KQED Public Radio is the recipient of the fifth annual World Radio Day Award, which honors a U.S. station that exemplifies the best attributes of the radio industry.
The Academy of Radio Arts & Sciences of America, the entity that presents the award, says KQED is one of the country’s most-listened-to public radio stations. The station provides news and public affairs reporting to northern California via FM broadcasting, streaming and podcasts.
KQED Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan said, “We at KQED are proud to be recognized for our commitment to providing factual, accurate and nonpartisan content in this crucial period for democracy. In our role as a public radio station, we stand by the values of creativity, diversity and trust.”
The FM station, which is based in San Francisco and simulcast on KQEI in Sacramento, Calif., is nonprofit, noncommercial and member-supported.
Its stated commitment is to “provide people with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; convene community dialogue; bring the arts to everyone; and engage audiences to share their stories.” Programs include “Forum,” “The California Report” and “Snap Judgment.”
“KQED embodies the best that radio can be in serving communities, prioritizing creativity, diversity, service and trust,” Jorge Álvarez, chair of the Academy of Radio Arts & Sciences of America, said in announcing the award. “KQED describes its mission as serving the people of Northern California with a community-supported alternative to commercial media. The station says it aims to ‘help students and teachers thrive in 21st century classrooms, and take people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.’”
World Radio Day is observed annually to mark the founding of United Nations Radio in 1946. Proclaimed in 2011 by the member states of UNESCO, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, the international day is recognized each year on Feb. 13. The theme of World Radio Day in 2024 is “Radio: A Century Informing, Entertaining, Educating.”
Pittsburgh radio station KDKA was presented with the 2023 World Radio Day award last year. Prior recipients of the award also include WINS in New York, WRHU on Long Island and WTOP in Washington.
