New CBS Los Angeles GM on His Ambitious Local Plans, and How KCBS/KCAL’s New AR/VR Studio Is Changing How They Deliver the News

Nine months after he took the reins at CBS’ KCBS/KCAL duopoly in Los Angeles, Tim Wieland is eager to double down on local. Meeting with reporters on Monday, Wieland said he’s pondering more kinds of in-house local productions beyond news (which already takes up nearly 100 hours of weekly programming between the two stations).

“I am obviously very bullish on local, in the future of local, even amid all of the doom and gloom stories that are out there,” Wieland told reporters during a press event at KCBS/KCAL’s studios on the Radford Studio Center lot. “We will start doing more local programming, not less. So that means the traditional newscast that you see, but also we may in the future be doing more community oriented talk shows, other sort of quasi entertainment-type programming, commercial programming. I think we’ll be doing a greater diversity of programming to serve the community.”

Wieland now serves as regional president and general manager for both CBS Los Angeles and CBS Colorado (KCNC), but relocated from Denver (where he had been with the station since 2001) to Southern California as part of his new, expanded domain.

That means he was a relatively new transplant when the fires that destroyed much of Pacific Palisades and Altadena became one of the biggest local stories in recent memory. “In my career, I have never seen viewership like that on a story, not just in linear TV, but on every platform we have,” he said.

And that has continued with the ongoing immigration raids in Southern California, he added: “Viewership overall for our news is higher than normal viewership, and for readership on our website, higher than normal,” he said. “Social, streaming, it’s up because there’s something happening in our community right now that people want information about.”

Coming out of the L.A. fires, Wieland touted KCBS/KCAL’s “Rebuilding SoCal” initiative: “We went on air and boldly said that we’re going to have a team of reporters dedicated to this topic for the next year and beyond,” he said. “And we put different beats together under ‘Rebuilding SoCal,’ and you see it in our newscast, and we’re not letting up. Let’s face it, local news hasn’t always been great at that. We have a reputation that is well earned of covering a breaking news story or big story in the moment and then moving on… We’re not going to do that. ‘Rebuilding SoCal’ was an initiative driven by the journalists in our newsroom to make sure that we didn’t turn our backs on the community.”

At the event, KCBS/KCAL also spotlighted assignment desk producers Mike Rogers and Mark Liu, who regularly appear on newscasts (via “The Desk”) to give context on breaking news stories. And the duopoly unveiled its new AR/VR technology-driven studio, where it has started showcasing weather forecasts. (Wieland also revealed that KCBS/KCAL’s sports reports will also soon move to the new space.)

Read more here.

The L.A. Fires Proved the Urgent Need for Local News in an Age of Social Media Conspiracies and Outright Lies

During those frightening, early moments of the L.A.-area wildfires last week, I was obsessively flipping from one local TV station to the next to get my fill of coverage. ABC 7, KTLA, KCAL (which also airs on CBS 2), NBC 4, Fox 11… they were all on the front lines, sharing valuable information while chronicling the shocking images of our neighborhoods under siege.

When I had to be in the car, I was locked into KNX NewsRadio and also checking out LAist 89.3 and KCRW. And when I needed some immediate information, like all of you, I downloaded the Watch Duty app. I was texting news with friends, and then checking in with our own Variety workspace on Slack to see how my colleagues were doing.

But where I didn’t bother to turn for legit information was Twitter/X, or really, any of the usual social media sites. Sure, I still briefly went to those sites to proudly share links to some of the Variety coverage that we worked so hard to write in the midst of the chaos. But a few years ago, I probably would have been posting on Twitter all day and night, while scrolling non-stop to pick up any morsel of news.

That feels like an entirely different social media age, however. As Twitter (oh sorry, I mean X) has been flooded by bad actors pushing misinformation, and spam has taken hold over the past year especially, I’ve let my feed fall into disuse. And last week, I had no interest in picking it up again. I hadn’t realized just how much of a non-factor X and others were during this disaster until a user on Bluesky reposted one of my stories about local TV and had this to say:

“The fires showed the importance of local journalism,” wrote @kristapor80.bsky.social. “Twitter used to be great for emergency coverage but for the fires, it was more concerned about debating DEI than helping provide valuable information. Bluesky is not yet up to the task for breaking local coverage. Local TV stepped up.”

And that’s it in a nutshell. I remember the early days of Twitter, when it was a truly useful resource to find out, in real time, what was happening both globally and locally. Here in L.A., we’d head straight to Twitter whenever we felt the earth shake — and could quickly figure out if it was an earthquake or just a heavy truck driving down our street.

Perhaps most notably, the Boston bombings in 2013 were a landmark moment when people started describing Twitter as “the new public square.” Immediate photos and visuals of the attacks helped people quickly learn what was happening, while authorities utilized the platform to spread safety warnings.

Cut to 2025, and now our social media leaders are getting rid of fact checking, and their creations are filled with lies, fake photos and total fabrications. I didn’t go to X for my news because I knew I wouldn’t find it there, buried between the MAGA propaganda, hate speech and accounts I don’t follow but now clog my feed. Then there’s all the A.I.-generated lies, like the heavily shared photo of the Hollywood sign on fire, which we all know didn’t happen. But I’m sure there are plenty of people around the country who saw that fake pic and thought it was true.

What a time for Mark Zuckerberg to announce he’s out of the fact checking business, allowing more lies to run free. I must admit, however, that in the days that have followed, Meta’s Instagram has been at least a place to see Los Angeles residents share how to support those who lost their homes, and where to donate. Local businesses that have stepped up are using the platform to let residents know where those most impacted can get a free meal, a bag of toiletries or even where they can spend an afternoon (like LACMA or Vidiots) on a mental health break to decompress, watch a movie or see some art.

