The No. 1-rated spoken word radio station serving the San Francisco-Oakland market, a perennial standout NPR Member, has been selected as the recipient of the fifth annual World Radio Day Award, given annually to a radio station in the U.S. by the Academy of Radio Arts & Sciences of America.
The honor to KQED Public Radio is the latest to honor a source of news and information on the radio dial, following prior-year recognition of KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, WINS-AM in New York, Hofstra University’s WRHU in Nassau-Suffolk, and WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C.
While KQED is a storied NPR Member station, it is also the producer of shows including “Forum,” “The California Report” and “Snap Judgment.”
“KQED embodies the best that radio can be in serving communities, prioritizing creativity, diversity, service and trust,” said Jorge Álvarez, chair of the Academy of Radio Arts & Sciences of America. “KQED describes its mission as serving the people of Northern California with a community-supported alternative to commercial media. It aims to ‘provide citizens with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; convene community dialogue; bring the arts to everyone; and engage audiences to share their stories.’ 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.’”
KQED Chief Content Officer Holly Kernan added, “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. This award reaffirms our dedication to serving listeners with the knowledge they need, understanding they seek and arts that enrich lives.”
World Radio Day is observed annually on Feb. 13, to mark the founding of United Nations Radio in 1946. It was proclaimed by UNESCO member states in 2011 and adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012. The U.S. award program is administered by the Academy of Radio Arts & Sciences of America, which is affiliated with the Spanish Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences. The jury comprises representatives from the U.S. radio industry specializing in broadcasting, media law, publishing and consulting. The theme of World Radio Day in 2024 is “Radio: A Century Informing, Entertaining, Educating.”
— With reporting by Paul McLane
