Call letters	KTLA
Station logo
Station slogan	''Get Connected'' (news)
Station branding	KTLA 5 (general) (The) KTLA (5) News (newscasts)
Digital	31 (UHF)Virtual: 5 (PSIP)|
Other chs	(see article)
Affiliations	The CW
Subchannels	5.1 KTLA 5.2 Antenna TV 5.3 This TV
Founded	1947
Airdate	January 22, 1947
Location	Los Angeles, California
Callsign meaning	KTelevisionLosAngeles
Owner	Tribune Company
Licensee	KTLA, Inc.
Former channel numbers	Analog:5 (VHF, 1947-2009)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1947-1948)Independent (1948-1995)The WB (1995-2006)
Effective radiated power	1000 kW
Haat	948 m
Facility id	35670
Coordinates
Homepage	KTLA.com }}

KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of The CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson. The station's signal covers the Southern California region and KTLA is also available as a regional superstation via cable and satellite in the United States and Canada.

KTLA was the first commercially licensed television station in the western United States, having begun operations in 1947.

Digital television[link]

rowspan="2">480i

''The station's digital channel is multiplexed:''
Channel	Video resolution>Video	Aspect ratio>Aspect	! Programming
5.1	1080i	16:9
5.2	|	4:3	Antenna TV
5.3	This TV

Analog-to-digital conversion[link]

KTLA shut down its analog signal, on June 12, 2009 at 10:45 p.m. during its evening 60-minute newscast ''KTLA Prime News'' as part of the DTV transition in the United States. Veteran newsman Stan Chambers, who was hired by KTLA almost a year after its launch in 1947 and remained there for more than six decades, was given the honor of "throwing the switch" to digital at its Mount Wilson transmitter site. He pulled up a ceremonial mock switch from the analog to digital position, signaling the engineers to shut down the analog signal. Covering the on-air event for KTLA was reporter Jaime Chambers, Stan's grandson.

Although no mention was made of it beforehand, the analog signal temporarily returned to the air 15 minutes later at 11:00 p.m. to air an analog nightlight video, joining KCBS-TV and KNBC in the post-transition practice. KCBS-TV and sister station KCAL-TV cut their analog signals earlier in the day (1:10 p.m.) while KNBC's analog signal switched to the nightlight video during the station's 11:00 a.m. newscast.

KTLA broadcasts on digital channel 31 using PSIP to display KTLA's virtual channel as 5. KTLA broadcasts in 1080i high definition on virtual channel 5.1, since CW Network programming uses that particular HD format.

History[link]

Experimental years[link]

Originally owned by Paramount Pictures subsidiary Television Productions, Inc., and located on the Paramount Studios lot, the station was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in 1939 as experimental station W6XYZ, on channel 4, but did not go on the air until September 1942. Klaus Landsberg, already an accomplished television pioneer at the age of 26, was the original station manager and engineer. On January 22, 1947, it was licensed for commercial broadcast as KTLA on channel 5, becoming the first commercial television station in Los Angeles, the first to broadcast west of the Mississippi River, and the seventh in the United States. Estimates of television sets in the Los Angeles area at the time ranged from 350 to 600.

Bob Hope served as the emcee for KTLA's inaugural broadcast, which was broadcast that evening from a garage on the Paramount Studios lot. The program, titled as the "Western Premiere of Commercial Television", featured appearances from many Hollywood luminaries. Hope delivered what was perhaps the most famous line of the evening when, at the program's start, he identified the new station as ''"KTL"'', mistakenly omitting the ''"A"'' at the end of the call sign. A 10-minute fragment from KTLA's first broadcast exists at the Paley Center for Media

KTLA originally carried programming from Paramount's partner, DuMont, but discontinued the practice after the 1947-48 season. Despite this, the FCC still considered KTLA and sister station WBKB (now WBBM-TV) in Chicago to be DuMont owned-and-operated stations because Paramount held a minority stake in DuMont. As a result, the agency would not allow DuMont to buy additional VHF stations—a problem that would later play a large role in the failure of the DuMont network, whose programming was splintered among other Los Angeles stations until the network's demise in 1956. Paramount even launched a short-lived "Paramount Television Network" in 1948, with KTLA and WBKB as its flagship stations. The programming service never gelled into a true television network, but during KTLA's early years, the station produced over a dozen series seen in syndication in many parts of the U.S. Among these series were ''Armchair Detective'', ''Bandstand Revue'', ''Dixie Showboat'', ''Frosty Frolics'', ''Hollywood Reel'', ''Hollywood Wrestling'', ''Latin Cruise'', ''Movietown, RSVP'', ''Olympic Wrestling'', ''Sandy Dreams'', and ''Time for Beany''.

In 1958, KTLA moved to the Paramount Sunset Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, originally the Warner Bros. Sunset Studios. For many years, those who have worked on Stage 6 at KTLA have been told that it was the site of filming Al Jolson's landmark film ''The Jazz Singer'' in 1927; Mark Evanier, who wrote for one such show in 1978, points out on his website that Stage 6 didn't even exist at the time ''The Jazz Singer'' was produced and the actual location used was probably what is now Stage 9.

Golden West Broadcasters[link]

In 1964, KTLA was purchased by actor and singer Gene Autry and merged with his other radio properties (including Los Angeles' KMPC) into an umbrella company, Golden West Broadcasters. From 1964 to 1995, the station was the broadcast television home of the Los Angeles/California Angels baseball team, which was also owned by Autry. KTLA carried selected Los Angeles Lakers games from the early-to-mid 1970s. During the 1970s, KTLA became one of the nation's first superstations, and was eventually carried on cable systems across much of the country west of the Mississippi.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, KTLA sought a different programming strategy from the competition. It would emphasize syndicated reruns of off-network programs (with a heavy emphasis on western-themed programs such as ''The Gene Autry Show''), first-run talk shows, movies, and sports programming. Children's programming, with the exception of weekend morning ''Popeye'' cartoons (which originally came from former parent Paramount, but had been sold off to what became the syndication arm of United Artists Television), were also phased out. It also launched a 10 p.m. newscast in the mid-1960s, the simply-titled ''News at Ten'' (also known over the years as ''The George Putnam News'', ''NewsWatch'' and ''KTLA Prime News'').

A Tribune Broadcasting station[link]

In 1982, Golden West sold KTLA to investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for $245 million. In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts sold KTLA to Tribune Broadcasting. Under Tribune, KTLA continued to acquire high rated off-network sitcoms as well as talk shows. In July 1991, KTLA added the first live, local morning newscast, the ''KTLA Morning News'', to compete with major network morning shows. At first, the ''KTLA Morning News'' suffered from low ratings. However, the ability to cover breaking news live (as opposed to the network morning programs, which were aired on a three-hour tape delay) attracted more viewers to channel 5. As time went on, the ''KTLA Morning News'' has enjoyed great ratings success, generally ranking number one in its main 7-9 a.m. time period. The program's success spawned rival KTTV to launch its own local morning program, ''Good Day L.A.'', in 1993.

In March 1991, KTLA was the first station to air the infamous video of the Rodney King beating by Los Angeles police. From 1994 to 1995, the station aired gavel to gavel coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial anchored by Marta Waller.

Also around 1995, KTLA introduced a midday newscast at noon, but was discontinued sometime in 1997. This was revived on April 1, 2009 with the relaunch of a midday newscast at 1:00 PM weekdays.

Locally, KTLA has been co-owned with the ''Los Angeles Times'' since 2000 when ''Times Mirror'', the previous owners of the daily newspaper, merged with Tribune.

The WB comes to KTLA[link]

On January 11, 1995, KTLA became a charter affiliate of The WB Television Network, in which KTLA's parent company Tribune held a 25 percent ownership stake. That fall, KTLA added afternoon cartoons from ''Kids' WB'', entering the weekday children's television business for the first time in many years. KTLA also broadcasts the annual Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena as well. The station has aired the Rose Parade since 1948, and while other local stations also broadcast the parade over the years, KTLA remains the sole English-language outlet in the Los Angeles area to continuously broadcast the event. The station also served as host broadcaster of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, which was later syndicated to all Tribune-owned stations.

Tribune purchased the Times-Mirror Company, parent company of the ''Los Angeles Times'', in 2000, bringing the ''Times'' into common ownership with channel 5. The ''Times'' had been the original owner of Los Angeles' Fox station, KTTV.

"Where L.A. Lives"[link]

The station launched a new branding campaign in January 2005, which omitted all references to its channel 5 position (although when rebranding as The CW affiliate, the channel 5 reference would return). It adopted a new logo, and became known on the air as ''KTLA The WB: Where L.A. Lives''. The new look also featured a brand new black and orange color scheme for news broadcasts and other functions of the network.

On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. Television unit of Time Warner and CBS announced it would be merging the operations of its The WB and UPN networks into a joint-venture, The CW Television Network. KTLA became the Los Angeles affiliate of the new network. The station rebranded itself as "KTLA 5 The CW" on September 17, 2006 after ''The Night of Favorites and Farewells''.

KTLA today[link]

Today, KTLA is a typical network affiliate, running the usual blend of syndicated shows, first-run prime time programming from The CW, early morning and evening newscasts, and sports. KTLA was the over-the-air home of the Los Angeles Clippers; the station carried Clippers games from 1985 to 1991, and again in 2002 to 2009, and was also the TV home of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1993 to 2001. Although not as widespread in national carriage as its Chicago sister station, WGN-TV, KTLA is available via satellite as a superstation, throughout North America on Ku-band, C-band, and Dish Network systems, as well as on cable systems in selected cities throughout the Southwestern part of the United States and in Canada nationwide.

KTLA offers 55 hours per week of local news, the most of any Los Angeles television station. The ''KTLA Morning News'' is the number one-rated local morning show according to the February 2011 Nielsen ratings.

KTLA's facility is also home to Sunset Bronson Studios (formerly Tribune Studios), where shows like ''Greed'', Fox's ''Celebrity Boxing'' specials, ''WKRP in Cincinnati'', ''Judge Judy'', ''Hannah Montana'', ''Solid Gold'', ''Name That Tune'', ''Family Feud'', ''Win Ben Stein's Money'', ''Lingo'', ''The Newlywed Game'', ''MADtv'', ''Judge Joe Brown'', ''Let's Make a Deal'', Family Game Night, and Pictureka! have been produced over the years. With its location, KTLA is currently the only Los Angeles area broadcaster based in Hollywood as many other television and radio stations have moved to locations in other parts of the region. On February 14, 2008, Tribune Company announced the sale of Tribune Studios and related real estate in Los Angeles to Hudson Capital LLC for $125 million.

While KTLA and KCET are the only broadcasters from Hollywood, there has been speculation that KTLA might move into the headquarters building of the ''Los Angeles Times'' in Downtown Los Angeles and combining operations and staff with the ''Times''. This arrangement is also used by two other Tribune combined newspaper/broadcast operations; Miami's WSFL-TV is based in the building of the ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'', while WTIC-TV/WTXX moved into new facilities in the ''Hartford Courant'' building in December 2009.

On January 13, 2007, KTLA began broadcasting its newscasts in HD, becoming the second Los Angeles television station to do so.

On January 22, 2007, KTLA celebrated its 60th anniversary of continuous broadcasting in Los Angeles. Two days later, on January 24, 2007, KTLA was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first television station or network to receive such an honor. In addition to the station itself, six other individuals associated with the station—former owner Gene Autry, newsmen Hal Fishman, George Putnam, Stan Chambers and Larry McCormick, and KTLA founder Klaus Landsberg—have received stars on the Walk of Fame. In addition, KTLA continued its celebration on the weekend after Thanksgiving by airing a 60-hour marathon of classic shows that aired on KTLA in the past. KTLA also aired retrospectives of historic Los Angeles news stories during its weekend newscasts. However, the retro news segments were canceled on November 24 due to extensive coverage of the Corral Canyon fire in Malibu, California. Among the programs shown during the marathon were ''The Honeymooners'', ''The Jack Benny Program'', ''The Little Rascals'', ''Wonder Woman'', and ''Peter Gunn''.

On October 14, 2009, KTLA unveiled a new logo and a redesigned news set, bringing back the classic stylized number 5 previously used by the station from 1981 to 1997 (see sidebar at top of article) and eliminating The CW network logo, which is still used in promotions for network programs. The "LA" in the KTLA callsign is in bold lettering to emphasize the station's Los Angeles location and service area, similar to a previous logo used from 1997 to 2005.

News operation[link]

KTLA news anchors Hal Fishman, Larry McCormick, and George Putnam have become icons in Los Angeles TV News over the years. Its veteran field reporters have included Stan Chambers (who had been with the station since after its inception in 1947 until his retirement in 2010) and Warren Wilson. Stu Nahan, Keith Olbermann and Ed Arnold (who now anchors KOCE-TV's ''Real Orange'') were formerly the sports anchors. Accompanying his news anchoring career, McCormick also hosted KTLA's own public affairs production called ''Making It!'', which featured stories on the entrepreneurial successes of ethnic minorities. The station briefly ran a noon newscast during the mid-1990s anchored by Marta Waller.

For many years channel 5's news operations were considered the benchmark of Los Angeles television. Its evening news program was often serious and no-nonsense in nature and has received many awards and distinctions. However, KTLA's newscasts have become more tabloid-based in nature in recent years, perhaps to compete with KTTV. Both stations have rivaled each other in ratings for many years. As part of the change, KTLA has placed more emphasis in entertainment news, and has featured personalities including Mindy Burbano Stearns, Zorianna Kitt, and recently Ross King as entertainment reporters.

In 2004, KTLA debuted a reality show segment on its morning news titled "The Audition", in which several actors and actresses competed for a role as weathercaster on the ''News at Ten''. Ross King was the winner in the first installment. Jessica Holmes, of Nickelodeon fame, won the second installment and is now an anchor for "KTLA Morning News at 9." Although KTLA does not cover police pursuits like other stations, it has put more emphasis in local crime stories, as opposed to politics, health, and other serious news. As part of the 2005 graphics change, KTLA's graphics were significantly modernized, and a new, futuristic-looking set was constructed for its newscasts.

KTLA has also created synergy between Tribune Company entities. For example, entertainment reporter Sam Rubin is often seen on WGN-TV in Chicago. Ron Olsen also frequently reports on upcoming stories in the ''Los Angeles Times'' from the paper's headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles.

During the 1970s, KTLA operated a well-equipped helicopter known as the "Telecopter" for its news operations (having debuted in 1958); the Telecopter was the most advanced airborne television broadcast device of its time, but was ultimately sold to another Los Angeles station, KNBC, which flew the Telecopter with pilot Francis Gary Powers and cameraman George Spears until its fatal crash on August 1, 1977.

On July 30, 2007, Hal Fishman anchored what would be his final broadcast for KTLA. Following several days of hospitalization for a liver infection, Fishman died on August 7, 2007. KTLA's newscasts that morning and evening were dedicated to Fishman, for whom channel 5 dedicated its news studio in 2000. After Fishman's passing, KTLA installed longtime ''Morning Show'' co-host Carlos Amezcua as the interim co-anchor on ''Prime News''. Local media speculated that Amezcua would be given the assignment permanently, but on September 4, Amezcua announced he would be leaving channel 5 to take over as co-anchor of KTTV's evening newscast, replacing John Beard. Morning news co-anchor Emmett Miller took over as interim evening anchor, and on December 4 was named as Fishman's permanent replacement.

In February 2008, KTLA renamed its morning newscasts. The ''First Edition'' news is now known as ''KTLA Morning News @ 5'', while the ''Early Edition'' program is now known as ''KTLA Morning News @ 6''. The ''KTLA Morning Show'' has now reverted back to its original title, ''KTLA Morning News'', while its 9 a.m. hour is now called ''KTLA Morning News @ 9''.

In January 2009, KTLA launched a 6:30 p.m. newscast anchored by Emmett Miller. Jason Martinez took over in the summer of 2009 and since September 2009, anchored by Micah Ohlman. Also in September, KTLA addded a 6 p.m. newscast anchored by Micah Ohlman and Victoria Recano. Currently, Ohlman co-hosts the 6 p.m. edition with Cher Calvin and anchors the 6:30 p.m. solo, as Victoria Recano left the station. The 6:30 p.m. newscast is the region's first since the mid-1990s when KCAL-TV and KCBS-TV aired newscasts during this time slot before becoming sister stations in 2002. KTLA is also the region's first to air an hour-long 6pm newscast since the mid-1990s when KCBS-TV aired an hour-long 6pm newscast up until 1999.

In April 2009, KTLA added three additional newscasts. First, the ''KTLA Morning News'' was expanded by one-half hour to begin at 4:30 a.m. The 4:30 AM newscast is currently anchored by Chris Schauble and Megan Henderson. Second, KTLA added a one-hour mid-day newscast at 1:00 p.m., currently anchored by Leila Feinstein and Glen Walker. Third, KTLA expanded the 6:30 p.m. weekend newscast to a full hour starting at 6 p.m., anchored by Mary Beth McDade and Rick Chambers. In October 2009, KTLA unveiled a new set, graphics package, and music package.

In April 2011, KTLA added a weekend morning newscast originally anchored by Chris Burrous and Mary Beth McDade. (Wendy Burch has since replaced McDade when it was announced, McDade along with Rick Chambers, would be named anchors of the station's weekend evening newscasts). It currently airs on Saturdays from 6-7 a.m. (airing in the early timeslot due to The CW's Toonzai animation block), and on Sundays from 6-9 a.m. This makes KTLA the fourth Tribune-owned station to carry a weekend morning newscast (fellow CW affiliate WGN-TV in Chicago, and Fox affiliates WXIN in Indianapolis and WTIC-TV in Hartford are the others).

In August 2011, KTLA added a two-hour expanded primetime news ''KTLA 5 Sunday Edition'' from 8-10 p.m., currently anchored by Mary Beth McDade and Rick Chambers. On February 2, 2012, KTLA expanded the weekday edition of the ''KTLA Morning News'' to begin at 4 a.m.

Controversies[link]

In 2004, Zorianna Kit, an entertainment writer for ''People'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter'', was installed as an on-air reporter despite her having no television news experience. (Her only previous television experience was as a panelist on the short-lived ''Movie Club with John Ridley''.) Kit then raised ethical questions in January 2005 when she was critical of the appointment of Brad Grey to head Paramount Pictures on the air. She did not tell viewers that her husband, producer Bo Zenga, had sued Grey over profits from the film ''Scary Movie''. The ''Los Angeles Times'' reported the issue and in mid-January, Kit apologized on-air. She left KTLA in July 2005.

In January 2006, KTLA management came under fire for changing the hosts for the station's annual broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Stephanie Edwards, who emceed the parade for nearly three decades with Bob Eubanks, was moved out of the booth and became a street reporter. She was replaced by Michaela Pereira in the booth. The move was widely seen as insensitive and created a storm of controversy, including a scathing column by Patt Morrison in the ''Los Angeles Times'', which, like KTLA, is owned by the Tribune Company. This situation was made worse by the fact that it was raining that day, and Edwards was forced to stay out in the rain. In 2007, Pereira fully replaced Edwards. However, KTLA management later, in September 2008, announced that Edwards would resume her co-hosting duties with Eubanks for the January 1, 2009 broadcast of the parade. Edwards once again returned to co-host the parade coverage with Eubanks the following year in 2010.

Another ethical issue bubbled up in late February 2006 when the ''Pasadena Star-News'' reported that the three KTLA personalities — Carlos Amezcua, Sam Rubin and Michaela Pereira — accepted free rooms at the recently renovated Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena. The station was broadcasting an entire "Morning News" from Pasadena, although the hotel was not specifically mentioned. Still, it was widely seen as a significant ethical lapse, one that violated Tribune Company guidelines.

On March 4, 2006, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that Michaela Pereira had accepted $10,000 worth of furniture for her Pasadena home. The furnishings, delivered in September 2005, were to be part of a "Extreme Home Makeover" segment on the ''Morning News''. But the segment never aired and the furniture company was never paid. The company said that it was under the impression that the work was in exchange for favorable coverage. In a 2007 MSNBC.com investigation into partisan journalists and newspersons who donate to political parties and causes, KTLA news writer Diana Chi was found to have donated to the Republican National Committee 19 times between 2002-2006. The Los Angeles Times reported that weekend anchor Lu Parker began a relationship with Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, in March 2009. Her employer KTLA was reportedly unaware of this fact until May 2009. Parker reported several stories on Villaraigosa's political future before being reassigned.

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

''Newsroom'' (1939–1947; as W6XYZ)

''Telenews/Newsreel'' (1947–1955)

''The News Live on 5'' (1955–1962)

''Newspicture 5:30'' (1962–1966)

''Big 5 News'' (1966–1969)

''The News'' (1969–1973)

''George Putnam News'' (1973–1975)

''News Watch'' (1975–1977) ''(Channel 5/KTLA) News at Ten'' (1977–2005 and 2009–present) ''KTLA Prime News'' (2005–2009) ''KTLA Morning News'' (1991–2006 and 2008–present)

''KTLA 5 Morning Show'' (2006–2008; formerly used for the 7-10 a.m. portion of the news)

''KTLA 5 News'' (2009–present)

Station slogans[link]

"The Number One Prime Time News Hour" (1969–1995)

"LA's Very Own" (1990–1993; variant of sister station WGN-TV's slogan "Chicago's Very Own")

"You'll Find Your Friends on KTLA 5" (1995–1996; localized version of The WB ad campaign)

"KTLA 5, LA's WB" (1995–2004)

"We Stand Out on KTLA 5" (1996–1997; localized version of The WB ad campaign)

"KTLA, The WB, Where L.A. Lives" (2005–2006)

"KTLA 5, The CW, Where L.A. Lives" (2006–2009)

"LA's Local News Leader" (2009–2010)

"Get Connected" (2010–present)

On-air staff[link]

Cher Calvin - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

Rick Chambers - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m., Sunday evenings ''KTLA 5 Sunday Editon'' (8-10 p.m.) ; also weekday reporter

Leila Feinstein - weekdays at 1 p.m.; also health reporter

Megan Henderson - weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (4-7 a.m.)

Jessica Holmes - weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (9-10 a.m.); also ''KTLA 5 News @ 1'' entertainment reporter

Mary Beth McDade - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m., Sundays ''KTLA 5 Sunday Edition'' (8-10 p.m.) ; also weekday reporter

Micah Ohlman - weeknights at 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m.

Michaela Pereira - weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (7-10 a.m.)

Chris Schauble - weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (4-7 a.m.)

Sophy - weekend mornings "KTLA Morning News" (Wendy Burch's dog who sits at the anchor desk)

Glen Walker - weekdays at 1 p.m.

;''KTLA 5 Weather''

Chris Burrous - weather anchor; weekend mornings KTLA Morning News

Jim Castillo (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Wednesday-Fridays at 1 p.m. and weekends at 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m., Sunday evenings ''KTLA 5 Sunday Editon'' (8-10 p.m.)

Henry Dicarlo (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (4-7 a.m.)

Jessica Holmes - weather anchor; Mondays and Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

Mark Kriski - weather anchor; weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (7-10 a.m.)

Vera Jimenez - meteorologist; weeknights at 6, 6:30 & 10 p.m.

;''Sports team''

Henry DiCarlo - sports anchor; weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (4-6 a.m.)

Derrin Horton - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

Steve Hartman - sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 10 p.m., ''KTLA 5 Sunday Edition'' (8-10 p.m.)

Roger Lodge - sports commentator; weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (6-8 a.m.)

;''5 Live Traffic''

Chris Burrous - weekend mornings ''KTLA Morning News''

Jim Castillo - Wednesday-Fridays at 1 p.m., weekends at 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m., ''KTLA 5 Sunday Edition'' (8-10 p.m.)

Ginger Chan - weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (4-10 a.m.)

Jessica Holmes - Mondays and Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

Vera Jimenez - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

;Reporters

Gayle Anderson - weekday morning and "Gayle on the Go" feature reporter

David Begnaud - general assignment reporter

Liberte Chan - general assignment reporter

Carolyn Costello - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor

Rich DeMuro - technology reporter

Elizabeth Espinosa - general assignment reporter

Jennifer Gould - general assignment reporter (married to Mark Kriski - weather anchor; weekday mornings)

Don Guevara - general assignment reporter (per-diem)

Jane King - NYSE business reporter

Doug Kolk - general assignment reporter

Rebecca Hall - general assignment and sports reporter

Brandi Hitt - general assignment reporter

David Lazarus - consumer reporter

Allie MacKay - general assignment and "Allie at Work" feature reporter

Dave Malkoff - general assignment and "Malkoff on a Mission" feature reporter

Dave Mecham - general assignment reporter

Manny Medrano - "Inside the Law" reporter

Jim Nash - general assignment reporter

Olga Ospina - general assignment reporter (per-diem)

Lu Parker - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor

Christina Pascucci - general assignment reporter

Lynette Romero - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor

Sam Rubin - entertainment reporter

Eric Spillman - weekday morning reporter; also fill-in anchor

Sara Welch - general assignment reporter

Chris Wolfe - general assignment reporter

Chip Yost - general assignment reporter

''Sky5 HD''

Mark Kono - pilot/reporter; weekday mornings ''KTLA Morning News'' (5-9 a.m.)

Tim Lynn - pilot/reporter; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

Notable former on-air staff[link]

Carlos Amezcua (now with KTTV-TV Los Angeles)

Ed Arnold (now with KOCE-TV anchoring Real Orange)

Asha Blake

Jann Carl (later with ''Entertainment Tonight'')

Stan Chambers (retired)

Richard de Mille (deceased)

Tom Duggan (deceased)

Dick Enberg (now doing play-by-play for San Diego Padres, and sports anchor for CBS Sports)

Giselle Fernández

Hal Fishman (deceased)

Lissette Gonzalez

Tom Harmon (deceased)

Tom Hatten

Desiree Horton

Brad Johnson (deceased), announcer and stage manager; also played Deputy Lofty Craig on the syndicated series ''Annie Oakley''

Ross King

Dick Lane (deceased)

Rory Markas (deceased)

Larry McCormick (deceased)

Brett Miller

Emmett Miller

Keith Olbermann

Stu Nahan (deceased)

Ron Olsen

George Putnam (deceased)

Victoria Recano

Clete Roberts (deceased)

Brandon Rudat

Michele Ruiz

Willa Sandmeyer

Bob Starr (deceased)

Bill Stout (deceased)

Tom Snyder (deceased)

Sharon Tay (now with KCBS/KCAL in Studio City (Los Angeles))

Marta Waller

Jane Wells (now with CNBC)

Jennifer York

Rebroadcasters[link]

KTLA is rebroadcast on the following translator stations: K40HX Morongo Valley K35BQ Daggett K03EK Newberry Springs K16FI Twentynine Palms K29GK Twentynine Palms K48AD Lucerne Valley K05FO Ridgecrest K39HT-D Ridgecrest K58GH Sterling, Colorado K29GO Cortez, Colorado K32EX Peetz, Colorado

In popular culture[link]

KTLA gained a bit of notoriety among fans of the television show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' on November 30, 1991 with the airing of their mockery of the movie ''War of the Colossal Beast''. In the movie, there are scenes of a KTLA news anchor predicting where the title character Glen Manning will end up next. That anchor is the real KTLA reporter Stan Chambers. The anchor ends up pronouncing the station's call letters as "''KIT-lah''". In a skit segment later in the show, Joel Robinson, portrayed by Joel Hodgson, mocks the anchor's "KTLA Predicts" style of newsreading and parodies The Amazing Criswell. The phrase "KTLA Predicts" became a catchphrase among fans of the show.

During the 1950s, while Paramount owned the station, that company was also producing ''Popeye'' cartoons. In one episode, Popeye's nephews turn on their television to "chanel number 5" (not the perfume, but channel 5 – KTLA).

KTLA has also been featured in other media (usually with its newscasts). Hal Fishman was featured reporting for ''Channel 5 News at Ten'' in the movie ''Malibu's Most Wanted''. In one scene in the 2002 movie ''Showtime'', the KTLA SkyCam 5 (later renamed the KTLA HD Telecopter, now renamed to Sky 5 HD) was seen among a group of helicopters surrounding the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

A fictionalized version of KTLA is seen on occasion on the Nickelodeon TV show ''Big Time Rush''. It is identified as KULA and is seen on channel 6 instead of 5.

Another fictionalized version of KTLA is seen in the movie ''Blue Thunder''. It is identified as KBLA and is seen on channel 8 not 5.

In the film ''Friends with Benefits'', Dylan (Justin Timberlake), and Jamie (Mila Kunis) are on KTLA News.

References[link]

External links[link]

Official website

"Look Out, W6XAO, Here Comes Paramount" Metropolitan News-Enterprise column on KTLA when it broadcast as experimental TV station W6XYZ, taking on the sole existing experimental station in L.A. (now KCBS).

"A Tale of Two Stations" Metropolitan News-Enterprise column on operations in the 1940s of the stations that are now KTLA, Channel 5 (then W6XYZ, Channel 4) and KCBS, Channel 2 (then W6XAO, Channel 1)

KTLA archived television icons, 1942-1972

KTLA logos and screenshots from the 1950s to the present day

Category:Television stations in Los Angeles, California Category:The CW Television Network affiliates Category:Tribune Broadcasting Category:Television stations in California Category:Television channels and stations established in 1947 Category:Channel 31 digital TV stations in the United States Category:Channel 5 virtual TV stations in the United States Category:Superstations in the United States Category:This TV affiliates Category:Antenna TV affiliates Category:DuMont Television Network owned-and-operated stations Category:Major League Baseball over-the-air television broadcasters Category:1947 introductions

es:KTLA fr:KTLA pt:KTLA ru:Tribune Studios

Name	Mark Kriski
Birth date	June 29, 1956
Birth place	Nova Scotia
Residence	San Fernando Valley
Employer	KTLA 1991 - Present
Occupation	Weather anchor
Awards	8 Emmy AwardsAssociated Press Television and Radio award
website	}}

Mark Kriski is a Canadian born in Nova Scotia of Polish descent. He served as a DJ on Victoria, British Columbia's Q-100 FM, and Montreal's 980 AM, known as CKGM, then later as weatherman on Canada's The Weather Network in the late 1980s. Kriski now works at KTLA in Los Angeles.

Mark Kriski has been a fixture at KTLA for 2 decades. For years he was seen on the "KTLA Morning News" five hours a day, from 5am-10am Monday through Friday; in late October 2010 his shift became 7a-10a. Kriski has won 8 Emmy Awards and one Associated Press Radio-Television Award. The Los Angeles Times named Kriski the Funniest Weatherman in Los Angeles; he also earned 3 Golden Mike Awards for Best Weather Segment from the Radio & Television News Association. In November 2010, Mark contracted viral Pneumonia and was off the air for two months because of sick leave.

Kriski was married to Samantha Lewis, owner of Digital Playground, from 2004 to 2009. On May 18, 2011, he announced his engagement to KTLA colleague Jennifer Gould ; they were married September 24, 2011.

Kriski studied radio and television arts at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. He was a radio disc jockey at various stations in Canada, and performed commercial voiceovers. Mark landed his first job on camera as a weathercaster on Canada's Weather Channel. He then picked up a second gig as weatherman at Montreal's local station and he began hosting segments for a Canadian Travel show. Kriski came to the United States in 1991 after he accepted the position of AM weatherman on the "KTLA Morning News." He's one of the last-remaining original "characters" from the show's inception. Besides his fulltime position on the "KTLA Morning News," Mark has played newscasters in over 10 feature films. He also does voice overs and occasionally can be heard behind the mike at MY FM 104.3 in Los Angeles.

References [link]

External links [link]

Mark Kriski's Official Website

Bio from KTLA

Mark Kriski's KTLA Fan Page

Mark Krisk's KTLA Twitter

Category:1956 births Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Canadian people of Polish descent Category:Television news anchors in Los Angeles, California Category:People from Nova Scotia Category:Canadian radio personalities Category:Canadian television meteorologists Category:Living people

Jessica Holmes (born August 29, 1973 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian comedian and actress. She is best known for her work with the ''Royal Canadian Air Farce'', which she joined in 2003. She is married to actor Scott Yaphe.

Holmes attended Canterbury High School in Ottawa followed by Ryerson University in Toronto.

For one season, Holmes hosted her own show, ''The Holmes Show''. She also appeared on ''XPM'' and ''History Bites''.

Holmes is the daughter of a feminist mother and a Mormon father and was for two years a missionary in Venezuela for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is no longer a member of the church. In her comedy, she parodies right wing Christian fundamentalists through her character, Candy Anderson Henderson. She also parodies this by appearing as Sister Bessy, a nun with a thick Scottish accent who comments on politics.

On both ''The Holmes Show'' and ''Air Farce'', she has performed caricatures of various celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Liza Minnelli, Myriam Bedard, Belinda Stronach, Geri Halliwell, Britney Spears, Tim Allen, Jim Carrey and others.

Jessica and Scott have 2 chldren. Penelope Corrin was her fill-in on ''Air Farce'' during Jessica's first maternity leave during the first two months of 2007. She returned to the show in March 2007. Holmes took her second leave during the first few episodes of Air Farce's last season in October 2008, as she gave birth to her second child.

References[link]

External links[link]

Jessica Holmes' Website

Category:1973 births Category:Canadian television comedians Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian Unitarian Universalists Category:Former Latter Day Saints Category:Living people Category:Mormon missionaries in Venezuela Category:People from Ottawa Category:Royal Canadian Air Farce Category:Ryerson University alumni Category:Canadian Mormon missionaries Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries Category:Female Mormon missionaries Category:Canadian women comedians

fr:Jessica Holmes

Name	Sam Rubin
Birth date	February 16, 1960
Employer	KTLAReelzChannel
Occupation	Entertainment reporter
Awards	Golden Mic awardAssociated Press Television and Radio award }}

Sam Rubin is an American journalist who serves as the entertainment reporter for the ''KTLA Morning News'' and as a correspondent for ReelzChannel production ''Hollywood Dailies''. He hosts the Emmy-nominated ''Live From the Academy Awards'' and the celebrity talk-show ''Hollywood Uncensored with Sam Rubin'', also on ReelzChannel. Rubin has reported on the entertainment industry for over twenty years and has interviewed many Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, and Larry King. He is also the co-author of two biographies, one on the former first lady Jacqueline Onassis and another on actress Mia Farrow.

Rubin has received a Golden Mike award for best entertainment reporter and an Associated Press Television and Radio award as part of KTLA news team's morning show. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children. Rubin is a graduate of Occidental College.

References[link]

Category:American television journalists Category:Living people Category:1960 births Category:People from Los Angeles, California

name	Perez Hilton
birth name	Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.
birth date	March 23, 1978
birth place	Miami, Florida, U.S.
occupation	Blogger, television personality
years active	2001–present
website	PerezHilton.com }}

Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. (born March 23, 1978), better known as Perez Hilton (a play on "Paris Hilton"), is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, ''Perezhilton.com'' (formerly ''PageSixSixSix.com''), is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities. He is also known for posting tabloid photographs over which he has added his own captions or "doodles." His blog has garnered negative attention for its attitude, its former "outing" of alleged closeted celebrities and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.

Early life[link]

Hilton was born in Miami, Florida to parents from Cuba. He graduated in 1996 from Miami's Belen Jesuit Preparatory School and received his BFA in drama from New York University. In 2002, Hilton moved to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.

PerezHilton.com[link]

After graduation from New York University in 2000, and before beginning his blogging career, Hilton attempted a career as an actor. He briefly worked as a media relations assistant for LGBT rights organization GLAAD, was a freelance writer for gay publications, worked as a receptionist for NYC gay events club Urban Outings, and was briefly the managing editor of ''Instinct'', a gay men's magazine. He says he started blogging "because it seemed easy."

Hilton's angle on celebrity gossip includes an unapologetic desire to mingle with and be a part of celebrity culture. He often describes celebrity awards shows, clubs, and private events he has attended, and posts photographs of himself with the celebrities he writes about under the "Personally Perez" category of his blog. Although Hilton has an affinity for some celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Sophia Bush, he also has a "vendetta" against certain stars, such as Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and Gossip Girl teen actress Taylor Momsen. Teen phenomenon Miley Cyrus publicised her personal disapproval of Hilton over Twitter to which he replied. Some have suggested, however, that Hilton's proximity to the celebrities about whom he writes has led to biased coverage on his blog. He purports to have befriended Paris Hilton, the source of his nickname and frequent subject of his posts. It has been noted, for example, that he rarely reports on stories or rumors casting Paris Hilton in a negative or unflattering light, and that, unlike most gossip blogs, he often acknowledges and praises her positive achievements. Additionally, Hilton has been known to speak out publicly against the discriminatory behavior of celebrities and other public figures. For instance, he called for the firing of Isaiah Washington from ABC television series ''Grey's Anatomy'' for making homophobic remarks and called for his readers to do the same. However, in early 2007, he was criticized by the blog ''The Hollywood Gossip'' for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks made by Paris Hilton.

Hilton often promotes his favorite up-and-coming musicians by posting streams of their songs under the "Listen To This" category of his blog. London-based singer Mika's 2007 rise to popular success in North America has been partially attributed to Hilton's frequent support. Hilton and Mika also claim to be friends.

Blogging success[link]

During an interview in Cliché Magazine's June/July 2010 issue, Hilton said that he only started blogging as a hobby. "What set my site apart is that prior to PerezHilton.com, most blogs were mainly online journals and diaries, but that never interested me. I wanted to talk about celebrities because they're far more entertaining." On March 11, 2005, within the first six months of Hilton's blogging career, ''PageSixSixSix.com'' was named "Hollywood's Most-Hated Website" by ''The Insider'', catalyzing an initial surge in its popularity which temporarily crippled its server. Hilton claimed that on July 30, 2007, a seemingly "ordinary day," ''Perezhilton.com'' had over 8.82 million page views in a 24 hour period. Other sources dispute the reliability of Hilton's traffic claims.

Pop singer Fergie has confirmed that she is referring to Hilton in her 2006 song "Pedestal," in which she criticizes an unidentified person for making negative remarks about her on the internet.

On August 17, 2007, citing exclusive sources, Hilton announced the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro, and claimed that he was the first media outlet in the world to break the news. Although Hilton claimed that U.S. officials would be making an announcement within hours, no announcement was made, and no major media outlets verified Castro's death. The Associated Press later determined that rumors were sparked by a meeting of Miami officials who were to discuss the city's plans when Castro dies. Rumors were further fueled by a road closure in the Florida Keys that was due to a police standoff. Castro appeared in an interview on Cuban television on September 21, 2007, "looking frail but sounding lucid," and mocking rumors of his death. On September 9, 2009, Perez appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and cited his premature reporting of Castro's death as his "one regret."

On September 15, 2008, Terra.com named Perez Hilton as the Hispanic of the Year in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

As of April 2009 PerezHilton.com was ranked by Alexa as the 491st most trafficked website on the Internet (143rd within the United States) with 2/3 of users being American and strongest demographic being females between the ages of 18 and 24.

Civil litigation[link]

A suit against Hilton for copyright infringement was filed by Zomba Label Group on October 11, 2007, stating that Hilton illegally posted recordings by Britney Spears on PerezHilton.com. The illegal postings include at least 10 completed songs and unfinished recordings leaked over a period of three months. The suit asks for real and punitive damages in an unspecified amount as well as legal costs. Spears is not a party to the suit. In March 2008, Hilton announced on his blog that he would no longer blog about artists signed to Sony BMG (which owns Zomba). However, when the lawsuit was settled in November of that year, Hilton ended his boycott and resumed regular blogging about Sony BMG artists.

On October 11, 2007, a judge cleared the way for Hilton to be deposed in an on-going defamation suit brought against him by DJ Samantha Ronson, after a post on PerezHilton.com claimed that she had planted cocaine in friend Lindsay Lohan's car and set Lohan up to be photographed while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Hilton's report was a repetition of gossip initially posted on CelebrityBabylon.com. The judge was informed in court that the owner of that site has already settled the case with Ronson. On January 23, 2008, Perez Hilton was awarded $85,000 by Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle in this lawsuit filed by Ronson.

Hilton has attracted lawsuits due to his use of video footage of celebrities on his blog. He was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for Irish actor Colin Farrell on July 18, 2005, after posting a link to Farrell's sex tape with then-girlfriend Nicole Narain on his site and on February 20, 2007, a lawsuit filed against him by Universal City Studios Productions LLP for posting a topless image of actress Jennifer Aniston that was allegedly "misappropriated and illegally copied" from unreleased footage from her 2006 motion picture ''The Break-Up''.

Bloggers, journalists, news agencies and photographers alike have charged that Hilton posts paparazzi photographs and other copyrighted content from their sites. On November 30, 2006, celebrity photo agency X17Online filed a lawsuit against L Hilton in federal court, seeking over US$7.5 million in damages for copyright infringement. X17's co-owner Robin Navarre told the ''LA Times'' that the sale value of their photographs has been significantly reduced because the photos have appeared on PerezHilton.com before they could be published in magazines to which exclusivity is important. Navarre said,

"X17 can make as much as tens of thousands of dollars from one magazine on an exclusive story. In the case of the Spears smooch shot, X17 sold a two-page spread to Us Weekly, but the magazine decided to shrink the photo play (which lowered the price by $10,000, to $15,000)...because the images had already been on Hilton's site and others."

Hilton defends his use of this material by claiming it falls under the fair use exception to the Copyright Act; that is, according to the ''LA Times'', the photos are altered "to achieve a satiric or humorous end." On March 9, 2007, a judge ruled that Hilton could continue operating his website while the lawsuit remained before the courts. On April 23, 2007, a consortium of five celebrity photo agencies filed a joint lawsuit in federal district court in California against Hilton, claiming more than US$7 million in damages from 25 instances of alleged copyright infringement. Just days later, on April 26, 2007, upon arriving at the Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia to attend the MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Hilton was served with a lawsuit by celebrity photo agency PhotoNews claiming C$4,200 in damages for his alleged unauthorized use of a single copyrighted paparazzi photograph of John Mayer and Jessica Simpson.

On June 20, 2007, ''Variety'' reported that Hilton's web host had dropped his site upon threats of liability in the cases outlined above. Francois Navarre, co-owner of X17, told Variety, "It's the first victory, and we put a lot of work into trying to get this to happen." He added, "It's a precedent that's huge. When we were talking to Crucial Paradigm they were saying they were not responsible, dragging their feet. We had to threaten them and show them they were liable. His new host is Blogads, and we're contacting them already."

On June 26, 2007, Hilton posted an open call on his blog to all of X17's photographers, both past and present, to contact him if they have not been adequately compensated for working overtime or pictures submitted in the past. Hilton has not used photos by X17 on his website since the suit.

According to an August 2009 ''Los Angeles Times'' profile of Hilton, X17's lawsuit against Hilton was ultimately settled out of court. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Outing" celebrities[link]

On his blog, Hilton is open about his homosexuality and about his desire to "out" those who he claims are closeted gay celebrities. When former 'N Sync member Lance Bass officially came out as gay on July 26, 2006, Hilton received criticism for having been partially responsible in the outing. "It upsets me that people think what I'm doing is a bad thing," Hilton told ''Access Hollywood''. "I don't think it's a bad thing. If you know something to be a fact, why not report it? Why is that still taboo?" On November 2, 2006, another celebrity often questioned by Hilton for remaining closeted, actor Neil Patrick Harris, revealed that he is gay.

Prominent members of the gay community who have criticized Hilton's outing tactics include Arts & Entertainment Editor of ''The Advocate'' Corey Scholibo, AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen, and Damon Romine, spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Kim Ficera, contributing writer for AfterEllen.com, wrote,

"I have to question the character of a man who attacks others on such deeply personal levels, without provocation and for self-benefit, monetary or otherwise....If he's emotionally incapable of exhibiting even the tiniest bit of compassion for closeted people, if he can't be sensitive to the fact that coming out is a very personal decision and that the process can be difficult for some — especially celebrities — I feel sorry for him. If his juvenile behavior is his shtick, I think it makes him a much more pathetic figure, and one the gay and lesbian community should not support...If we support behavior like Hilton's, we applaud shallowness, arrogance, rage and invasion of privacy, and risk becoming what we despise."

Some of Hilton's fellow gossip bloggers have also objected to his approach. Trent Vanegas, who runs "Pink Is the New Blog," told Salon.com, "I do not outright call people gay. I do not feel it is my place, or anyone else's place, to make people come out of the closet. Being shockingly hurtful just to get attention is not my style." David Hauslaib of gossip blog Jossip.com stated, "The rationale that he's doing this for the good of that gay community is tantamount to saying that there is a gay agenda. Is this a positive for the gay community? I'd say, 'No.'" Author, screenwriter, and former friend Japhy Grant has also questioned his motives, writing on Salon.com, "Spreading gossip is just your average pedestrian variety of immorality. Claiming that you're doing it to further civil rights is an outright sham."

When questioned on ''Midweek Politics'' about whether reporting on celebrities' sexual orientation incites homophobia by making it news, Hilton indicated that he did not believe so. He said that coming out in Hollywood is not necessarily a bad thing, citing Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell as examples: "I know there is some controversy about outing people, but I also believe the only way we're gonna have change is with visibility. And if I have to drag some people screaming out of the closet, then I will. I think that lots of celebrities have an archaic fear that being gay will hurt their career but look at Rosie. Look at Ellen."

Some prominent gay rights advocates disagree. GLAAD spokesperson Damon Romine told Salon.com, "Media speculation about a celebrity's orientation is not something we support. This kind of gossip can lead some people to the decision to come out, as we've seen recently, or it may drive others further into the closet. People are going to become more guarded and secretive and not less, because they don't want to create any opportunities [for anyone to out them]." Actor Bruce Vilanch said, "What purpose does it serve? These [people like Perez] are professional homosexuals. They are gay people for a living. They have to respect the rights of homosexuals who aren't professional." In an article entitled "Just How Dangerous is Perez Hilton?", AfterElton.com suggested that Hilton's actions put people's careers at risk, because anti-gay bias is still a prominent part of American culture. He continued, "Both as a gay man and a journalist, I question whether the gay community should approve of Hilton's actions....Being associated with someone who publishes photos of panty-less starlets and scribbles dirty notes....makes us look infantile and ridiculous."

Controversy[link]

Miss USA 2009[link]

Hilton served as a judge for the Miss USA 2009 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2009.

During the Q&A; portion of the contest, Hilton asked the Miss California USA representative, Carrie Prejean whether she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage. She responded that she believes marriage is between a man and a woman due to her religious upbringing. After the pageant Perez Hilton made derogatory comments about the contestant and told ABC news "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that," leading some to believe that the answer directly had caused her to lose the competition. Prejean stated that Miss California USA officials had pressured her to apologize for her statement and "not talk" about her Christian faith.

After the pageant, Hilton posted a video blog on his website, where he called Prejean a "dumb bitch" and said her answer was the worst in pageant history. Several politicians and commentators, including gay rights activists, assailed Hilton and defended Prejean for promoting her personal beliefs.

Post MMVA 2009 incident in Toronto[link]

In June 2009, Hilton alleged in a video blog that he was assaulted by The Black Eyed Peas' operation manager Polo Molina following the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards after-party where the Black Eyed Peas' front man will.i.am was DJing. Hilton reported in his video that he was "clocked" in the eye by Molina. will.i.am also released a video statement in which he claimed he had approached Hilton regarding derogatory comments made by the blogger concerning bandmate Fergie and the group's latest release ''The E.N.D.''. During the incident, Hilton called will.i.am a "faggot" (Hilton later admitted in an interview with The Advocate that he originally considered using the word "nigger" instead) in order to get a reaction out of him, and it was at this point that Molina allegedly attacked Hilton. will.i.am claimed the attacking party was a fan, although Molina has been detained and will appear in a Toronto court concerning the incident. Hilton would later file a civil lawsuit against Molina, seeking an unspecified amount over $25,000 US to cover medical costs and as compensation for the "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress" that Hilton suffered as a result of the attack.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called upon Hilton to apologize for using an anti-gay slur against will.i.am during the incident, saying "We have reached out to Hilton and asked him to apologize . . . and we would ask media outlets to avoid repetition of the slur in their coverage of this story." Hilton initially refused to apologize, saying, "I am saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent." On June 25, 2009, however, Hilton did apologize, stating "I am NOT apologizing to GLAAD...I am apologizing to the gay community, to anyone who was hurt by my choice of words, and to all the people who have ever emailed me to thank me for all that I have done to fight for gay rights over the last few years." In addition, he pledged to donate any money won in the lawsuit against Molina to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In a statement released on its website, Judy Shepard, Chair of the MSF, declined the gift, saying that "because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton's admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner."

Hilton received little sympathy in the media over the incident, a fact he addressed in his video blog. John Mayer made comments ridiculing Hilton and the incident on his Twitter page, resulting in a volley of insults between the two. Gawker viewed Hilton's public apology with skepticism, being of the opinion that it was just an attempt to rebuild his "brand" and a possible attempt to prevent Canadian authorities from filing criminal charges against him for his use of hate speech during the Toronto incident.

Michael Jackson's death[link]

On June 25, 2009, shortly after Michael Jackson had gone into cardiac arrest, Hilton posted an article about the star's illness, claiming it was a publicity stunt. Hilton's original post featured sarcastic comments such as "Get your money back, ticket holders!!!!" and "Jacko pulled a similar stunt when he was getting ready for his big HBO special in ‘95 when he “collapsed” at rehearsal!", in response to Jackson's recently sold out tour through March 2010. Upon realizing Michael Jackson's death was not a hoax, Hilton immediately deleted the original news post and replaced it with a shorter message that linked to a story at entertainment news site TMZ, which said the singer had in fact gone into cardiac arrest. Hilton has received backlash for the incident, becoming entangled in a Twitter argument with Pete Wentz about the situation.

Miley Cyrus upskirt picture[link]

On June 13, 2010, Hilton posted a Twitter message linking to an upskirt picture of Miley Cyrus, which allegedly showed the singer without underpants. Since Cyrus was still underage at the time, questions were raised as to whether or not child pornography charges could be raised. However, child porn refers to sexual activity which an upskirt is simply not. The site that he had linked to removed the picture in question. Perez responded to the accusations by claiming that the controversy was "fake" and that Cyrus did wear underwear in the photo in question. Hilton did not re-post the photo for proof. Instead, he linked to another image of Cyrus, supposedly taken on the same occasion, to prove that she had been wearing underwear.

Anti-bullying campaign[link]

In October, 2010, Hilton became involved in the It Gets Better Project started by Dan Savage, urging celebrities to support gay teenagers who were being driven to suicide by anti-gay bullying. This prompted Khloe Kardashian to call out Hilton as her "personal bully," claiming that it seemed hypocritical to make an anti-bullying message at the request of a man who had repeatedly bullied her. On October 13, 2010, Hilton posted a video on YouTube entitled "I'm Going To Be Doing Things Differently," in which he addressed his actions over the previous years, and apologized for bullying celebrities. Hilton vowed to change the occasionally malicious tone of his website, even if it meant losing readers and revenue. Hilton also announced the launch of three new websites: CoCoPerez.com, which focuses on fashion, FitPerez.com, which encourages physical fitness, and TeddyHilton.com, an animal rights site.

"The Boy With Pink Hair"[link]

On September 1, 2011, Hilton published a children's book entitled "The Boy With Pink Hair." Hilton described the book as a story "about every kid that's ever had a dream, felt excluded, wanted to belong, and hoped that one day they could do what they loved and make a difference." In a September, 2011 interview with The Advocate magazine, Hilton admitted that the book was inspired by his own childhood: "I’ve always considered myself a freak, an outsider, and a bit of an interloper. I never really fit in with any groups, so I just did my own thing."

Television appearances[link]

In 2001, Hilton made an appearance in ''The Sopranos'' episode 3.29, "Fortunate Son". His character, hands over the proceeds of a Jewel benefit concert at Rutgers University, whose ticket office Christopher Moltisanti and Benny Fazio rob at gunpoint.

In 2004, a then- 206 lb. Hilton appeared as a contestant on the "Madonna Style" episode of VH1's reality weight loss show, ''Flab To Fab''. At the time, Hilton had 30% body fat and a 41” waist. Hilton lost a total of 45 lbs. in three months and dropped 13” around his waist, leaving him at 160 lbs and a 28” waist for his 6’0” frame, and a greatly reduced level of body fat.

On July 13, 2007, Hilton announced on the TV show ''The View'' that he would star in his own reality television show on VH1. The series of six one-hour episodes, titled ''What Perez Sez'', aired its first part on September 11, 2007.

Hilton appeared as a contestant on MTV's ''Celebrity Rap Superstar'', which debuted August 30, 2007. He was eliminated in week 6 of the contest by judges' vote. On September 29, 2007, he hosted a ''Best of MADtv'' episode featuring pop culture parody sketches from previous seasons. He has appeared in music videos such as Simple Plan's "When I'm Gone", The Pussycat Dolls's "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" and Rihanna's "S&M;". Hilton has also appeared in reality shows such as ''Victoria Beckham: Coming To America'', ''MTV Cribs'', ''The-N's Queen Bees'', ''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Tori Spelling THS'' and ''Paris Hilton's My New BFF''. In addition to reality television Lavendeira has guest starred as himself in scripted shows such as and Privileged.

Hilton is also a regular on TV Series ''TRL'', ''Much Music'', and ''Extra'' where he appears via satellite from his closet studio to talk about gossip.

He co-hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards and after Rick Astley did not show up to collect his award for best act ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Perez Hilton collected the prize on Rick's behalf.

On June 21, 2009, Hilton was a presenter at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Ontario. On December 2, 2009, Hilton was a guest on the TV show ''The View''.

In 2010, Hilton guest starred as himself in the episode "Wi-Fi in the Sky" on ''Victorious''.

Hilton created and presented four-part British television series, ''Perez Hilton Superfan'' for ITV2 in December 2011.

On the January 16, 2012 edition of WWE Monday Night RAW Perez was a special guest referee for a Divas tag team match. In April 2012, he appeared on Oprah's Lifeclass live at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, along with Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra, talking about how after his "spiritual awakening", he changed his past celebrity bashing ways and how he had found a new purpose .

Radio[link]

Hilton premiered his nationally syndicated radio show, ''Radio Perez'', which included updates from his blog, on May 5, 2008. He has also appeared on ''The Howard Stern Show'' on Sirius Satellite Radio. Most recently on January 8, 2009.

Discography[link]

Hilton has a song called "The Clap", which is about Gonorrhea. The song is composed and produced by Lucian Piane. The music video for the song is from the movie, "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild."

{|class="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !Title !Album !Producer !Composer !Notes |- |rowspan="2"| 2008 |"The Clap"

Released: 4 September 2008

|— |Lucian Piane |Lucian Piane |The song is about Gonorrhea. |- |"The Clap" (Remix)

Released: 17 October 2008

|— |Lucian Piane |Lucian Piane |This is a remix of the original song. |}

Other appearances[link]

{|class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Year ! Artist ! Song ! Release |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |Larry Tee feat. Perez Hilton |"My Penis" (Edu K Schlong Dong Silver Remix) |''Club Badd'' |- |Larry Tee feat. Perez Hilton |"My Penis" (Original Version / Remixes)

(Original Version)

(Edu K Schlong Dong Silver Video Edit)

(Edu K Schlong Dong Silver Mix)

(Act Yo Age Refixxx)

(UltraViolet Sound Remix)

(Aout6 Mix)

(Tom Budiansky Remix)

|''My Penis (feat. Perez Hilton) / My Pussy (feat. Amanda Lepore)'' |}

Special appearances[link]

Hilton appears in Britney Spears's tour, The Circus Starring Britney Spears. Hilton appears dressed as Queen Elizabeth I.

Hilton appears in the 2010 Vengaboys video "Rocket To Uranus".

Hilton appears in the 2011 Rihanna video ''S&M;'', "on a leash as Rihanna's pet."

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
	''Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild''	Himself	Shot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
	''Going Down in LA-LA Land''	Ricky

Television[link]

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
	''The Sopranos''	Male Student	Credited as Mario Lavandeira (Episode 3.3).
	''From Flab to Fab''	Himself (as Mario)	VH1's reality weight-loss show.
	''Pepper Dennis''	Gay Club Goer	Credited as Perez Hilton (Episode 1.9).
	''MuchOnDemand''	Himself	Occasional guest via web-cam to discuss daily gossip.
	''Celebrity Rap Superstar''	Himself	Eliminated week 6 by judges vote.
	''What Perez Sez''	Himself	A series of specials airing on VH1.
	''MADtv''	Himself	Guest Appearance.
	''The 100 Most Annoying People Of 2007''	Himself	BBC.
		Himself	Appears Every Week To Talk About Gossip (Via Web Cam From His Closet Studio).
		Himself	Interviewed the queen bees.
	''Paris Hilton's My New BFF: Casting Special''	Himself	MTV Reality Series.
	''Fido Awards	Himself	Opened for the Most Outrageous poop nominees.
		Himself	Appears Every Week To Talk About Gossip (Via Web Cam From His Closet Studio).
	''The Martha Stewart Show	Himself	Guest appearance to discuss blogging.
		Himself
	''Mtv's My Super Sweet 16 UK SEASON 2	Himself	*Freddy's Sweet 15 * Present VT.
		Himself	Reunion Host.
		Himself	Guest Appearance (Episode 818 to Episode 822, Titled ''Paradise City'').
		Himself	Reunion Host.
2010	''When I Was 17''	Himself
2010	''Anna & Kristina's Beauty Call''	Himself	Guest judge for Episode 26: "Debbie: Stylish Traveler"
2010	''America's Next Top Model''	Himself	Guest appearance in episode 1402
2010	''Tosh.0''	Himself	Guest Appearance in episode 38
2010	''Victorious''	Himself	Guest appearance on the episode ''Wi-Fi in the Sky''
2011	''Perez Hilton Superfan''	Himself	Presenter - ITV2 entertainment series in the UK

References[link]

External links[link]

Official website

Perez Hilton in Trouble at ''Variety.com''

Perez Hilton is Terra's Hispanic of the Year

Category:1978 births Category:American bloggers Category:American Internet personalities Category:American talk radio hosts Category:Gay writers Category:Gossip columnists Category:LGBT American people of Cuban descent Category:LGBT people from the United States Category:LGBT writers from the United States Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:New York University alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Miami, Florida Category:LGBT broadcasters

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