That’s useful information from a social standpoint. But for true, journalistically sound specific news about the fires and their aftermath, this week has been a reminder, once again, of how important local media is — and what we lose when newspapers and TV stations downsize or even go out of business.

Read more here.

Strong May for KTLA, While Other Local Stations See Major Erosion

During this crazy presidential campaign, are news viewers bypassing local TV to watch cable's national news coverage?

Besides the usual erosion facing all of broadcast TV, that's at least one theory that might explain explain major year-to-year drops that almost every station experienced this May vs. last. With a few exceptions, particularly KTLA (and some KCBS timeslots), almost every newscast saw dips.

To be fair, you can't discount the HUGE declines the network-owned stations suffered in primetime this May vs. last. Scroll down and gasp at the May-to-May drops for the networks in primetime this May. With one big exception: The CW on KTLA.

KTLA saw many of its newscasts experiencing solid total viewer lifts, and now dominates in the morning, led by its flagship "KTLA Morning News." KTLA also leads at 10 p.m. with both viewers and adults 25-54 (the key news demo), when sports reports are included. (KCAL jumps ahead to first when just the 45-minute newscasts are tallied.)

And at 11 p.m., KABC still leads with total viewers, but KNBC is tops with adults 25-54. The race is tight in the demo, however, with just 8,000 viewers separating first from third.

Other stations showing strong gains included KCBS, which experienced nice growth with its 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts. And KCAL improved its adult 25-54 audience during its weeknight 8 p.m. (up 18%), 9 p.m. (up 22%) and 10 p.m. (up 8%) newscasts.

Here are the May total viewers weekday ratings for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots:

4:30 am
KTLA 50,000 (last May 39,000)
KABC 49,000 (last May 66,000)
KCBS 24,000 (last May 26,000)
KNBC 20,000 (last May 30,000)
KTTV 14,000 (last May 13,000)

5am
KTLA 81,000 (last May 78,000)
KABC 68,000 (last May 91,000)
KNBC 40,000 (last May 44,000)
KTTV 28,000 (last May 40,000)
KCBS 24,000 (last May 34,000)

6am
KTLA 166,000 (last May 169,000)
KABC 125,000 (last May 165,000)
KNBC 89,000 (last May 82,000)
KTTV 50,000 (last May 82,000)
KCBS 34,000 (last May 53,000)

7am
KTLA/Morning News 203,900 (last May 196,000)
KABC/Good Morning America 158,000 (last May 174,000)
KNBC/Today 99,000 (last May 118,900)
KTTV/Good Day LA 69,000 (last May 96,000)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 44,000 (last May 74,000)

5pm
KABC 191,000 (last May 214,000)
KNBC 131,000 (last May 149,000)
KCBS 99,000 (last May 88,900)
KTTV 34,000 (last May 52,000)

6pm
KABC 202,000 (last May 214,000)
KNBC 132,000 (last May 141,000)
KCBS 96,000 (last May 80,000)
KTLA 64,000 (last May 56,000)

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KCBS 265,000 (last May 272,000)
KABC 250,000 (last May 343,000)
KNBC 202,000 (last may 237,000)
KTLA 109,000 (last May 104,000)
KTTV 98,000 (last May 138,000)

10pm (including sports report)
KTLA 147,000 (last May 135,000)
KCAL 119,000 (last May 138,000)
KTTV 74,000 (last May 98,000)

11pm
KABC 201,000 (last May 288,000)
KNBC 186,000 (last May 209,000)
KCBS 170,000 (last May 186,000)
KTLA 84,000 (last May 79,000)

Here are the May weekday ratings among adults 25-54 for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots.

4:30 am
KTLA, KCBS (tie) 16,000
KABC 15,000
KNBC 10,000
KTTV 8,000

5am
KTLA 28,000
KABC 21,000
KNBC 17,000
KCBS 15,000
KTTV 12,000

6am
KTLA 71,000
KNBC 39,000
KABC 35,000
KTTV 26,000
KCBS 15,000

7am
KTLA/Morning News 86,000
KNBC/Today 38,000
KABC/Good Morning America and KTTV/Good Day LA (tie) 35,000
KCBS/CBS This Morning 10,000

5pm
KABC 42,000
KNBC 38,000
KCBS 25,000
KTTV 21,000

6pm
KABC 37,000
KNBC 33,000
KCBS 27,000
KTLA 21,000

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KABC 87,000 (last May 142,000)
KCBS 78,000 (last May 79,000)
KNBC 75,000 (last May 103,000)
KTLA 53,000 (last May 46,000)
KTTV 48,000 (last May 67,000)

10pm (including sports report)
KTLA 52,000 (without: 55,000)
KCAL 50,000 (without: 57,000)
KTTV 44,000

11pm
KNBC 59,000
KABC 53,000
KCBS 51,000
KTLA 33,000

MIKE ON TV: Promoting the Great Los Angeles Walk on KCAL

Thanks to KCAL 9 for having me on the Thursday noon newscast to discuss this year's Great Los Angeles Walk! I spoke with KCAL's Josh Rubenstein about the joy of walking in LA:

L.A. February TV Ratings: On the Weekdays, Everyone's A Winner

As usual, KABC took the local February sweeps crown in households, winning what the station says is its 124th consecutive non-Olympic survey period among households. And in the key Monday to Sunday 11 p.m. news race among adults 25-54, KABC was tops (1.3 rating) over KNBC (1.1) and KCBS (1.0).

