University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

MEDIA RELEASE

KCSN-FM Wins Its 55th Golden Mike for News Reporting

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2008) — Cal State Northridge’s acclaimed public radio station, KCSN-FM 88.5, has won its 55th "Golden Mike" award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California.

The award, for "Best News Reporting," was in Division B, which consists of stations with five or fewer full-time employees in their news division. KCSN’s news division is made up of only one full-time employee, News Director Keith Goldstein, and Northridge students majoring in broadcast journalism.

The award was presented to recent journalism graduate Joannes Pamatmat for her four-and-a-half-minute story, "Driving Distractions." Her piece aired on KCSN’s 30-minute news program, "The Evening Update," in the spring of 2007, just before she graduated.

Pamatmat, now a producer for the 11 o’clock news broadcast at KCOY Channel 12, the CBS television affiliate in Santa Maria, said she was astonished to win.

"It’s such a confidence booster and so amazing to receive such an honor at my age," said Pamatmat, 22. "Keith entered my piece into the competition without telling me, and when he called me to tell me I had won, I was astonished.

"To win such an award from my professional peers so early in my career is completely shocking," she said. "As I told my parents, I just hope this doesn’t mean I’ve peaked too early in my career. There’s still so much I have to learn and want to do."

The award was presented to Pamatmat at the association’s annual awards gala on Saturday, Jan 27. Pamatmat admitted she hasn’t told her colleagues at KCOY, except for her news director, about the award, saying she "wants to prove myself, first." She has been at KCOY for only two months.

Goldstein said Pamatmat’s "Driving Distractions" story was the first KCSN piece to win a "Best News Reporting" honor in the "Golden Mike" competition in the 20 years he has been the station’s news director.

"I think the judges recognized that Joannes made an ambitious effort to incorporate a wide variety of natural sounds and interviews into a well-rounded script that covers the issues in depth," Goldstein said.

Pamatmat talked to teenagers about their driving habits, and examined the issues raised when the teens text message, talk on their cell phones, play with their iPods and take part in other distracting activities while behind the wheel. She also talked to adults, who may be putting on makeup or talking on a cell phone instead of giving the road their undivided attention while they are driving, as well as Department of Motor Vehicle and law enforcement officials.

"She went far beyond the expectations I had when she took on the assignment," Goldstein said, noting that Pamatmat did the story as part of an upper-division broadcast journalism class. "She had 11 different kinds of ambient sounds and talked to seven or eight people, and managed to put all that into four-and-a-half minutes and tell a very good story that made sense."

KCSN-FM 88.5 is a non-profit, member-supported public radio station broadcasting live from the campus of California State University, Northridge. Since 1987, the station’s news division has won more than 400 awards in national, state and regional competitions against professional broadcasters and other university students. KCSN was recognized by Los Angeles magazine as the area’s best university-sponsored public radio station. The station, billed as "Arts and Roots Radio," is also one of the last to include classical music in its playlist.

To learn more about KCSN-FM 88.5, go to the Web site www.kcsn.org.