The Radio Television News Association of Southern California has awarded Valley Public Radio six prestigious "Golden Mike" Awards at its annual awards banquet in Los Angeles. The event which took place on January 28, 2017 at the Universal City Hilton honors excellence in broadcast news production. Honorees from the station included reporters Jeffrey Hess, Kerry Klein, and Ezra David Romero and ranged in categories ranging from "Best News Reporting" to "Best Government and Political Reporting." The awards are open to broadcast radio and television stations in the counties of Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kings, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Tulare and Ventura Counties.
Valley Public Radio's awards included the following:
BEST INDIVIDUAL WRITING (Radio, Division B) – “Political Battles in the Past, Fresno Needle Exchange Improves Lives" – Kerry Klein
BEST NEWS REPORTING (Radio, Division B) – "With Water, One Era Ends and another Begins in East Porterville" - Kerry Klein
BEST ENTERTAINMENT REPORTING (Radio, Division B) - "Making Mental Health Cool: A Look Inside Demi Lovato's Wellness Workshops" – Ezra David Romero
BEST BUSINESS AND CONSUMER REPORTING (Radio, Division B) - "Cotton Sheet Conspiracy Brought Down by DNA Testing" – Ezra David Romero
BEST GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL REPORTING (Division B) "Fresno Residents Raise Concerns about Lead In Their Water" – Jeffrey Hess
BEST MEDICAL AND SCIENCE REPORTING (Division B) - "Tree Die-offs Won't Increase Wildfire Risk, Expert Says" – Kerry Klein