But on the weekdays, this may be the oddest February sweeps in local Los Angeles TV ever. In the key adult 25-54 demographic at 11 p.m., rivals KABC, KNBC and KCBS all tied for No. 1 on the weekdays, with a 1.1 rating. (In total viewers, KABC remained champ, although was down from November.)

Going back to at least 1989, this is the first time insiders say they've ever seen KCBS, KNBC and KABC tie for #1 in weekday late news during a major sweep in adults 25-54 – the primary demo for news.

But that's not all: Adding to the unusual month, the three major stations with news at 10 p.m. (KTLA, KTTV and KCAL) also all virtually tied, with a 1.0 rating each.

I always preface these ratings by reminding you that sweeps really shouldn't matter in Los Angeles any more -- the local market is now measured every day via personal people meters. But old habits die hard, and the local stations compete heavily in November, February and May as if it still mattered.

It's also hard to do apples-to-apples comparisons with last February, since the Winter Olympics skews those totals. So instead, this time I'll compare the ratings to the last major sweeps period in November 2014.

Beyond the ties, it was a strange month. KABC saw huge gains at 6 p.m., yet a big drop at 11 p.m. -- despite the fact that it won primetime for the month. KTLA Morning News regained the crown as the most-watched morning show, and "CBS This Morning" on KCBS narrowly edged out "Today" on KNBC.

Here are the February total viewers weekday ratings for the Los Angeles market, Monday through Friday in key news timeslots (as well as Monday through Sunday in primetime).

4:30 am
KABC 74,000 (in November 93,800)
KTLA 43,000 (in November 41,500)
KNBC 37,000 (in November 23,600)
KCBS 26,000 (in November 16,400)
KTTV 9,000 (in November 10,400)

5am
KABC 98,000 (in November 135,000)
KTLA 87,000 (in November 93,100)
KNBC 46,000 (in November 37,800)
KTTV 39,000 (in November 36,800)
KCBS 35,000 (in November 27,300)

6am
KABC 181,000 (in November 192,700)
KTLA 165,000 (in November 182,400)
KTTV 76,000 (in November 72,800)
KNBC 75,000 (in November 66,400)
KCBS 53,000 (in November 46,600)

7am
KTLA/Morning News 208,900 (in November 208,000)
KABC/Good Morning America 206,000 (in November 213,500)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 88,000 (in November 74,700)
KNBC/Today 86,000 (in November 95,900)
KTTV/Good Day LA 81,000 (in November 67,600)

5pm
KABC 246,000 (in November 245,600)
KNBC 143,000 (in November 139,600)
KCBS 115,000 (in November 108,900)
KTTV 49,000 (in November 48,200)

6pm
KABC 328,000 (in November 277,500)
KNBC 145,000 (in November 147,200)
KCBS 102,000 (in November 97,200)
KTLA 79,000 (in November 58,900)

Primetime (Monday through Sunday)
KABC/ABC 367,000
KCBS/CBS 366,000
KNBC/NBC 239,000
KTTV/Fox 200,000

10pm
KCAL 167,000 (in November 156,100)
KTLA 136,000 (in November 126,500)
KTTV 116,000 (in November 76,900)

11pm
KABC 250,000 (in November 335,900)
KCBS 211,000 (in November 215,000)
KNBC 177,000 (in November 159,000)
KTLA 80,000 (in November 83,000)

L.A. Yule Log Ratings Dip This Year

The Yule Log remains a hit in sunny (well, it was sunny on Christmas day!) Southern California -- although the novelty may be wearing off.

According to this year's ratings, KTLA won the televised head-to-head Yule Log race from 4-10 a.m. on Christmas morning, averaging 96,000 viewers. KCAL averaged 46,000 viewers. Both were down from last year, when KTLA averaged 103,000 viewers and KCAL averaged 63,000 viewers.

KCAL's viewership peaked with 110,000 viewers from 12:15-12:30 a.m. (second in the time period) and 111,000 viewers from 8:45-9:00 a.m.; KTLA's viewership peaked with 207,000 viewers from 8:15-8:30 a.m.

KCAL (which first brought the tradition to Los Angeles in 2004) aired its Yule Log starting at midnight as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day, and continued the tradition until 10 a.m. KTLA ran its log from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.

KTLA and KCAL face more competition these days for Yule Log supremacy, as the televised image of a crackling fire is now available all over the place, including on demand and online.

The TV Yule Log was first created by New York's WPIX-TV. The TV station made the yule log an annual tradition from 1966 to 1989, originally using a shot of the fireplace at New York's Gracie Mansion. Late WPIX general manager Fred Thrower came up with the idea when he realized that most of New York's apartment dwellers didn't have fireplaces.

WPIX brought the tradition back to New York in 2001, and it eventually made its way to Los Angeles, where KCAL and KTLA now battle every year for yule log ratings supremacy.

Christmas in Los Angeles, 2014

Merry Christmas from Franklin Avenue! A few pics from our annual Christmas Eve traditions:



Paddle boats at Echo Park (which, sadly, is still a bit murky because of run-off from recent storms, but still nice on a warm, sunny L.A. Christmas Eve). Preceded by a delicious breakfast at Square One dining's Echo Park boat house location. It's a favorite of the Blogger Kid, who turned 10 on Christmas Eve!



4 p.m. Family-friendly Christmas Eve mass at downtown's Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.



The Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration. An annual free three-hour event (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, telecast live on PBS SoCal. We stop by to enjoy the last hour after church.



Highlight this year was the Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez performing "The Nutcracker" songs.



