Since 1992 Life & Times has been KCET's signature news and public affairs series.
Its mission is to offer viewers in central and southern California a lively and substantive alternative to local news, providing in-depth reporting, interviews and features on issues and topics that impact our diverse communities.

It is a unique series offering coverage of education, politics, government, criminal justice, race relations, the economy, environment, demographics, science, culture, local history, arts, film and authors, among other topics. This highly respected series has won numerous awards over the past decade including 22 Los Angeles area Emmy Awards and 25 Golden Mikes.

Life & Times airs every Monday through Friday at 7:00 p.m.


News Team

	Ms. Zavala's primary responsibility is anchoring KCET's signature series, Life & Times, which airs Monday through Friday on KCET. Life & Times is an award-winning local newsmagazine offering viewers in-depth stories on politics, health, education, growth, government, the environment, as well as local history, arts, and culture. Life & Times debuted fifteen years ago and has won more than twenty L.A. Area Emmys including Best Public Affairs series. Ms. Zavala joined KCET as a reporter/anchor in 1987. She came with six years reporting experience at commercial news stations. Over her 19 years at KCET, she has served as reporter, co-host, documentary producer and executive producer. Her work has garnered ten L. A. Area Emmy Awards, six Golden Mikes, and the "Avance" award from Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media honoring journalists for longevity and integrity in broadcasting. She was also named one of the hundred most influential Latinos by Hispanic Business Magazine (2006). Ms. Zavala is a trustee on the board of Mount Saint Mary’s College. She has served as a keynote speaker, emcee, moderator and panelist for numerous organizations including The United Way of Greater Los Angeles, MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund), Zocalo and The Walt Disney Hall speakers’ series. She left KCET for one year in 1992 to attend Stanford University on a John S. Knight journalism fellowship. She received a Masters in journalism from American University in Washington, D. C. and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Yale University.
	Linda Burns produces Life & Times daily programs and special projects such as election coverage, the remote broadcasts from the Democratic National Convention, "Life & Times: On the Road" and specials on the power crisis, terrorism, AIDS, and privacy. Burns is an award-winning newswriter with numerous Emmy nominations. She began her broadcast career as a college intern at KPIX-TV in San Francisco. Prior to joining KCET in 1998, she produced and wrote both news and public affairs programs for KNBC, KCBS and KTLA in Los Angeles. Burns studied Journalism at the Pennsylvania State University and received her Master's degree from San Francisco State University.
	Vicki Curry joined Life & Times in October 1995. She's since received an Emmy for Outstanding Information Segment, a Golden Mike Award for Best Hard News Series Reporting, and an Associated Press Award for Best Regularly Scheduled Feature. Previously, Curry worked at CNN's New York bureau and on the national PBS series "Searching for God in America." She received her B.A. in Political Science and History from Barnard College, Columbia University.
	Toni Guinyard has been a reporter for Life & Times since March 2003. Before coming to KCET she was reporter for nine years in Los Angeles. Her work has won numerous awards, including Golden Mikes and an L.A. Area Awards Emmy award for coverage of the Malibu brush fires.
	Hena Cuevas is a reporter for Life and Times. This is not her first incursion into public television as she’s also served as a producer/correspondent for KCET’s California Connected. She’s worked as a correspondent on the two main Spanish-language newsmagazine programs Aqui Y Ahora on the Univision network and Sin Fronteras for NBC-Telemundo. Cuevas was also with the CNN Newsgroup, where she was a field producer /correspondent; and as an achor and reporter on CNN’s 24-hour international Spanish-language network CNN EN ESPAÑOL in Atlanta. She holds a communications degree from Iowa State University, and a Master’s degree in International Communication from the University of Minnesota.
	Roger Cooper is a veteran television journalist who serves as Orange County Correspondent for KCET's award-winning local newsmagazine, Life & Times. Based in Irvine, Roger reports on politics, social issues and culture in this county of three million people. Prior to joining KCET, Roger spent six years as a news anchor and reporter for the Orange County News Channel (OCN), a 24-hour regional television news service. At OCN, Roger also hosted a daily live interview program exploring Orange County issues. In 1999, he received a "Golden Mike" award for his live coverage of the volatile demonstrations in Little Saigon. Roger has anchored newscasts in Memphis, Oklahoma City and Santa Barbara and served as a wire service reporter for The Assocciated Press.
	Sam Louie has been a reporter for Life & Times since May of 2005. Before coming to KCET, he was a reporter for nine years at local news stations across the country including Portland, Oregon and Cincinnati, OH. He received a bachelor's degree in History from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
	Cris Franco is a "Generation-Mex" actor/writer/comedian who turned in his green card for a Gold Card. Currently, he serves as a cultural commentator for LIFE & TIMES on KCET. Franco’s long standing relationship with PBS includes 7 seasons in the cast of Square One TV, writing 3 seasons of Puzzle Place, 2 seasons on-camera at California Connected, and hosting 1 season of his own talk/comedy program, The Cris Franco Show, for which he received 2 Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards: "Best Informational Series" and "Best Non-News Writing." Most recently, Mssr. Franco received a "Best Light Feature Writing" Golden Mic Award for his work on Life & Times. Other professional credits include: Zoot Suit, Dave's World, Seinfeld, American Family, Speechless, My Family/Mi Familia, East Side Story and the cult comedy feature Never Trust A Serial Killer. To learn more about his vida loca, log onto: www.crisfranco.com
	Patt Patt Morrison is currently a contributor to Life & Times, covering southern California history, culture and authors. She has been associated with the series since its inception in 1992 as host and commentator. Over that time she has won five L.A. area Emmys and four Golden Mike Awards. She is also a columnist with the Los Angeles Times, fill-in anchor on KPCC public radio, commentator for NPR's Morning Edition, and author of Rio L.A.: Tales from the Los Angeles River. Morrison is a member of the L.A. Times reporting team that won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of the Los Angeles riots and of the 1994 earthquake. She has covered national politics and campaigns, the Persian Gulf War, the Olympics, the Super Bowl and the death of Princess Diana. A former journalism professor at USC, Morrison is a graduate of Occidental College.