About KUED

Ken Verdoia

Director of Production

Ken Verdoia was appointed KUED-TV's Director of Production in July, 2005. In this position he directs all local program production efforts and coordinates the contributions of independent producers to public television.

A native of San Francisco, California, Ken joined public television in 1981 after serving in newspaper, radio and television reporting positions in California, Colorado and Utah. He previously served fifteen years as KUED's Senior Producer for Public Affairs.

An honors graduate of San Jose State University in California, Ken has also studied at the University of Utah, the University of North Carolina and Cambridge University in England. In more than 25 years with the University of Utah’s public television station, Ken has been the recipient of more than 100 regional, national and international awards for journalistic and broadcast excellence. While producing dozens of documentaries exploring historic, social and political themes, he has been honored with seventeen Emmy Awards.

He has twice been named recipient of the National Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for outstanding achievement in documentary production. During his term of service with the University he was selected a Fellow of the American Political Science Association, serving for a year as a legislative analyst in the U.S. Congress.

In 1997 his record of exceptional service to the people of Utah was recognized with the Governor’s Award by the Utah Humanities Council for outstanding career achievement. In 2003 he was inducted into the Silver Circle by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for lifetime broadcast achievement. In 2005 he was named recipient of the University of Utah's Presidential Staff Award for outstanding contributions to the University and the community.

In 2007 he was honored by the University Communication Department with its Service to Journalism Award, as well as receiving the American Library Association's Gordon Conable Award for the defense of freedom of information.

He is also a recognized innovator in his field. His groundbreaking approach to political coverage was honored with the Governor’s Award for Public Service from the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, and has been used as a demonstration project by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to train other public broadcasters in exceptional public service.

In addition to his work in public television, Ken is a freelance writer, media consultant, and holds an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah. His first book, UTAH: The Struggle for Statehood, was published in 1996 by the University of Utah Press. He and his wife, Carol, make their home in Salt Lake City with their two daughters.