The weather outside is windy... but inside the Yule Log on KCAL-9 is keeping us warm!

One Last Big November Sweeps Win For KABC's Retiring General Manager

Arnie Kleiner's going out on a high note. The KABC general manager, who recently announced his retirement, just added one last November sweeps crown to his impressive tenure at the owned-and-operated ABC station. (Kleiner is departing at the end of January.)

I always preface these November ratings by reminding you that sweeps really shouldn't matter in Los Angeles any more -- the local market is now measured every day via personal people meters. But old habits die hard, and the local stations compete heavily in November as if it still mattered.

At 11 pm, KABC expanded its lead vs. No. 2 KCBS in total viewers, thanks in part to a surging primetime (in which KABC dominated vs. its competitors). Meanwhile, at 10 pm, KCAL is also now a dominant No. 1 -- a contrast to last year, where the three-way race was tight. A weak primetime has led to big drop-offs for KTTV.

Here are the November total viewers ratings for the Los Angeles market, in key news timeslots (as well as in primetime).

4:30 am
KABC 93,800 (last year 59,900)
KTLA 41,500 (last year 55,500)
KNBC 23,600 (last year 24,400)
KCBS 16,400 (last year 20,500)
KTTV 10,400 (last year 15,700)

5am
KABC 135,000 (last year 109,100)
KTLA 93,100 (last year 98,400)
KNBC 37,800 (last year 39,200)
KTTV 36,800 (last year 28,700)
KCBS 27,300 (last year 32,900)

6am
KABC 192,700 (last year 213,300)
KTLA 182,400 (last year 176,200)
KTTV 72,800 (last year 65,100)
KNBC 66,400 (last year 68,200)
KCBS 46,600 (last year 38,700)

7am
KABC/Good Morning America 213,500 (last year 241,800)
KTLA/Morning News 208,900 (last year 210,000)
KNBC/Today 95,900 (last year 79,800)
KCBS/CBS This Morning 74,700 (last year 50,700)
KTTV/Good Day LA 67,600 (last year 87,200)

5pm
KABC 245,600 (last year 257,700)
KNBC 139,600 (last year 146,600)
KCBS 108,900 (last year 109,700)
KTTV 48,200 (last year 45,700)

6pm
KABC 277,500 (last year 278,200)
KNBC 147,200 (last year 136,900)
KCBS 97,200 (last year 107,300)
KTLA 58,900 (last year 86,600)

Primetime
KABC/ABC 428,600 (last year 388,500)
KCBS/CBS 331,100 (last year 341,700)
KNBC/NBC 287,400 (last year 273,800)
KTTV/Fox 161,100 (last year 233,900)
KTLA/The CW 112,800 (last year 111,000)

10pm
KCAL 156,100 (last year 131,900)
KTLA 126,500 (last year 130,500)
KTTV 76,900 (last year 128,100)

11pm
KABC 335,900 (last year 318,200)
KCBS 215,000 (last year 205,000)
KNBC 159,000 (last year 186,700)
KTLA 83,000 (last year Arsenio Hall 75,300)

MIKE ON TV: Promoting the Great Los Angeles Walk on KCAL-TV

On KCAL's 2 p.m. newscast Friday I talked to Josh Rubenstein about the Great Los Angeles Walk's first time in the Valley. Thanks to Mike Nelson for making this happen. Watch below!

Kent Shocknek Retires: Here's What He Should Do Next

Local TV news won't be the same. Especially coverage of the next earthquake and car chase. KCBS/KCAL announced Monday that Kent Shocknek, who now anchors KCAL's primetime news, is retiring:

Longtime KCBS (Channel 2) and KCAL-TV (Channel 9) news anchor Kent Shocknek today announced his plans to retire at the end of September 2014.

A veteran of more than 36 years in television news, Shocknek has been a fixture in Los Angeles for 31 years and is believed to have anchored more hours of news on local television than anyone else in the history of the market.

The first and longest-serving morning TV news anchor in Los Angeles, Shocknek was the original anchor of “Today in L.A.,” which debuted in 1986. He joined CBS 2 in 2001 and anchored morning and evening newscasts for the station until November 2013, when he became co-anchor of sister station KCAL 9’s top-rated 8 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

Earlier this year, the Los Angeles City Council honored Shocknek for his decades of service by proclaiming January 10 “Kent Shocknek Day.”

“For years at CBS 2 and KCAL 9, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of working with the best producers in morning TV; and more recently, the best prime-time anchor team anywhere,” Shocknek said. “Now it’s time to catch up with the people I love, and check out some places I’ve always wanted to go.”

“From Leslie Moonves on down, I thank everyone at CBS for their friendship and support. Southern Californians are the best neighbors in the world, and I will be forever grateful to them for inviting me into their homes for so long.”

“Kent Shocknek is a Los Angeles TV news institution,” said Steve Mauldin, President and General Manager, CBS 2 and KCAL 9. “He’s a consummate professional who has distinguished himself as an outstanding breaking news anchor with an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Southern California.”

As I mentioned to CBS' Kelly Kahl yesterday, I do hope someone now hires Kent to anchor the Car Chase Channel, an idea I think we all agree is too obvious not to happen.

Now... classic Kent, the infamous time he jumped under his anchor desk, as immortalized by David Letterman:

May Sweeps L.A. TV Ratings: Good Month for KABC, KCAL, KTLA

With May sweeps wrapped up (although, I must note, L.A. is a metered market measured all year, so sweeps are pointless here), KABC/Channel 7 remains the local market leader in every news time slot. But KTLA has reason to crow in the mornings, as "KTLA Morning News" is a close second to KABC's "Good Morning America" (and where KTTV's "Good Day LA" continues to disappear). At 10 p.m., KCAL leads.

