GOLD MIKES AWARDED TO S.D. STATIONS

Broadcast journalists who covered the McDonald’s restaurant massacre in San Ysidro, the Olympics and the McMartin Pre-School scandal dominated the 35th Annual Golden Mike awards Friday in ceremonies in Beverly Hills.

In a year noteworthy for a general deterioration in local broadcast news reporting, the Radio-Television News Assn. of Southern California still found enough exemplary newscasts to award 52 Golden Mikes.

San Diego stations honored were KOGO Radio, KCST Channel 39, KPBS Channel 15 and KFMB Channel 8.

While rock music radio stations like KIIS-FM (102.7) and KRTH-FM (101.1) continued to gut their news departments and “life-style” reporting (i.e., legal advice, restaurant reviews, movie criticism, fashion bargain hunting, personal fitness counseling, etc.) replaced hard-nosed television news reporting and commentary on most Los Angeles stations, several news outlets did excel.

Fully one-fifth of the 52 Golden Mikes went to two CBS-owned and -operated stations in Los Angeles: KNX radio and KCBS-TV Channel 2.

KCBS won two Golden Mikes (best news writing and specialized segment) and KNX-AM (1070), the top-ranked all-news station in Los Angeles, dominated the awards ceremonies with its reporters and producers taking home nine Golden Mikes for editorials, newscasts, documentary, sports, news and feature reporting and use of sound in news broadcasts. The station was also the big winner a year ago with six Golden Mikes.

KNX’s major rival, KFWB-AM (980), won a single Golden Mike for news writing. The station was plagued throughout 1984 by personnel shakeups and union-management squabbles.

News/talk KABC-AM (790), second only to KIIS-FM (102.7) as the most-listened-to station in Los Angeles, won no awards.

But KABC’s sister station, KABC-TV Channel 7, was the big winner among television stations, garnering six Golden Mikes for newscasts, editorials, sports, investigative and news reporting.

Winners include:

RADIO News Broadcast Over 15 Minutes: “KNX Afternoon News,” KNX; “KPCC Evening Edition,” KPCC.

News Broadcast Under 15 Minutes: “7 A.M. News,” KLAC; “5:05 P.M. News,” KPSI (Palm Springs).

Sports Segment: “Fred Gallagher Sports,” KNX; “8:30 A.M. Sportscast,” KRLA.

Sports Reporting: “Fred Gallagher Olympic Reports,” KNX; “A Night at Rasslin, Oct. 84,” KRLA.

News Writing: “Morning News,” KFWB; “Local Edition of ‘All Things Considered,’ ” KCSN.

Original News Commentary or Analysis: “Pinpoint,” KPSI.

Spot News Story: “San Ysidro Massacre,” KOGO (San Diego); “Escapee Surrenders,” KVEN (Ventura).

Documentary: “Border Bandits,” KNX; “The B-1 Bomber: A Leg to Stand On?” KBIG.

Station Editorial or Series of Editorials: “The Right to Bear Arms?” KNX; “Fact and Fantasy About Balanced Budgets,” KBIG.

News Reporting: “Border Bandits,” KNX; “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” KTMS (Santa Barbara).

Investigative Reporting: “Substandard Housing: What’s Being Done?” KLON.

Feature Reporting: “Music or Noise?” KNX; “Wordgames ‘83,” KCSN.

Specialized Segment: “Raider Profile,” KRLA.

Special News Program: “KNX Immigration Special,” KNX; “Passion Gap,” KRLA.

Best Use of Spot Sound: “Tracking the Torch,” KLON.

Best Use of Feature Sound: “Dave Zorn Features,” KNX; “Wordgames ‘83,” KCSN.

TELEVISION News Broadcast--60 Minutes: “Eyewitness News,” KABC; “KTLA News at Ten,” KTLA.

News Broadcast--30 Minutes or Less: “Eyewitness News,” KABC; “Newscenter 39 at 11 p.m.,” KCST (San Diego); “Noticiero 34,” KMEX. Sports Segment: “Eyewitness Sports,” KABC; “KTLA Sports Report,” KTLA; “23 Sports at 11,” KERO (Bakersfield).

News Writing: “Desert Plane,” KCBS; “Nancy Reagan’s Visit,” KCST.

Spot News Story: “Grow for the Gold,” KERO; “San Ysidro Massacre,” KGTV (San Diego).

Live Coverage of a News Event: “San Ysidro Massacre,” KGTV.

Original News Commentary or Analysis: “Frank Falero Comment,” KERO.

Documentary: “Aguas Negras: Black Water Time Bomb,” KPBS (San Diego).

Station Editorial or Series of Editorials: “Special-Interest Bill Not in the Public Interest,” KABC.

News Reporting: “McMartin Pre-School Investigation,” KABC.

Investigative Reporting: “McMartin Pre-School Investigation,” KABC.

Feature Reporting: “Greenfield Olympic Torch Run,” KFMB (San Diego).

Specialized Segment: “A Crying Need,” KCBS.

News Interview Program: “News Conference 4 L.A.,” KNBC.

Special News Program: “San Ysidro Massacre,” KFMB.

News Film or Videotape of a Single Story: “San Ysidro Massacre,” KFMB.

Film or Videotape Editing of a Single Story, Series or Editorials: “Good News Day,” KNBC.