San Diego's Top Weekend Events: Local Music Awards

Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

Nina Garin previously produced and edited the KPBS/Arts calendar. She also wrotes the weekly KPBS/Arts Newsletter and produced arts segments for Midday Edition. Before joining KPBS, Nina worked for nearly 20 years as an arts and entertainment reporter at The San Diego Union-Tribune. Along with covering the local arts community, she created the "Top Weekend Events" online calendar, profiled influential San Diegans for the "One-on-One" series, and reported live from Comic-Con, New York Fashion Week, and the Academy Awards. Nina is a native San Diegan, raised in Chula Vista and Tijuana, who was exposed to local arts at an early age. As a child, she tagged along to her mother's photography classes, taught by the late Michael Schnorr. She went to elementary school blocks away from Balboa Park and visited all the museums at least twice. While earning her English degree at San Diego State University, she participated in poetry readings and covered local music for The Daily Aztec. Nina has two daughters who study ballet, piano, and musical theater. She spends her free time pinning hair buns and perfecting stage makeup. Her husband, Matthew, is also a writer.