5” series
MERIT RECIPIENT:
PAKISTAN LINK – Ras Siddiqui – “Jews and Muslims Hold Joint Vigil at the California State Capitol”
10. Emerging Youth Voice:
WINNER:
EL NUEVO SOL – Pilar de Haro, Keila Vizcarra, Grecia Lopez, Curtis Poindexter, Araceli Solis, Aurabella Hernandez, Lorena Roque, Daniel Shin and Michael Arvizu – “Young Workers/ “Trabajadores Jovenes en Los Angeles” [series]
MERIT RECIPIENT:
YOUTH RADIO – Emiliano Villa – “When Economics Divide Siblings”
11. Outstanding Coverage of Voter Engagement:
WINNER:
BA – Balitang America [News in America] – The Filipino Channel TV – Troy Espera, Danny Manansala, Rommel Conclara, Henni Espinosa, John Cana, Don Tagala, Steve Angeles & Gel Santos-Relos – Election Day 2016 newscast and “The Fil-Am Vote” election special
C. SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS:
ETHNIC MEDIA CHAMPIONS:
Jarrette Fellows, Jr. – Publisher & Editor – COMPTON HERALD
Joseph Orozco – Manager – KIDE-HOOPA 91.3 FM
Dong Kim – Publisher – HYUNDAE NEWS
Regina Brown Wilson – Director – CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA
At the September 19 awards ceremony, NAM will pay tribute to its ethnic media founders, original supporters and collaborators, judges and sponsors, with special thanks to PG&E, the co-host for the 2017 awards, and our three Diamond Sponsors: Comcast, the San Francisco Foundation, and the California Health Care Foundation.
