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Gloria Penner
Senior Political Correspondent
Gloria Penner will intermittently host "Midday Roundtable" Fridays at noon as she continues on a medical leave of absence. Until her leave, Gloria was the host of KPBS Radio’s weekly "Editors Roundtable" and "San Diego Week." She was the host of the first hour of KPBS Radio's "These Days" from 1995 to 1999, and the host of KPBS TV's "Full Focus" from 2003 to 2007. Gloria started her radio career in San Francisco in the 1950s as an associate producer on a program called Housewives Protective League. Her first job in television came after a move to Washington, D.C. where she was associate producer of the Washington segment of the "Today Show." After a stint in Hawaii and a return to Washington, D.C., she relocated to San Diego and took a few years off for family life. She joined KPBS Television in 1969 as director of community relations. Subsequently, she oversaw production of television programs for nine years. From 1993 to 1995, she was the host and writer for "KPBS Weekend Edition," a locally produced television program featuring highlights from the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. National credits include reporting and producing assignments for "Nightly Business Report" and the "MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour." She’s played an active part in KPBS’ election coverage for 30 years. Since 1996, she has moderated scores of town hall meetings on candidates races and propositions for KPBS, "Envision San Diego" and the League of Women Voters; conducted interviews with congressional, state and local candidates; and reported for television documentaries on issues and candidates.
Her awards include 7 Emmys, 5 Golden Mikes, 2 Gracies from the American Federation of Women in Radio and Television, The San Diego Press Club’s Harold Keen Award for excellence in journalism, the John Swett Award from the California Teachers Association, and many honors from the Society for Professional Journalists and the San Diego Bar Association. An annual Gloria Penner Award for Civic Service was established in 2003 by the League of Women Voters of San Diego County, and Gloria was the first recipient. Gloria earned her bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. She did graduate work in English at New York University and earned her Master’s Degree in English from Syracuse University. She is married to Bill Snyder, a retired manufacturer, with whom she lives in La Jolla. She has two grown sons and two grandchildren.
Read the article about Gloria Penner in San Diego Magazine's online edition from December 2009.
Recent Stories
Roundtable: SDG&E's Solar Charge, State-Of-The-State, SD Mayor's Race
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Roundtable: Withdrawal of Troops, Pot Dispensaries and Foreclosure
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The Roundtable: Poverty Rates; DADT; New Chargers Stadium Idea
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Roundtable: A Terrorism "Neighborhood Watch" In San Diego
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Roundtable: City Redistricting Winners And Losers
On Wednesday, the San Diego City Council approved new political boundaries for city council districts and added a 9th district. The year-long effort by the Redistricting Commission has changed boundaries and created winners and losers.
Roundtable: Was There A Housing Commission "Trojan Horse"
This week, Will Carless of Voiceofsandiego,org wrote about the San Diego Housing Commission's "Trojan Horse." The report begins with the Commission's plan to deal with the foreclosure crisis by buying foreclosed properties and making them into affordable homes for needy San Diegans.
Roundtable: "Non-Partisan" Mayor's Race Heats Up
The primary election for mayor of San Diego is about a year away, but the race is already heating up. Several well known republicans and one high-profile Democrat are running.
Roundtable: County Supes Draw Own Districts
The ACLU and some minority groups are preparing to challenge the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in court over redistricting. Every 10 years the census is taken, political boundaries are redrawn by the Supervisors themselves.
Roundtable: Unkind Cuts at SD Unified
On Tuesday, the San Diego Unified Board of Education gave the green light to a new budget for the school year. One school board member put it this way: the budget is going to cause grave damage to our schools in San Diego.
Roundtable: Grand Jury Slams City Hall Facts
On Monday, the San Diego County Grand Jury issued a report saying the costs of staying at City Hall rather than building a new civic center were exaggerated by the city and that the city can have a safe and functional city hall without spending almost 300 million.
