KCET wins Murrow and Peabody awards.

KCET wins Peabodys

KCET has won an Edward R. Murrow and two Peabody Awards.

The station’s weekly news program “SoCal Connected,” received Peabody honors for “Up in Smoke,” an investigation into the proliferation of medical marijuana facilities in the Los Angeles region, and “Cannabis Cowboys,” an insider’s view of a 36-hour sting operation to destroy marijuana crops run by drug cartels inside California national parks. The PBS broadcast of “Inventing LA: The Chandlers and Their Times,” presented nationally by KCET, also earned a Peabody Award. Filmmaker Peter Jones’ documentary tells the dramatic story behind the founding family of the Los Angeles Times.

The Edward R. Murrow Award for hard news in the western region went to “SoCal Connected” for Lisa Ling’s report “The Young & Uninsured.”

-- Liesl Bradner Arts advocates head to D.C.

It’s time again for the national arts establishment’s annual choreographed visit to Capitol Hill in an attempt to gain Congress’ ear and its favor in coming budget deliberations.

For Tuesday’s “Arts Advocacy Day,” actors Kyle McLachlan and Jeff Daniels will fill the famous-folks slot among those testifying at a congressional hearing on the arts.

Advocates will propose $180 million in NEA spending in the 2011 budget, Americans for the Arts spokeswoman Liz Bartolomeo said Wednesday.

Another lobbying goal, Bartolomeo said, is to lift Department of Education arts grants to school districts from $40 million to $53 million, and to ensure that any education reform legislation provides for treating the arts as a core academic subject.

-- Mike Boehm BET revives ‘The Game’

“The Game,” the CW sitcom about the women involved with the members of a professional football team, which was canceled last year due to poor ratings, is being revived by BET. The cable network will launch new episodes of the series this year featuring original cast members.

The revival of the show was a highlight of BET’s upfront presentation of advertisers Thursday. Network executives decided to produce new episodes due to the show’s popularity with viewers who have watched repeats on BET. Another new comedy, “Let’s Stay Together,” about two young couples who decide to get married,” will also premiere.

The two shows mark BET’s second venture into scripted original programming. The first attempt, “Somebodies” in 2008, was an instant failure and lasted only a few episodes.

-- Greg Braxton What the future holds

The Discovery Channel says it is working with Steven Spielberg on an animated series imagining life in the future.

The network said Thursday that “Future Earth” would be a miniseries showing what life might be like in 25, 50 and 100 years. Futurists and scholars will be consulted for their predictions to incorporate in the series.

The miniseries is expected to air in late 2011.

Clark Bunting, president of both the Discovery and Science channels, says he hopes to work with Spielberg and his DreamWorks production companies on future projects as well.

-- associated press $1-million gift to Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton’s Main Art Gallery is being renamed the Lee and Nicholas Begovich Gallery in honor of the Fullerton couple’s $1-million donation to the department of visual arts to endow exhibitions, scholarships, fellowships and artists-in-residence.

The retired couple previously had given $120,000 to the university, including a $60,000 gift that led to the naming of the Scenic Design Laboratory in its performing arts center in their honor.

The $1 million is part of a campaign in tribute to Jerry Samuelson, who retired last year after 34 years as dean of the school’s College of the Arts and 46 years at Cal State Fullerton. Joseph Arnold Jr. was appointed dean last summer after serving as a theater and dance professor and associate dean.

The gallery’s next show is “Art Department Faculty: The First Generation,” featuring works by 20 artists, including Samuelson, who played roles in establishing the department.

Gallery director and associate professor Mike McGee is the curator for the free exhibition, which runs Saturday through May 14.

-- Mike Boehm