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.

CBS Considers Selling its Radford Lot in Studio City, Potentially Another End of an Era

ViacomCBS’ sell-off of its iconic real estate properties may next include the CBS Studio Center, popularly known as the “CBS Radford lot,” in Studio City. In a memo to staffers, CBS CEO George Cheeks confirmed that it had hired commercial real estate firm JLL to explore a potential sale of the Radford campus.

The news comes following last week’s sale of CBS’ iconic New York headquarters, the Black Rock skyscraper, for $760 million to real estate investment firm Harbor Group International. In Los Angeles, CBS Corp. sold its similarly iconic Television City property in the Fairfax district to real estate investment company Hackman Capital Partners for $750 million in 2018.

CBS’ entertainment division had long been based out of Television City, but moved to the Radford lot in 2008. KCBS, which had been based at Columbia Square, and KCAL, which moved in with KCBS when the stations became a duopoly, decamped for the Radford lot in 2007. In recent years, CBS Radford expanded and built new structures, including its CBS Television facilities, to handle the addition of the TV stations, the entertainment division and the addition of shows such as “Entertainment Tonight.”

Originally the Mack Sennett and then the Republic Pictures lot, CBS began leasing studio space in the early 1960s; by 1967, it had purchased the lot and renamed it CBS Studio Center. With 18 soundstages, CBS Radford has become particularly known for being the homebase over the years for some of the biggest sitcoms on TV, including “Seinfeld.”

CBS continues to lease production space at Television City (including the “Price is Right” and “Late Late Show with James Corden” stages), and per Cheeks’ memo, that would likely also be the case with CBS Radford. “I can tell you that regardless of whether Radford is sold, we will ensure we have the studio capacity to support our leading broadcast and production businesses,” he wrote.

It’s expected that even if some CBS departments move off the lot following the sale, KCBS/KCAL is expected to remain, given the specific utility of its broadcast center. Meanwhile, now that Viacom and CBS have re-merged, the combined company would still own the famed Paramount lot on Melrose, even as it sells off its other facilities.

Read more at Variety 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

Radio Ratings: Big January for KOST, KIIS, "Omar y Argelia" and "Kevin & Bean"

KOST-FM continued to enjoy a Christmas halo in January.

The station's annual all-Christmas format was a huge hit during the holidays, pulling a staggering 12.1 share of all Los Angeles radio listeners at the end of December. Christmas may be long gone, but listeners were still tuning into KOST way into January, giving it the No. 1 slot among listeners over the age of 12 (with a 5.9 share).

According to Nielsen's January radio ratings, top 40 KIIS-FM was No. 1 throughout the day with listeners 18-34 (8.0 share) and adults 25-54 (5.4 share).

In morning drive, Spanish-language KLVE's Omar y Argelia won overall, while KROQ's Kevin & Bean were tops in the key 25-54 demo. What's more, KROQ's Internet stream of Kevin & Bean also posted strong numbers -- so much more, that if you add the show's over-the-air and web numbers together, the show would be No. 3 overall (with a 4.5 share), and command an even more dominant 6.9 share with adults 25-54.

In public radio, our friends at KCRW led everyone with a strong 2.2 share.

Here are the top radio stations in January among listeners 12+:
1. KOST-FM (5.9 share)
2. KRTH-FM "K-Earth" (4.7)
3. KIIS-FM (4.6)
4. KBIG-FM "My FM" (4.5)
5. KLVE-FM "K-Love" (4.4)
6. KTWV-FM "The Wave" (4.2)
7. KRCD-FM "Recuerdo" (3.5)
tie. KCBS-FM "Jack FM" (3.5)
9. KNX-AM (3.3)
tie. KFI-AM (3.3)


25-54:
1. KIIS (5.4)
2. KBIG (5.0)
3. KLVE (4.8)
tie. KOST (4.8)
5. KCBS (4.0)
tie. KRTH (4.0)

