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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
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Roundtable: Same-Sex Marriage, Manchester's Moves, Props A & B
President Obama caught up with Mayor Jerry Sanders and all four mayoral candidates this week on the issue of same-sex marriage. Doug Manchester is raising eyebrows with political endorsements, development plans and more media purchases. Do Propositions A & B solve or create problems?
Roundtable: Leaving Political Parties, Voting on Rent Control, Raising Hotel Taxes
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Roundtable: Water Rates, County Supervisor Race, City Budget
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Roundtable: Health Care Reform, Mayor's Race, Padres Sale
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Roundtable: San Diego's Mayoral Race
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Roundtable: Battle Over Birth Control
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Roundtable: City Budget News, Fairgrounds Board Views, Water Users' Dues
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Roundtable: Prop 8 Ruling, SDUSD Vs. Teachers Union, Food Trucks & Health
Roundtable: The Ninth Circuit rules on Proposition 8; the teachers union rules on San Diego Unified's budget plans, and we find out if there are rules for food trucks in San Diego County.
Roundtable: SDG&E's Solar Charge, State-Of-The-State, SD Mayor's Race
SDG&E runs a separate charge to solar owners up the flagpole. No one salutes. Governor Brown's state-of-the-state address asks for temporary tax increases. Republicans are not impressed. The four major candidates for San Diego Mayor mix it up in debates. Sort of.