Here are the key weekday matchups. Ratings are for May 2014 (weekdays only), with May 2013 in parenthesis for comparison.

5 a.m.
KABC 129,000 (last year: 91,000)
KTLA 92,000 (84,000)
KNBC 38,000 (41,000)
KTTV 34,000 (39,000)
KCBS 25,000 (33,000)

6 a.m.
KABC 229,000 (last year: 180,000)
KTLA 178,000 (170,000)
KTTV 67,000 (88,000)
KNBC 62,000 (75,000)
KCBS 41,000 (54,000)

7 a.m. Morning shows
KABC (Good Morning America) 207,000 (last year: 197,000)
KTLA (KTLA Morning News) 200,000 (172,000)
KNBC (Today Show) 80,000 (84,000)
KTTV (Good Day LA) 74,000 (98,000)
KCBS (CBS This Morning) 60,000 (72,000)

5 p.m.
KABC 224,000 (last year: 239,000)
KNBC 132,000 (117,000)
KCBS 107,000 (94,000)
KTTV 54,000 (48,000)

6 p.m.
KABC 261,000 (last year: 247,000)
KNBC 117,000 (133,000)
KCBS 87,000 (83,000)
KTLA 66,000 (62,000)

Primetime
KABC 384,000 (last year: 410,000)
KCBS 303,000 (315,000)
KNBC 256,000 (295,000)
KTTV 242,000 (308,000)
KTLA 91,000 (92,000)
KCOP 43,000 (47,000)

10 p.m.
KCAL 149,000 (last year: 161,000)
KTLA 134,000 (145,000)
KTTV 125,000 (147,000)

11 p.m.
KABC 320,000 (last year: 303,000)
KCBS 218,000 (205,000)
KNBC 184,000 (183,000)

L.A. TV Ratings: KTLA Wins This Year's Yule Log Smackdown

(I have rewritten this post throughout due to an initial goof -- I was looking at Household ratings, not total viewers, originally. Look at total viewers, and there isn't as much of a ratings dip for local Yule log ratings. Whew. The Yule Log lives!)

KTLA/Channel 5 won this year's annual Christmas morning Yule Log Smackdown, averaging 103,000 viewers between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. -- the five hours that both stations are simultaneously airing the log. KCAL averaged 63,000 viewers during that same time frame. (For comparison, I don't have 2012's ratings handy, but in 2011, KCAL averaged 81,000 viewers from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. while averaged 79,000 viewers during the same time frame.)

KTLA viewership peaked with 237,000 from 9:00-9:15 a.m. KCAL viewership peaked with 179,000 from 8:00-8:15 a.m.

KCAL (which first brought the tradition to Los Angeles in 2004) aired its Yule Log starting at midnight as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day, and continued the tradition until 9 a.m. KTLA ran its log from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m.

KTLA and KCAL face more competition these days for Yule Log supremacy, as the televised image of a crackling fire is now available all over the place: On Netflix, On demand, online.

Also, the most unusual Yule Log this year came courtesy The Hub, which aired a My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic-themed animated log on Christmas morning. In cable, "uplifting entertainment" channel UP and the Hallmark Movie Channel also pre-empted programming to run a Yule Log.

The TV Yule Log was first created by New York's WPIX-TV. The TV station made the yule log an annual tradition from 1966 to 1989, originally using a shot of the fireplace at New York's Gracie Mansion. Late WPIX general manager Fred Thrower came up with the idea when he realized that most of New York's apartment dwellers didn't have fireplaces.

WPIX brought the tradition back to New York in 2001, and it eventually made its way to Los Angeles, where KCAL and KTLA now battle every year for yule log ratings supremacy.

November Sweeps: KABC Rules, While KCAL Takes Back 10 p.m.

KCAL narrowly reclaimed the 10 p.m. November news crown this year among total viewers, eking out a razor's edge victory over No. 2 KTLA -- but there's an asterisk attached. KCAL and KTLA don't factor in the last 15 minutes of their 10 p.m. newscasts; those lower-rated sports reports are counted as a separate program. KTTV does, however. It's a very different story when the hours are all pit against each other. (KTTV scored a victory in the key news demo of adults 25-54.)

But nonetheless, KCAL was the only station to post November-to-November growth at 10 p.m., averaging 132,000 viewers -- up from 113,000 last year. KCAL took a hit last year after losing the Los Angeles Lakers contract to Time Warner Cable SportsNet, having won 10 p.m. in 2011 with 154,000 viewers. Meanwhile, KTLA and KTTV were both down.

It was another good November for KABC, which saw its 7 a.m. fortunes rise thanks to the growing dominance of "Good Morning America." KTLA also experienced growth for "KTLA Morning News." Much of that was at the expense of "Today," which lost a chunk of viewers.

Meanwhile, at 11 p.m., KABC pulled out far ahead in first place, after KCBS came within striking distance in 2012. This year, KABC was the only station to gain at 11 p.m., while KCBS and KNBC both saw some drops.

Here are the November 2013 results for the local L.A. market's English-language stations. (Sorry, I don't have KMEX numbers handy, but they are obviously a tremendous player in Los Angeles.)

