LA Press Club honors KCLU program director

Rondeau, program director and morning anchor for the National Public Radio station serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, beat out finalists from KPCC, KPFK Pacifica Radio and CRNTalk.net.

“With a fast-paced and brisk delivery, Jim Rondeau commands attention. He keeps things moving and interesting, fun and informative,” the judges commented.

John North, KCLU’s special projects producer, was honored for Best Radio Documentary for “Bullying: Kids in Crisis” during the ceremony at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The hour-long special, which judges described as “excellent and compelling,” examined bullying in Ventura and Santa Barbara county schools.

Through the years, many organizations have honored Rondeau for his coverage of stories ranging from wildfires to same-sex marriage. Under his guidance, KCLU’s audience has increased substantially, and the station has become a leader in news and public affairs programming.

Before coming to KCLU, the Seattle native worked at stations in the Northwest, San Diego and Los Angeles and produced nationally syndicated programming for Premiere Radio Networks.

KCLU, a community service of California Lutheran University, provides NPR and local news programming to 70,000 listeners in Ventura County at 88.3 FM, in Santa Barbara County at 102.3 FM and 1340 AM, and online at kclu.org.