Rob Fukuzaki, a longtime sports anchor for ABC7, will receive the Los Angeles Press Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award, officials announced Thursday.
Fukuzaki, the weekday sports anchor and host of various sports programs, was named the 2026 recipient of the Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement.
“I am truly humbled, honored and blown away with this distinguished recognition,” Fukuzaki said in a statement.
Los Angeles Press Club President Danny Bakewell Jr. praised Fukuzaki’s impact both on and off the air, citing his long-standing community involvement and charitable work.
“He is clearly a pillar of his community, with a strong belief in giving back,” Bakewell said.
Fukuzaki joined ABC7 in 1994, becoming the first male Japanese American television anchor in Los Angeles local news.
In 1996, he founded the Heads Up Youth Foundation, which supports disadvantaged youth across Southern California through programs that provide school supplies, scholarships and other resources, organizers said.
The award will be presented at the 68th Southern California Journalism Awards Gala on June 28 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Other honorees include NBC’s Craig Melvin, who will receive the President’s Award for Impact on Media, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, who will be honored with the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.
Civil rights attorney Carol Sobel will receive the Guardian Award for Contributions to Press Freedom.