Here are the top stations in morning drive among listeners 12+:
1. KLVE-FM "K-Love"/Omar y Argelia (5.3 share)
2. KOST-FM/Ellen K. (4.7)
3. KFI-AM/Bill Handel (4.4)
4. KIIS-FM/Ryan Seacrest (4.1)
5. KRTH "K-Earth"/Gary Bryan (4.0)
6. KNX-AM/Dick Helton and Vicky Moore (3.8)
tie. KROQ-FM/Kevin & Bean (3.8)
8. KTWV "The Wave"/Pat Prescott (3.6)
tie. KBIG "My FM"/Valentine (3.6)
10. KSCA "LA 101.9"/"El Bueno, La Mala y El Feo" (3.1)

25-54:
1. KROQ (5.6)
2. KLVE (5.2)
3. KIIS (4.7)
4. KBIG (3.8)
tie. KSCA (3.8)

L.A. Radio Ratings: K-Earth Extends Domination to Mornings in November

L.A. likes its classic hits.

According to Nielsen's November radio ratings, KRTH "K-Earth 101" has now extended its lead as the No. 1 radio station in Los Angeles for the fourth month in a row. KRTH has also extended its dominance to mornings, where Gary Bryan's show was No. 1 in the daypart among listeners 12 and older (and in the key listeners 25-54 demo).

Meanwhile, top 40 KIIS-FM was No. 1 throughout the day with listeners 18-34 (8.1 share) and KBIG "My FM" (104.3) with No. 1 with adults 25-54 (5.6 share).

It was also a strong month for our pals at KCRW, which jumped ahead of competitor KPCC for the first time in recent memory (1.9 share vs. 1.8 share).



In morning drive, here are the top shows among listeners 12+:
1. KRTH "K-Earth"/Gary Bryan (5.7 share)
2. KLVE "K-Love"/Omar y Argelia (5.0)
3. KFI-AM/Bill Handel (4.8)
4. KBIG "My FM"/Valentine (4.6)
5. KIIS/Ryan Seacrest (4.5)
6. KROQ/Kevin & Bean (4.1)
TIE. KNX-AM/Dick Helton and Vicky Moore (4.1)
8. KOST/Ellen K (3.9)
9. KTWV "The Wave"/Pat Prescott (3.6)
10. KCBS "Jack FM"/Music (3.4)

25-54:
1. KRTH (5.5)
2. KROQ (5.4)
3. KLVE (5.2)
4. KIIS (4.9)
5. KBIG (4.7)

Here are the top stations among listeners 12+:
1. KRTH "K-Earth" (5.7 share)
2. KBIG "My FM" (5.1)
3. KIIS (4.9)
TIE. KOST (4.9)
5. KTWV "The Wave" (3.9)
6. KLVE "K-Love" (3.8)
TIE. KCBS "Jack FM" (3.8)
8. KFI (3.8)
9. KSWD "The Sound" (3.4)
TIE. KNX (3.4)
25-54:
1. KBIG (5.6)
2. KRTH "K-Earth" (5.5)
TIE. KIIS (5.5)
4. KOST (4.6)
5. KLVE (4.2)

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)

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)

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)

Retro Friday: A Look Back at Columbia Square

A time capsule from the 1980s: This special edition of Channel 2's "Two on the Town" magazine show looks at the history of Columbia Square -- the home to CBS radio and, later, KNXT/KCBS-TV for decades. Artists like the Rolling Stones also recorded albums for CBS Records in the building. Truly a historic place. It now sits empty at the corner of Sunset and Gower, waiting to be redeveloped.

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)

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

KCBS Airs Prank Call During Dorner Coverage (VIDEO)

It's always dangerous to air unverified phone calls live on TV, and indeed, the KCBS/KCAL duopoly just got pranked. The station put on a guy claiming to be "Mike Taugher" from the U.S. Fish and Game Commission -- but clearly it wasn't. Luckily for the station, the worst thing the caller said was "dumbass," which is not one of the FCC seven dirty words. Nonetheless, it's a reminder to stations to fully vet callers before putting them on live. The caller was referencing Ronnie the Limo Driver, Howard Stern's head of security.

(If for some reason this video doesn't work, watch it on YouTube here.)

L.A.'s Late News Suffers Big Drops This November, While the Lakers Impact The 10 p.m. News Race

L.A.'s local TV stations are bleeding news viewers at 11 p.m., even as they're expanding their audience at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. That's the quick takeaway from the November 2012 local sweeps ratings, officially out today.

