Newscast Producer

Covering the stories shaping Kern County and communities across California, with a focus on local news, housing, education, public affairs, culture, and the people behind the headlines.

Hi, I’m Amanda Hernandez, a broadcast news producer and multimedia journalist passionate about telling impactful stories that inform, connect, and serve communities. I currently work in local television news in my hometown of Bakersfield, California, where I help shape daily newscasts and bring important local stories to viewers.

A graduate of San Francisco State University’s Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts program, I’ve built experience across television, radio, digital journalism, and documentary filmmaking. My newsroom experience includes reporting, producing, anchoring, and digital content creation at KGET 17 News, KQED, and KALW Public Media and State of Events.

My path into journalism began as a non-traditional student in 2022. Before transferring to SFSU, I earned my associate degree in Journalism from Bakersfield College, where I first developed my passion for storytelling and community-focused reporting.

I’m particularly interested in local government, housing, education, social justice, and the issues shaping the communities we call home. Whether producing a newscast, reporting in the field, or developing a documentary, my goal remains the same: to tell stories with curiosity, empathy, accuracy, and integrity.

NPR News: California's AI Transparency Act

From Sixth Street to Golden Gate Ave. (2026)

Director • Cinematographer • Additional Editor

A fifteen-minute documentary following small business owner that follows Billy Alabsi, a Yemeni immigrant rebuilding his life and business after homelessness, exploring resilience, community and the realities of the American Dream.

Audio Journalism

Produced radio stories and newscasts covering local news, housing, education, weather, and community issues across the Bay Area, with experience in reporting, scriptwriting, audio editing, and field recording.

KALW • 1st September 2026

Question of the Bay: how do you feel about e-bikes?

E-bike ridership is on the rise in San Francisco, with over 500,000 Lyft bike trips recorded in June of this year — a monthly record. The city has had a bikeshare program since 2018.David Hughes lives in the Sunset. He says he sees kids flying down Sunset Boulevard with no lights at night, hitting speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. 'I don't think you should be able to get an e-motorcycle without a license, and I would like to see people on e-bikes have a license," said Hughes. "Just because it h...

KALW • 4th August 2026

Landmark AI transparency law takes effect in California

A new California law took effect over the weekend, aimed at enforcing AI transparency.The California AI Transparency Act requires companies to embed data into AI-generated digital content.Eddan Katz is the head of Public Policy and Affairs at Encypher, which verifies AI content. He says that standards set by California and the European Union give users a history of when and how the content was created and how it may have changed using AI tools over time."Think of it as a tamper-proof nutrition l...

KALW • 27th July 2026

Project Open Hand serves its 30 millionth meal today

Project Open Hand delivered its 30 millionth meal today to San Francisco resident Nicholas Galarza of Noe Valley.Galarza, who lives with HIV, has been a recipient of meals since 2020. He says the program helped him during a time when he faced job loss and now he continues to receive weekly meals and groceries.At a press conference outside his apartment, Chief Nutrition Officer at Project Open Hand, Katie Jackson, says that a 30 millionth meal is more than just food."It's the opportunity to conne...

KALW • 6th July 2026

Several Bay Area cities off track to meet housing target by 2031

Under the California Regional Housing Needs Allocation program, California was supposed to build 2.5 million housing units by 2031. More than 400,000 of those were supposed to be in the bay.But San Francisco and other major Bay Area cities are nowhere near that goal, raising more questions about the ongoing housing crisis.San Francisco, which was supposed to build more than 82,000 units by 2031, has built just over five thousand units.Other Bay Area cities are even further behind. Foster City ha...

FIFA World Cup Draw

Falafelland Grand Opening

Broadcast Journalism

Anchored and produced State of Events, a student-run television news program, developing on-camera delivery, scriptwriting, and newsroom production skills.

Digital Journalism

Reported and produced digital stories covering local news, community issues, and public-interest topics, with experience in writing, interviewing, multimedia storytelling, and deadline-driven reporting.