On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, Los Angeles TV legend Pat Harvey reflects on changes in news and in Southern California over her long career as she is honored by the National Association of Black Journalists Los Angeles on Nov. 14. And we’ll take a look at the work of Variety’s own Angelique Jackson as she is also recognized by NABJLA with its excellence in entertainment media honor.
Asked about the biggest changes that she’s seen in her four decades at the anchor desk, Harvey points to shifts in the region’s population, as well as the steady progress toward greater diversity in the power structures of government and business.
Southern California’s “demographics have changed. Obviously, that’s a big difference. And because of that, neighborhoods have changed. Communities have changed. I think we find ways to adapt every day, even in our storytelling,” Harvey says.
“But the premise of what we have to report does not. I think the commitment to community and the focus on our different perspectives is still top of mind. our governments have changed also. I think the [Los Angeles] City Council is younger certainly than it was when I first arrived. Look at Mayor [Karen] Bass, being the first Black woman mayor of Los Angeles. I would say I’ve seen more female journalists who have gone on. Some of them have become general managers. That wasn’t like that when I first arrived.”
Harvey will receive the Local Legacy Awards on Nov. 14 at the NABJLA’s annual Scholarship and Awards Soiree in downtown Los Angeles. Variety‘s Jackson will also be recognized alongside ABC 7 reporter Tim Pulliam and anchor Leslie Sykes will also be honored.
(Pictured: CBS LA anchor Pat Harvey)
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