Total Viewers

5 a.m. KABC 109,000
KTLA 98,000
KNBC 39,000
KCBS 33,000
KTTV 29,000

6 a.m.
KABC 213,000
KTLA 176,000
KNBC 68,000
KTTV 65,000
KCBS 39,000

7 a.m. Morning Shows
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 242,000 (up from 215,000)
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 210,000 (up from 193,000)
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 87,000 (down from 95,000)
TODAY (KNBC) 80,000 (down from 104,000)
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 51,000

5 p.m.
KABC 258,000 (down from 283,000)
KNBC 147,000 (up from 146,000)
KCBS 110,000 (down from 129,000)
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA") 46,000 (up from 42,000)

6 p.m.
KABC 278,000 (down from 305,000)
KNBC 137,000 (down from 145,000)
KCBS 107,000 (down from 128,000)
KTLA 87,000 (up from 77,000)

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 277,000
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC) 137,000
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 107,000
KTLA NEWS (KTLA) 102,000

Primetime
KABC 389,000
KCBS 342,000
KNBC 274,000
KTTV 234,000
KTLA 111,000

10 p.m.
KCAL 132,000 (up from 113,000)
KTLA 131,000 (down from 142,000)
KTTV 128,000 (down from 146,000)

11 p.m.
KABC 318,000 (up from 274,000)
KCBS 205,000 (down from 254,000)
KNBC 187,000 (down from 205,000)

25-54

5 a.m.
KTLA 0.8/14
KABC 0.7/13
KNBC/KTTV (tie) 0.3/5
KCBS 0.1/2

6 a.m.
KTLA 1.3/15
KABC 1.1/13
KTTV 0.7/9
KNBC 0.4/5
KCBS 0.2/2

7 a.m. Morning Shows
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 1.3/12
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 1.1/11
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 0.8/8
TODAY (KNBC) 0.4/4
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 0.2/2

5 p.m.
KABC 0.8/4
KNBC 0.7/3
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA")/KCBS (tie) 0.4/2

6 p.m.
KABC 1.0/4
KNBC 0.5/2
KCBS/KTLA (tie) 0.4/2

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 1.0/4
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC)/ KTLA (tie) 0.6/2
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 0.5/2

10 p.m.
KTTV 1.1/4
KCAL 0.9/3
KTLA 0.8/3

11 p.m.
KABC 1.8/9
KNBC 1.1/5
KCBS 1.0/5

(Photo: Malibu Times)

MIKE ON TV: Chatting Up The Great Los Angeles Walk 2013 on KCAL News

I was over at KCAL-TV this afternoon chatting up the GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2013 on KCAL's noon newscast! Check it out!

The Great Los Angeles Walk In The News

Thanks to NBC LA and Alysia Gray Painter for writing another great piece on this year's Great Los Angeles Walk. Check it out here. An excerpt:

It's free -- of course -- and you can join anywhere along the route -- of course -- and the Great Los Angeles Walk "is not a race" -- nope. It is, however, about camaraderie, fresh air, close-up experiences (vs. things seen through the blur of your windshield), and a deeper connection to an oft-driven slice of our city.

And exercise, too. The walk does happen five days ahead of the afternoon we're all likely to consume a little too much stuffing and gravy.

You can RSVP, because that's nice, to Mr. Schneider, who is nice, just so he can keep a count, which is helpful, but not RSVPing doesn't mean you can't wake up on Nov. 23 and decide to join.

So here's another thing you tell someone considering a permanent move to LA: Clear the Saturday before Thanksgiving for a mega walk to the ocean. There's no better way than to get acquainted with a particular street and a whole bunch of adventuring Angelenos.

Meanwhile, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's blog and writer David Colgan also put together a great piece on the Walk. Read it here. An excerpt:

When it comes to challenging our car culture, massive events like CicLAvia, with its 100,000-plus cyclists, send a loud message about the growing momentum and demand for alternative transportation. But before there was CicLAvia, there was the more modest—but equally committed—Great Los Angeles Walk, which has been putting one foot after the next on L.A.’s most famous streets for the past 8 years.

Michael Schneider has organized the walks since 2006, when about 30 to 40 brave souls met to tackle all 16 miles of Wilshire Boulevard. Walkers now number around 300 each year.

“It always sounds daunting to people who haven’t done it before,” Schneider said. “But it’s not a race. It’s about taking your time and exploring. I come back with hundreds of photos of things that you normally miss.”

Meanwhile, catch me Friday at noon on KCAL/9 News talking about the Walk!

Local TV News: KCAL Primetime and KCBS Morning Shows Swap Anchors

In an unusual swap, KCAL/9's 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. primetime news anchors Sharon Tay and Rick Garcia, as well as meteorologist Evelyn Taft,are now heading to sister station KCBS/2 to anchor that station’s weekday 4:30-7:00 a.m. and 11-11:30 a.m. newscasts. The move starts right in the middle of sweeps -- beginning Monday, November 18. It's a return to the morning shift for Tay, who spent many years in Southern California anchoring KTLA's early morning newscasts.

On the flip side, KCBS morning anchors Kent Shocknek and Suzie Suh will take over the KCAL 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. news slots now vacated by Tay and Garcia. Meterologist Rich Fields will join them on those newscasts.

So essentially Tay and Garcia are swapping nights for mornings, while Shocknek and Suh are moving from early to late duty.

KCBS/KCAL president and general manager Steve Mauldin made the announcement today. The move appears to be part of a plan to strengthen KCBS' morning news performance -- a daypart the station has struggled in forever. (KCBS isn't helped by the fact that CBS has never had a strong national morning show.)

"Sharon, Rick and Evelyn are a proven winning combination," Mauldin said. “They bring a tremendous mix of experience, insight and personality to every newscast and they know what it takes to achieve success in morning news. We are confident in their ability to help us grow our audience during the morning news daypart in the same way they’ve given us a big lift during primetime."

