KQED’s hit series Check, Please! Bay Area seeks guest reviewer applications

-- Local diners will review Bay Area restaurants for the upcoming sixth season --

May 2, 2011 San Francisco, CA --- Calling all diners! Check, Please! Bay Area, KQED's Emmy Award-winning restaurant review series, is looking for new guests to discuss their favorite local restaurants. Winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Media Award for Best Local Television Food Show, Check, Please! Bay Area airs Thursdays at 7:30pm on KQED Public Television 9. Potential reviewers who would like to tell the Bay Area about their favorite local eatery—anything from a four-star destination to your local café or street food from a traveling truck—are encouraged to complete the online application at kqed.org/checkplease.

Please note that in order to appear on the show, guests must be at least 21 years old, and be willing to travel to and participate in a taping at KQED studios in San Francisco. The taping will take place on a Friday between the months of June and September and will last a few hours. Those chosen to be a guest on Check, Please! Bay Area must also be able to get to the KQED studio at their own expense, and to travel to any restaurant location within a 50-mile radius of San Francisco. The shows will air as part of the sixth season of Check, Please! Bay Area, beginning in July 2011.

Award-winning author Leslie Sbrocco is the host of Check, Please! Bay Area with Tina Salter as the series producer.

Check, Please! Bay Area turns local diners into food critics while Bay Area residents discover the latest in food trends, from the simplest café to the luxurious four-star destination. Find a new restaurant or rediscover an old favorite on Check, Please! Bay Area, Thursdays at 7:30pm on KQED 9. Check out www.kqed.org/checkplease to stream or download video, find recipes, restaurant info, and more.

About KQED

KQED (kqed.org) has served Northern California for more than 50 years and is affiliated with NPR and PBS. KQED owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area), KTEH 54 (San Jose/Bay Area), and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5FM San Francisco and 89.3FM Sacramento); the interactive platforms kqed.org, kteh.org, and KQEDnews.org; and KQED Education. KQED Public Television, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations, is the producer of local and national series such as QUEST; Check, Please! Bay Area; This Week in Northern California; Truly CA; and Essential Pépin. KQED's digital television channels include 9HD, Life, World, Kids, and V-me, and are available 24/7 on Comcast.  KQED Public Radio, home of Forum with Michael Krasny and The California Report, is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service delivering more than eighteen local newscasts daily.  KQED Interactive provides KQED’s cross-platform news service, KQEDnews.org, as well as offers several popular local blogs, video and audio podcasts, and a live radio stream at kqed.org. KQED Education brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents, and the general public through workshops, community screenings, and multimedia resources.

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Media Contact: Meredith Gandy

415.553.2116, mgandy@kqed.org