RAFU STAFF REPORT
The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California (RTNA) will present the 76th Golden Mike Awards, honoring excellence in broadcast news, on Saturday, March 21, at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, 555 Universal Hollywood Dr., Universal City.
Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award will include Susan Hirasuna of KTTV (Fox 11).
Born in Encino and raised in Simi Valley, Hirasuna graduated from USC. For more than two decades, she has anchored the weekend news and reported for Fox 11. Her work has been recognized by the Los Angeles Emmy awards, the Golden Mikes and New England Emmy awards.
In 2012, she traveled to Japan on a fellowship to report on recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Tohoku region a year after the great quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.
As an anchor, she’s handled extended coverage of the Route 91 shooting in Las Vegas, the death of Princess Diana, and too many wildfires and police pursuits to count.
Hirasuna is a long-time member of the Asian American Journalists Association and served on its L.A. board for years. Currently, she is still active with the chapter as an advisory board member.
“I am shocked, humbled and so grateful,” Hirasuna responded on social media.
Raymond Mesa of KVEA and Lisa McRee of Spectrum News 1 will also receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
KABC (ABC 7) is a finalist in the Best Sportscast category for its coverage of the Dodgers in Tokyo, headed by Rob Fukuzaki.
KABC’s “David Ono Reports: SoCal Firestorm” is a finalist for Best Long-Form Program or Documentary.
Ono is also a finalist for Best Serious Feature Reporting, 5 Minutes or Longer for “FACEism 9066: The Story of Toshi Ito and the Day of Remembrance.”
KABC’s “Meet Mochi” is a finalist for Best Environmental Reporting, 10 Minutes or Less. Mochi, a parrot with an enormous personality, is the tiniest member of Ono’s family. The report explains that birds are facing a rapid decline, their survival threatened by human activity.
In the category of Best News Talk Show or Public Affairs Program, KTTV is a finalist for “In Depth: Little Tokyo Endangered.”
Finalists for Best Long-Form Program or Documentary include KLCS for “From Saigon to the OC” and KPBS for “Fall of Saigon at 50.”
Other categories include:
Best Newscast Airing Between 4 p.m. and Midnight
Best Daytime Newscast
Best Weekend Newscast
Best Weather Segment
Best Sports Reporting
Best Continuing Coverage Best Live Coverage of 2025 SoCal Wildfires
Best Coverage of a News Story Jeff Baugh Award for Best Airborne Coverage
Best Specialty News Program Best News Reporting
Best Investigative Reporting Best Light Feature Reporting
Sam Rubin Award for Best Entertainment Reporting
Best Business and Consumer Reporting
Best Government and Political Reporting
Best Medical and Science Reporting
No-host cocktails at 5 p.m.; dinner and ceremony at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $190 per person. Tables may be reserved for parties of 10 for $1,800. Limited number of tickets available.
All tickets are will-call and will be available in the lobby of the ballroom.
For more information and ticket link, go to www.rtnasocal.org. Direct questions to info@rtna.org.