In addition, ASIA received second place honors for the second year in a row in the category of public service and consumer advocacy for its special edition “The Legacy of Asian Heritage  Month."         The awards were announced at a gala reception of the San Diego Press Club Oct. 21 at the Hall of Champions in San Diego’s Balboa Park.Jack Williams, a media consultant for ASIA,     was    also honored with the Harold Keen Award for “Outstanding Contribution in Journalism.” Each year, the Press Club selects a single individual to honor for his or her body of work as a  career journalist.        Last year, ASIA walked away with six awards, including Best of Show for a feature profile on community leader Tom Fat. No other ethno-centric newspaper in San Diego has ever done that.    In addition to Best of Show, Asia publisher Rosalynn Carmen received two second place awards, one for front page design and the other for photography, while co-publisher     Leonard Novarro received first place for his writing in the category of non-daily newspapers.ASIA was the only ethnic, non-mainstream newspaper to be so honored in both 2007 and 2008.        The   publication also received a public service commendation for producing the annual Asian Heritage Awards.“It is an honor to be recognized by your peers, not only in San Diego, but across the  country, as these awards demonstrate,” said ASIA Publisher Leonard Novarro. “From its inception in 2002, and in 2003 when we were first honored by the San Diego Press     Club,  our  publication serving the Asian Pacific Islander community has been a consistent leader in the field of community journalism. It is our pledge to remain so,” Novarro added.     Asia Media Inc.,   publisher of the newspaper ASIA, was founded in June 2002.  The newspaper began publishing 5,000 copies every three weeks but soon grew to a twice-monthly    circulation of 15,000 and within two years, 20,000.Publishers Carmen and Novarro, along with businessman Tuan Pham, last year formed Asia Media Los Angeles to produce a second    community newspaper exclusively for the Los Angeles area. By the beginning of 2009, the newspaper will produce a third edition to serve the South in New Orleans,Houston and  Atlanta.          “While mainstream newspapers are having a tough time, we are consistently gaining ground primarily because of our strong commitment to community,” said Carmen. “Being honored  by a mainstream media organization like this also acknowledges the level of professionalism we have brought to the community we serve.”ASIA also produces an Internet-based radio show   “Asia Talk Radio” and, along with the Asian Heritage Society, the annual Asian Heritage Awards, about to enter its sixth year. For more about ASIA, go to www.AsiaMediaInc.com  or email:   Editorial@AsiaMediaInc.com