LAist’s Larry Mantle has been named the Los Angeles Press Club’s 2025 Luminary Awardee for Career Achievement.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be part of this year’s National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards. I appreciate all the LA Press Club does on behalf of local journalism, which makes this recognition all the more meaningful to me,” Mantle said.
Mantle has been the host of the daily interview/call-in program, AirTalk with Larry Mantle, for 40 years. It is the longest-running daily talk program in Los Angeles radio history. The show airs throughout Southern California on NPR member station LAist 89.3, weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m., and has a national audience as a daily podcast.
The AirTalk guest roster features leaders in politics, entertainment, science, health, social debate, history, and the arts, coupled with the telephone participation of a highly sophisticated public radio audience.
Mantle also hosts the movie review and interview program Film Week on LAist 89.3, which is available on all podcast platforms.
Over his four decades on the air, Larry has won numerous national and local awards, including the 2012 Radio Journalist of the Year from the Los Angeles Press Club, the 2010 Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Best Public Radio Talk Show in the nation from the Public Radio News Directors organization.
“Larry Mantle is truly a radio legend. His 40 years of AirTalk are not only a remarkable run in radio but an incredible run in this ever-changing media landscape. The LA Press Club is honored that he has agreed to be our 2025 Luminary Awardee,” said Los Angeles Press Club President Danny Bakewell, Jr.
The Luminary Award for Career Achievement will be presented at the 18th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards Gala on Sunday, December 7, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA.
In addition to honoring Larry Mantle, there will be several other honorees, TBA.
Hundreds of journalists and media executives are expected to attend this prestigious event.
Proceeds from the Gala are the largest source of income for the Los Angeles Press Club, a 501(c) 3 that speaks for journalists across all media platforms. All contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information about this event or to sponsor, advertise or buy tickets, go to www.LApressclub.org or contact LAPC Executive Director Diana Ljungaeus at 310.210.1860 or email Diana@LApressclub.org.
The LAPC is one of the oldest and most respected journalist organizations in the nation, with a storied history of honoring the most celebrated reporters of the past century. In recent years, the Los Angeles Press Club has continued to uphold its tradition of acknowledging excellence in spite of the fact that journalism itself has struggled in the face of ever-declining budgets.
