Santa Barbara Independent Announces 2026 Best of Santa Barbara Media Winners
The Santa Barbara Independent has published its “2026 Best of Santa Barbara® Media” awards, recognizing outstanding local media figures and outlets in the Santa Barbara region. Winners include John Palminteri for Local Influencer, Nick Welsh for S.B. Columnist, 92.9 KJEE…
Santa Barbara Santa Maria San Luis Obispo, CA, October 21, 2026 —
The Santa Barbara Independent has published its 2026 Best of Santa Barbara® Media awards, recognizing local media figures and outlets in the Santa Barbara region. The announced winners span categories for a local influencer, columnist, radio station, newsletter and website.
John Palminteri was named Local Influencer, while Nick Welsh received the award for S.B. Columnist. The radio station category went to 92.9 KJEE, and Indy Today was recognized as S.B.-Based Newsletter.
The Santa Barbara Independent was also among the winners, receiving the S.B.-Based Website award. The results therefore recognize both individual media figures and local media organizations or products across several formats.
- Local Influencer: John Palminteri
- S.B. Columnist: Nick Welsh
- S.B. Radio Station: 92.9 KJEE
- S.B.-Based Newsletter: Indy Today
- S.B.-Based Website: Santa Barbara Independent
The announcement identifies the award categories and recipients but does not provide further details about how the awards were determined, when the results were published, or whether other categories or winners were included. No statements from the recipients or additional information about the awards were provided in the announcement summary.
The listed results show the range of local media formats recognized in the 2026 awards, from radio and newsletters to columnists and online outlets. The Santa Barbara Independent’s own website is among the named winners.
Story summarized from the original created by Tyler Hayden on www.independent.com, see more information here.
