KNBC-TV, KNX-AM ARE BIG WINNERS OF GOLDEN MIKES

KNBC-TV Channel 4 and radio station KNX-AM(1070) were the biggest winners at the 37th annual Golden Mike Awards presented Friday by the Radio & Television News Assn. of Southern California.

Six of the awards went to KNBC, including one for best 60-minute newscast and two for its coverage of the Cerritos air disaster.

KNX, for the 16th consecutive year, picked up the Golden Mike for best radio newscast more than 15 minutes in length. That was one of seven awards the CBS-owned station received Friday.

The Golden Mikes, given for excellence in locally produced broadcasts, covered the period from Nov. 2, 1985, to Oct. 31, 1986. Categories are broken into divisions based on the size of a station’s news staff.

Joining KNBC as a winner in the category for 60-minute TV newscasts was KTLA Channel 5. The station also picked up awards for its coverage of an airplane rescue in Ontario and for its nightly sports segment with Keith Olberman.

Olberman was a double winner, also being honored for his feature reporting on KNX-AM.

In the category for 30-minute TV newscasts, the winners were KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, KFMB in San Diego and KEYT in Santa Barbara.

The Golden Mikes for best TV documentaries went to KCBS for “No Dope,” KHJ-TV Channel 9 for “Our Children: The Next Generation” and KCET Channel 28 for “Crimes of Neglect.”

KPCC in Pasadena joined KNX as a winner in the category for radio newscasts of more than 15 minutes. For newscasts shorter than 15 minutes, the awards were given to to KFI and KRTH.

KFI’s “Flashpoint ‘86: The Daycare Dilemma” shared best radio documentary honors with KBIG’s “Orson Welles On the Air.”

KNBC’s other Golden Mikes were for best news interview program (“Channel 4 News Conference”), best specialized segment (David Horowitz’ “Fight Back” feature) and best investigative reporting (“Beryllium: Deadly Wonder”). Its coverage of the aftermath of the air collision over Cerritos brought honors for best spot news reporting and best special news programming.

Other multiple winners in the TV area were KCBS, KHJ and KFMB with four each, KBAK with three and KCET and KABC-TV with two each. Radio’s other multiple winners were KFI with four, KSDO with three and KFWB, KRTH, KSKQ and KLON with two each.