 |
PRESSROOM MATERIALS
|
KQED Press Kit
KQED Public Media overview, history, division and management information
|
Media Usage Policy
photo & document rights,
uses, permissions
|
PRESS CONTACTS
|
Contacts for journalists and reporters only. For information about contacting KQED, please visit the Contact Us page. Please send press releases or news story ideas directly to KQED Radio Programs contacts.
Scott Walton, Executive Director of Communications
415.553.2145
swalton@ncpb.com
Meredith Gandy, Publicist
415.553.2116
mgandy@kqed.org
KQED News Tips
Have a news tip or a breaking news item?
Contact KQED News newsroom: 415.553.2361
assignmentdesk@kqed.org
|
|
|
| KQED Public Broadcasting Comes Out To Receive GLAAD's Pioneer Award |
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Salutes KQED Alongside Brooke Shields and Sandra Bernhard at June 1 Ceremony
San Francisco, California, May 28, 2002 -- KQED Public Broadcasting made history in 1961 by airing television's very first program on gay and lesbian issues, The Rejected, breaking the "conspiracy of silence" by discussing homosexuality and featuring Margaret Mead, Carl Bowman, religious representatives, lawyers and members of the Mattachine Society. Four decades later, KQED has landed in the record books again as the first public broadcasting organization to receive GLAAD's Pioneer Award. The special award is bestowed upon an individual or organization that has contributed significantly to raising the visibility of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities, during the years preceding the first GLAAD Media Award.
KQED's GLAAD Pioneer Award will be presented on Saturday, June 1, at a ceremony at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. John Boland, KQED executive vice president and COO, will receive the honor on KQED's behalf from James C. Hormel, the first openly gay U.S. ambassador (to Luxembourg), a former KQED board member and a longtime supporter of the organization.
"KQED is honored by this acknowledgment of our efforts to provide a broadcasting service that is inclusive and that recognizes the incredibly vibrant and diverse communities we serve," said Boland. "Over the years, KQED's programming by, about and for LGBT people has generated a great deal of attention, locally and nationally. Especially in the early years, the reactions were often hostile and threatening. We accept this award on behalf of all the courageous KQED staff members who have held true to our core values of independence, fairness and community service often against great odds."
The single hour devoted to gay and lesbian issues back in 1961 was just the beginning for KQED Public Broadcasting. In the years since, KQED has continued to deconstruct stereotypes and challenge viewers' assumptions with groundbreaking programming, such as the original Tales of the City, Tongues Untied, It's Elementary, the Peabody Award-winning The Castro and the upcoming Hope Along the Wind: The Life of Harry Hay, receiving its world television broadcast premiere on Friday, June 28, 2002 at 9 p.m.
KQED further expands its role as a multiple media forum through KQED Public Radio 88.5 FM, with local, statewide and national news and feature stories frequently broadcast on public radio stations throughout the country. Recognizing that education is the key to achieving equality, KQED's Education Network hosts innovative programs and workshops for families and teachers. New Media, KQED.org, is also a community resource, housing KQED's LGBT Resource Guide as well as Web-only features around LGBT Pride Month in San Francisco.
The 13th Annual GLAAD Media Awards comprise a three-city tour of duty honoring entertainers, journalists and media organizations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Brooke Shields and Sandra Bernhard also will be honored at the San Francisco ceremony for their commitment to promoting equal rights for gays and lesbians in the entertainment industry. Actors Peter Paige (Queer as Folk) and Rufus Wainwright will present the awards. GLAAD, formed in New York in 1985 to protest the media's blatantly offensive stories about AIDS and to improve public attitude toward homosexuality, has since become one of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community's powerful media lobbying organizations, working to guarantee fair, accurate and inclusive portrayals in mainstream media and Hollywood.
Each year during LGBT Pride Month, KQED Public Broadcasting brings Bay Area viewers and listeners a wide array of television and radio programs spotlighting the LGBT community. KQED also celebrates with an awards ceremony (June 3 this year) to honor local heroes; publishes a LGBT community guide; and produces television and online profiles of local heroes. This year, a KQED contingent will also march in the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 30.
KQED operates KQED Public Television 9, the nation's most-watched public television station, and Digital Television 30, Northern California's only public television digital signal; KQED Public Radio 88.5 FM, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation; the KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources; and KQED.org, which harnesses the power of the Internet to bring KQED to communities across the Web.
|
|
|
