PBS SoCal, comprising stations KOCE and KCET, emerged as the top winner at the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, collecting eight statuettes across categories including live events programming, entertainment, crime and social issues, and the arts. The public broadcaster also led all outlets in nominations with 29.
Univision's KMEX followed closely with seven Emmy wins, while Telemundo's KVEA secured six. The ceremony took place Saturday evening at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, with KABC entertainment reporter George Pennacchio serving as host.
Top Newscast Honors Split Between KVEA and KABC
KVEA repeated its success in two of the three station newscast categories, winning for regularly scheduled daily daytime newscast with "Noticiero Telemundo 52 Al Mediodía" and daily evening newscast with "Noticiero Telemundo 52 A las 11pm." Last year, the Telemundo station swept all three newscast categories, including the morning slot.
This year, however, KABC's "Eyewitness News at 6am" claimed the morning newscast Emmy, breaking KVEA's hold on the category. Under the awards' rules, every television station that submits an entry is eligible for the station newscast awards, with no separate nomination process.
David Ono Honored With Governors Award
KABC anchor David Ono received the 2026 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, recognized for more than three decades of broadcasting and his commitment to in-depth storytelling. His KABC co-anchor, Jovana Lara, presented the honor during the ceremony.
The event was produced by Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions, with Greg Taylor and Brian DeCloux serving as Los Angeles Area Governors. Award categories spanned a wide range of topics, including live and breaking news coverage, crime and social issues, culture and history, the arts, health and science, human interest, music, sports, and the environment.
Wildfires Dominate News Coverage Categories
The eligibility period covered the 2025 calendar year, meaning many of the winning entries in news categories focused on the devastating wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles region last January. ABC7's "Breaking News: SoCal Firestorms" won for live coverage of an unscheduled news event, while the station's "SoCal Firestorms 6 months later: Palisades Fire Investigation" earned the investigative news story Emmy.
NBC4's "Black Heritage: Altadena Roots And Resilience" won in the news series category, and Spectrum SportsNet's "After the Fire (Backstage Dodgers)" took the sports feature award.