KCLU wins four broadcasting awards

KCLU received four 2008 Mark Twain Awards, including Reporter of the Year, for broadcast excellence among small stations in the western United States during ceremonies at Universal Studios Hollywood in March.

For the fourth consecutive year, KCLU news director Lance Orozco won the Pat Davis Reporter of the Year award as the best smallmarket broadcast journalist from the Associated Press Television and Radio Association of California, Nevada, Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Idaho.

Orozco also won the award for Best Spot News Reporting for "Ranch Fire Threatens Piru," part of the station's coverage of the massive blaze in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. He received the Best News Writing award for "Fire in the Hills," a story about the Santa Rosa Valley brushfire that threatened hundreds of homes before it was contained.

Orozco, Jim Rondeau and John Palminteri won the award for Best Live Coverage of a News Event for "Zaca Firestorm," coverage of the huge brushfire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

KCLU was also a nominee in the Best Light Feature Reporting category for "Santa in Santa Barbara," a story about a man who operates a free hotline for kids to call during the holiday season to talk to Santa Claus.

The winners were chosen from among hundreds of entries from 2007.

KCLU, the National Public Radio station serving 70,000 listeners in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, is a community service of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. It broadcasts in Ventura County on 88.3 FM, in Santa Barbara County on 102.3 FM and online at www.kclu.org