According to KCAL, "since Tay, Garcia and Taft began working together in August 2010, KCAL 9 ranks first in viewers among newscasts in the highly competitive 10 p.m. hour and has been No. 1 during seven of the last nine major sweep periods. And since the beginning of the new television season on September 23, the weeknight edition of KCAL 9 NEWS at 10 P.M. continues to rank first among local newscasts in the time period with an average of 160,000 viewers – up 28 percent versus comparable dates last year."

KCBS morning traffic reporter Stephanie Simmons will continue in the daypart. As for moving the KCBS morning crew to KCAL, Mauldin said: "Kent Shocknek is second to none when it comes to anchoring breaking news events. Suzie Suh has been a rising star for us and successfully handled every assignment we have given her. And Rich Fields is among the most respected and charismatic meteorologists in Southern California. We feel great about having such an accomplished, well-rounded and likable trio joining our 9 p.m. anchors Sylvia Lopez and Leyna Nguyen to give us a primetime anchor team that will continue to uphold KCAL’s tremendous primetime news legacy."

In other KCBS/KCAL news, KCBS weeknight 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. news anchors Pat Harvey and Paul Magers will also now anchor the station's 6 p.m. newscasts, currently anchored by Garcia, beginning November 18.

Cloudy With a Chance of Another Lawsuit

Deja vu? From the Hollywood Reporter, 8/15/13:

A veteran meteorologist has filed a discrimination lawsuit against KABC-TV, alleging the Los Angeles TV station did not consider him for a position because it wanted to hire a young, attractive woman for the job.

According to a lawsuit Kyle Hunter filed Wednesday, Aug. 14, in Los Angeles Superior Court, Hunter applied for the job of weekend meteorologist in June 2011, but was never interviewed for the job. He alleges "multiple qualified persons age 40 and over" applied for the position, but they were also not interviewed.

The suit describes Hunter as a meteorologist with 25 years of experience, with both a bachelor's and master's degree in meteorology, and a third bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis on earth and space sciences from UCLA. It says he worked as a broadcaster in Los Angeles and San Diego.

From the Hollywood Reporter, 3/15/12:

A Los Angeles weatherman has filed a lawsuit claiming he was passed over for jobs at two prominent stations because he wasn't a young, good-looking woman.

Kyle Hunter, who has worked as a meteorologist in various southern California markets during a 23-year career, filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting and its owned-and-operated Los Angeles stations KCBS and KCAL on Thursday. He's represented by Gloria Allred.

Hunter alleges "that within the past few years, KCAL and KCBS decided to hire young attractive women as weathercasters in prime time rather than men in order to induce more men to watch their prime time newscasts," according to the suit. That means there was no place for Hunter, an over-40 male meteorologist with impeccable credentials, he says.

Hunter seems perfectly fine in his demo reel, but no better or worse than hundreds of other meteorologists across the country. L.A. is a competitive market. I'm surprised he'd be so willing to torch his chances in the No. 2 market by filing these lawsuits. (By the way, I'm a bit taken aback by his headshot. Is it photoshopped? Sure seems that way.)

L.A. Emmy Nominations: KNBC Leads the Pack, But Time Warner SportsNet Impresses

The Lakers couldn't survive the playoffs, but Time Warner Cable's new local sports channels -- which now carry the team -- are already on their way to Emmy gold.

In their first year of eligibility, Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes earned a combined 15 nominations (8 for the English network, 7 for the Spanish channel) in the 65th Los Angeles Area Emmy Award competition, besting chief competitors Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket.

What's more, Time Warner Cable SportsNet also has already been awarded two Emmys, for creative technical crafts. Not bad for two channels that just launched in October -- but clearly carrying the Lakers makes a difference, even in an off year like this one.

The Emmy nominations were less impressive for Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket, which earned a combined 12 nods (5 for Prime Ticket, 4 for both and 3 for Fox Sports West) -- a huge dip from the 22 they picked up last year..

As it seems to do every year, KNBC/4 once again led the pack, with 18 nominations, followed by Univision's KMEX/34 (15), Tribune's KTLA/5 (13), KABC/7 (12), public TV indie KCET (12) and KCBS/2 (9). (The combined KCBS/KCAL duopoly earned 17).

Several of KCET's nominations were for "SoCal Connected," a show that remains in limbo at the station. Somehow the show, for reasons that will need to be explained to me, was nominated in both the "INFORMATIONAL/PUBLIC AFFAIRS SERIES (MORE THAN 50% REMOTE)" and the "INFORMATIONAL/PUBLIC AFFAIRS SERIES (MORE THAN 50% STUDIO BASED)" categories. So which is it, remote-based or studio-based??

The L.A. riots remain a hot topic. KCBS/KCAL's "Eye On Our Community: The L.A. Riots--20 Years Later" was nominated in the "ARTS AND CULTURE/HISTORY" category, while KNBC's "LA Riots: 20 Years Later" was nominated in the "NEWS SPECIAL" competition.

Interestingly, despite Time Warner Cable SportsNet's overall haul, its live Lakers coverage didn't get a nom. In the "LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE" category, Prime Ticket's Clippers basketball coverage will face off with sister Fox Sports West's Kings hockey coverage.

In another bit of an upset, KTLA's Rose Parade coverage, a frequent winner in the "LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS -- PROGRAMMING" category, wasn't nominated there this year. KMEX's "Roses Parade 2012" was, however. And it's going up against another Spanish-language special: Time Warner Cable Deportes' "Launch Show."

