KCLU-FM, the National Public Radio station for Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, was honored with seven awards for its regional news coverage.

KCLU News Director Lance Orozco won six awards, including Radio Reporter of the Year for California and Nevada. Other awards won by Orozco include Best Radio Spot News Coverage for "Ronald Reagan’s Final Motorcade," Best Radio Series for "Ronald Reagan Remembered," Best Radio Light Feature for "Shakespeare for Kids," Best Regularly Scheduled Feature Segment for "Arts in the Schools" and Best Radio Use of Sound for "Floating Classroom."

The KCLU staff also won an award for "Best Radio Live Coverage" for its live broadcast of President Reagan’s final motorcade and funeral.

"The KCLU staff and volunteers are among the best in the nation," said Ritch K. Eich, PhD, vice president of communications at CLU. He commended Orozco for his outstanding reporting and for garnering so much recognition for the station. "Lance is admired throughout the region as a reporter with incredible integrity and accuracy. In many ways, I see Lance as the Ernie Pyle of our region, covering hard-hitting news and gaining the respect of all who come in contact with him."

The awards were presented on April 9 at the Associated Press Annual Broadcast Awards Ceremonies in the San Jose Fairmont Hotel. The Associated Press (AP) awards recognize broadcast news excellence by radio and television stations throughout California and Nevada. KCLU won more AP awards than any other station among Class Two radio stations with staffs of five or fewer.

Earlier this year, the Radio-Television News Association of Southern California awarded KCLU 10 Golden Mikes for news coverage, making KCLU the winner of more awards than any other radio station in Southern California, large or small, for the fourth year in a row. The station has won 20 AP awards in the last four years and was named the AP Station of the Year in 2003.

A community service of California Lutheran University, KCLU may be heard on 88.3 FM in Ventura County. For more information, please call the station at (805) 493-3900.