The real shift took place at 11 p.m., all the more fascinating because this November was a newsy month, between the election and Hurricane Sandy. KABC was still tops in the slot, with 274,000 viewers, but that was down from 404,000 in November 2011. KABC's drop brought KCBS within spitting distance, with 254,000 viewers (down from 274,000 last year). That's the closest KCBS has been to No. 1 in a while. KNBC was in third, with 205,000 viewers-- down from 209,000 last year.

So what happened? Let's look at several factors. For one, most of the networks are having a rough fall in primetime, and those viewership declines translate to fewer eyeballs heading into 11 p.m.

KABC's primetime averaged 495,000 viewers in November 2011 and 397,000 this year, for example. NBC has the exception this fall (thanks to "The Voice"), and KNBC enjoyed the only primetime lift among local stations this November, averaging 316,000 viewers. That still putting it in third place here in L.A., but it was a major boost from 195,000 viewers last year. Despite that big boost, KNBC still experienced a small dip at 11 p.m. this year.

That leads me to my other theory: The DVR is starting to have a lasting impact on local TV's late newscasts. I don't know the local L.A. DVR penetration, but nationwide, that number is approaching 50%. It's having a major impact on the networks, particularly at 10 p.m., and that means it's likely having a major impact on local news at 11 p.m. Viewers are using that time to catch up on what they missed earlier in the evening, and that means fewer available news viewers at that time.

Adding fuel to that theory: The story is completely different in the other major news timeslots, as local stations saw healthy boosts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and in the morning. Now, *that* can likely be attributed to a newsy month.

Before we hit those timeslots, let's look at what has happened at 10 p.m., where the Lakers' move to Time Warner Sportsnet and off KCAL has indeed changed the game. Even though KTTV saw its Fox primetime ratings plummet (261,000, from 432,000 last year), the station managed to raise its 10 p.m. news viewership slightly, to 146,000 (from 144,000 last November). KTLA was in second, with 142,000 (from 124,000). And then there was KCAL, which won the 10 p.m. November sweeps last year, but this year dropped to third (113,000, from 154,000). The culprit, of course, was the loss of the Lakers games.

At 6 p.m., KABC dominated the timeslot with 305,000 viewers, up from 283,000 in November 2011. KNBC (145,000, up from 118,000), KCBS (128,000, up from 81,000) and KTLA (77,000, up from 59,000) followed.

KABC also led 5 p.m. (283,000 viewers, up from 270,000), followed by KNBC (146,000, up from 130,000), KCBS (129,000, up from 99,000) and KTTV's "Studio 11" (42,000, up from 24,000).

In the 7 a.m. morning news show race, KABC's "Good Morning America" won (215,000), followed by "KTLA Morning News" (193,000), KNBC's "Today" (104,000) and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (95,000). The changes on "Good Day L.A.," including the exits of longtime co-anchors Jillian Reynolds and Dorothy Lucey, had an impact, as the KTTV show was down from 115,000 viewers, while KTLA got a healthy boost.

Market leader KABC also won the 6 a.m., 5 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. races. The station's weak link? "Katie," the new Katie Couric talk show, which averaged just 89,000 viewers here locally -- behind "The View," "Dr. Oz" and even "The Chew" on the station. (It trails "Dr. Phil" in the 3 p.m. hour.) Meanwhile, the first November of "Live with Kelly and Michael," now featuring Michael Strahan, averaged 135,000 viewers here, down from "Live with Regis and Kelly" last November (184,000).

According to KCBS, its strong second place finish at 11 p.m. is the closest the station has been to first place in late news during a major sweep since February 2007, and the closest it has been to first place in late news during a November sweep since at least 1990.

LA Local Emmys: KNBC Extends Its Streak at the Top

Three time's a charm at the Emmys for KNBC (Channel 4). Just like last year, KNBC won all three top newscast honors at the 64th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, held Saturday night in North Hollywood.

"NBC4 News at 11 p.m." -- which has struggled in the ratings in recent years -- once again won the local Emmy for regularly scheduled evening newscast; "NBC4 at 6 p.m." won the daytime newscast Emmy; and "Today in L.A. at 6 a.m." won for morning newscast. KNBC had also won the daytime and evening categories in 2010 -- making this quite the streak for the NBC-owned station.

