Rising Up host Sonali Kolhatkar Snags Five LA Press Club Nominations

LOS ANGELES – Veteran morning-drive time Pacifica radio host Sonali Kolhatkar, has garnered 5 nominations for the 59th Southern California Journalism Awards, hosted by the Los Angeles Press Club. Three out of Kolhatkar’s five nominations are for her broadcast journalism on Rising Up With Sonali, with two in the category of Best TV Anchor, and one for Best TV Talk/Public Affairs. Rising Up With Sonali is a daily one hour, interview-format program produced at KPFK Pacifica Radio in Southern California, but airs on many stations and affiliates nationwide including Pacifica’s flagship KPFA in the Bay area. The television version of the program is carried by Free Speech TV (Dish Network, DirecTV, Roku).

“I’m proud of the work that we manage to accomplish everyday,” said Kolhatkar. “Together with my producer Anna Buss, our small team consisting only of two immigrant women, manages to produce as much high-quality journalistic content as outlets that are much larger and better funded.” Watch a ‘behind-the-scenes’ video of how Rising Up With Sonali is produced here.

Kolhatkar also garnered two other nominations for her online print journalism with Truthdig.com in the categories of Activist Journalism, and Election-related Political Column/Commentary. See the full list of nominations here. The 59th Southern California Journalism Awards will take place on Sunday June 25th at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Kolhatkar has been nominated several times before and in 2014, won Best TV Anchor at the LA Press Club, only a few months into her show’s transition to television.

Rising Up With Sonali is a popular daily radio and television program covering economic justice, race, gender, militarism, and more from a progressive perspective. Kolhatkar’s breadth of knowledge and clear engaging style has won the show many accolades and scores of fans.