Speaking of head-to-head bouts, in the "LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS-NEWS" category, KTLA's coverage of the Endeavour Space Shuttle arrival will face off with KTTV/11's coverage of the same thing. And in the "LIVE COVERAGE OF AN UNSCHEDULED NEWS EVENT" category, KTLA's coverage of the Newtown, Conn., shooting will go up against KTTV/KCOP's coverage of the same event.

A few more categories:

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING - NEWS
BEHIND THE GATES OF THE GUARD (KNBC)
CALTRANS AND THE GOVERNOR (KCBS)
CALTRANS DRINKING ON THE JOB (KCBS)
EL 34 INVESTIGA: FRAUDE HIPOTECARIO (KMEX)
ILLEGAL ANIMAL TRAFFICKERS (KNBC)

OUTSTANDING SPORTS REPORTING
Michael Eaves (Fox Sports West)
Mario Solis (KNBC)

OUTSTANDING HARD NEWS REPORTING
Ana Garcia, Reporter; Robbi Peele, Producer (KNBC)
David Goldstein, Reporter (KCBS/KCAL)
Joel Grover, Reporter; Chris Henao, Producer (KNBC)
David Ono, Producer, Reporter (KABC)
Antonio R.Valverde, Reporter (KMEX)

OUTSTANDING NEWS FEATURE REPORTING
Pat Harvey, Reporter; Mansan Luc, Producer (KCBS/KCAL)
Dave Malkoff, Reporter (KTLA)
David Ono, Producer, Reporter (KABC)
Norma Roque, Reporter (KMEX)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR - NEWS
Gayle Galvez, Director (KNBC)
Todd Griffithe, Director (KTLA)

OUTSTANDING WRITER - NEWS
Daisy Lin, Writer (KNBC)
Nicolette Medina, Writer (KCBS/KCAL)

Besides the two Time Warner Cable SportsNet awards, KNBC also picked up an Emmy in the "SPORTS SERIES-NEWS" category, for "The London Olympics: SoCal Shines at Summer Games."

As usual, any one who entered for the best newscast categories were nominated. And as usual, KABC refused to enter itself in any of the categories (leaving staffers to submit themselves).

This year's Governors Award will go to Univision's "comprehensive, multi-platform" education initiative "Educate, Es El Momento."

All told, 136 nominations were made in 43 categories. The 65th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards winners will be announced on Saturday, August 3, 2013, at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

PREVIOUSLY:

L.A. 2012 Emmy Nominations: Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket and KNBC Lead the Pack (July 2012)

LA Local Emmys: KNBC Extends Its Streak at the Top (August 2012)

Los Angeles TV May Sweeps: KABC Once Again Dominates

Even as the ABC television network struggles in primetime, in Los Angeles, ABC's owned-and-operated station KABC-TV continues to dominate. And boy, did it dominate during the recently concluded May sweeps -- winning every single newscast time slot in both total viewers and adults 25-54.

First, a caveat: In Los Angeles, demographic information is available year-round, which makes sweeps periods irrelevant. But it's an old habit that has been hard to kill, which is why L.A. stations still make an extra effort during those months (November, February, May and July). I guess it gives everyone something to strive for.

Among other highlights, KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" was strong in the mornings -- but I wonder what happens to the horse race in the future with the departure of co-anchor Michaela Pereira. More highlights:

At 11 p.m., KABC/Channel 7 won with total viewers (averaging 291,000), followed by KCBS/Channel 2 (199,000), KNBC/Channel 4 (173,000) and KCOP/Channel 13 (47,000). In the adults 25-54 race -- the news demo coveted by advertisers -- KABC was first (117,000 viewers), then KCBS (74,000), KNBC (62,000) and KCOP (26,000).

In the 10 p.m. news race, KCAL/Channel 9 (which airs a 45-minute newscast) averaged 158,000 viewers, followed by KTTV/Channel 11 (142,000) and KTLA/Channel 5 (which also airs a 45-minute newscast) close behind (141,000). In the 25-54 demo race, KCAL and KTTV were tied at 77,000 -- with KTLA (59,000) in third.

As for the hyper-competitive 7 a.m. breakfast news smackdown, KABC's "Good Morning America" led the way with 189,000 viewers, followed by KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" (167,000) and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (95,000). KNBC's "Today Show" (73,000) and KCBS' "CBS This Morning" (65,000) were in back. (That, of course, helps explain why "GMA" is surging over "Today" -- those O&O ratings don't help.)

The morning competition was a bit tighter in the demo: KTLA's "KTLA Morning News" leads (78,000), with KABC's "Good Morning America" and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." tied for second (58,000). KNBC (27,000) and KCBS (18,000) lag.

Here are a few more time slot standings in total viewers:

5 a.m.
KABC 89,000
KTLA 83,000
KNBC 40,000
KTTV 38,000
KCBS 33,000

6 a.m.
KABC 174,000
KTLA 166,000
KTTV 86,000
KNBC 73,000
KCBS 53,000

4 p.m.
KABC 176,000
KCBS ("Judge Judy") 137,000
KNBC ("Ellen") 127,000
KCAL 61,000

5 p.m.
KABC 230,000
KNBC 111,000
KCBS 90,000
KTTV 45,000

6 p.m.
KABC 239,000
KNBC 123,000
KCBS 78,000
KTLA 62,000

MIKE ON TV: Yes, Another Angus T. Jones-Related Interview

I did this KCAL interview yesterday morning before "Two and a Half Men" star Angus T. Jones released an apology statement, seemingly toning down the controversy surrounding his comments about the show. But here it is anyway. My favorite part: The graphic ID of my name pops up a bit too early in the report, and, well, I'm looking a bit different here: