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.^[1]

Digital television[link]

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

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 ^[4] 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.^[5][6]

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.^[7] 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^[8]

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.^[9][10] 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,^[11] Bandstand Revue,^[12] Dixie Showboat, Frosty Frolics,^[13] Hollywood Reel,^[14] Hollywood Wrestling, Latin Cruise,^[11] Movietown, RSVP,^[15] Olympic Wrestling,^[15] Sandy Dreams,^[13] 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.^[16]

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.^[17] 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,^[18] but had been sold off to what became the syndication arm of United Artists Television^[19]), 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]

KTLA tower on Sunset Boulevard in 2007.

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.^[20]

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.^[21] 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.^[22][23] Morning news co-anchor Emmett Miller took over as interim evening anchor, and on December 4 was named as Fishman's permanent replacement.^[24]

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).^[25]

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.^[26]
• 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.^[27][28]
• 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.^[29]
• 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.^[30]

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)^[31]
• (Channel 5/KTLA) News at Ten (1977–2005 and 2009–present)^[32]
• KTLA Prime News (2005–2009)^[33]
• KTLA Morning News (1991–2006 and 2008–present)^[34]
• KTLA 5 Morning Show (2006–2008; formerly used for the 7-10 a.m. portion of the news)
• KTLA 5 News (2009–present)^[35]

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]

[edit] Current on-air staff^[36]

Anchors

• Frank Buckley - weekday mornings KTLA Morning News (7-10 a.m.)
• Wendy Burch - weekend mornings KTLA Morning News; also weekday reporter; also fill-in traffic anchor
• Chris Burrous - weekend mornings KTLA Morning News; also weekday reporter
• 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]

Rebroadcasters[link]

KTLA is rebroadcast on the following translator stations:

• K40HX Morongo Valley^[38]
• K35BQ Daggett^[39]
• K03EK Newberry Springs^[40]
• K16FI Twentynine Palms^[41]
• K29GK Twentynine Palms^[42]
• K48AD Lucerne Valley^[43]
• K05FO Ridgecrest^[44]
• K39HT-D Ridgecrest^[45]
• K58GH Sterling, Colorado^[46]
• K29GO Cortez, Colorado^[47]
• K32EX Peetz, Colorado^[48]

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^[which?], 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
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KTLA
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KTLA-TV
• Program Information for KTLA at TitanTV.com
• "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

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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^[1].

Kriski was married to Samantha Lewis, owner of Digital Playground,^[2] from 2004 to 2009. On May 18, 2011, he announced his engagement to KTLA colleague Jennifer Gould ^[3]; they were married September 24, 2011.^[4]

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

This Canadian biographical article related to television is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Jessica Holmes on set in Toronto, October 2006

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.^[1] 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 at the Internet Movie Database
• Jessica Holmes' Website

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.^[1] 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.^[2] He is also the co-author of two biographies, one on the former first lady Jacqueline Onassis and another on actress Mia Farrow.^[3]

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]

Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton at Barnes & Noble book signing (Union Square, New York City, September 6, 2011)
Born	Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. (1978-03-23) March 23, 1978 (age 34) 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"^[1]), 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.^[2]

PerezHilton.com[link]

After graduation from New York University in 2000, and before beginning his blogging career, Hilton attempted a career as an actor.^[3] 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.^[4] He says he started blogging "because it seemed easy."^[5][6]

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.^[7][8] 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,^[9] and that, unlike most gossip blogs, he often acknowledges and praises her positive achievements.^[10] 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.^[11] However, in early 2007, he was criticized by the blog The Hollywood Gossip for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks made by Paris Hilton.^[12]

Hilton often promotes his favorite up-and-coming musicians by posting streams of their songs under the "Listen To This" category of his blog.^[13] London-based singer Mika's 2007 rise to popular success in North America has been partially attributed to Hilton's frequent support.^[14][15] Hilton and Mika also claim to be friends.^[16][17]

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."^[18] 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.^[19][20][21] 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.^[22] Other sources dispute the reliability of Hilton's traffic claims.^[23]

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.^[24]

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.^[25] 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.^[26] 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.^[27] Castro appeared in an interview on Cuban television on September 21, 2007, "looking frail but sounding lucid," and mocking rumors of his death.^[28] On September 9, 2009, Perez appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and cited his premature reporting of Castro's death as his "one regret."