In another surprise, KABC (Channel 7) tied with KTLA (Channel 5) and KNBC for the most overall Emmys, at 7 apiece. Why a surprise? KABC doesn't officially participate in the Emmys, and doesn't submit entries to the awards (leaving it up to individual staffers to do it on their own). That's why KABC is never up for any of the top newscast prizes, in which anyone who submits is automatically a nominee.

(If you count Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket as one entity, the two channels combined won 8 awards on Saturday.)

KABC's tally included an Emmy for investigative news reporting (for the "Eyewitness News" package "Serial Plantiffs"). KABC's David Ono also won for outstanding programming writer and outstanding hard news reporting (which he also won last year).

At KNBC, its other wins included the Emmy for live coverage of an unscheduled news event (for its report on the Seal Beach massacre) and news special (for its coverage of the death of Osama Bin Laden).

Speaking of streaks, a big one came to an end on Saturday night: After five consecutive wins in the outstanding news writer category, KNBC's Mary Harris lost out this year to KCBS/KCAL's Nicolette Medina.

And KTLA continued its wins in the outstanding news director category, as Deborah Wilkinson, who won in 2010, took home the Emmy. (KTLA's Bryan Hileman won last year.)

Meanwhile, it may be a small victory, but even without the sheen of a PBS affiliation, KCET still won three Emmys (more than stations such as KMEX and KTTV). Two of those wins were for "SoCal Connected."

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

NBC-owned KNBC (Channel 4) once again leads the nominations for Los Angeles Area Emmys, with 20 nods out of 42 categories overall (KNBC also led the pack last year). Tribune's KTLA (Channel 5) was next, with 14 nods, followed by ABC-owned KABC, with 13 -- which is a feat in itself, since KABC employees nominate themselves in all categories. KABC continues to sit out of the Emmy competition and still doesn't enter itself in any of the major awards.

But here's where things get tricky. CBS' KCBS/KCAL duopoly will likely note that when the two stations' tallies are combined, they actually lead KNBC with 21 noms overall. That's because KCBS earned 13 nominations and KCAL earned 2, while a combined KCBS/KCAL earned another 6.

And if we're getting technical here, Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket, which also operate under the same roof, actually lead the market with 22 noms overall -- 8 for the combined operation, and another 7 apiece for Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket. Sister Fox-owned KTTV (Channel 11) earned 3, and KCOP (Channel 13) even earned one (which is odd, since KCOP simply airs KTTV-produced news) -- so the entire Fox west coast operation got 26.

Whew. Got it? OK, let's move on to the actual nominations.

In my favorite category, "L.A. LOCAL COLOR" (which was won last year by KCAL's "Dine on a Dime") the nominees are:

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA)
BEHIND THE SCENES AT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IRIS (KABC)
MASTER CHEF: THOMAS KELLER UNCORKED (KCET)
NONSTOP FOODIES FROM PORTO'S (KNBC)
SPECIAL OLYMPICS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: ABOVE AND BEYOND (KTLA)

For "NEWS SPECIAL," won last year by Dave Malkoff's "Assignment Iraq" at KTLA, the noms are:

THE CONRAD MURRAY TRIAL (KCOP)
NBC4 NEWS AT 11: THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN (KNBC)

For "LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS- PROGRAMMING," won last year by KTLA's Rose Parade coverage:

2011 ROSE PARADE (KTLA)
JERRY WEST STATUE UNVEILING (Fox Sports West)

For "LIVE COVERAGE OF AN UNSCHEDULED NEWS EVENT, won last year by KTLA storm coverage:

CONRAD MURRAY: THE VERDICT (KNBC)
OCCUPY LA (KTLA)
SEAL BEACH MASSACRE (KNBC)

For "OUTSTANDING SPORTS REPORTING," won last year by Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket's Lindsay Soto:

Michael Eaves, Reporter (Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket)
Courtney Jones, Reporter (Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket)
Mario Solis, Reporter (KNBC)

For "OUTSTANDING HARD NEWS REPORTING," won last year by KABC's David Ono:

Ana Garcia, Reporter (KNBC)
David Goldstein, Reporter (KCBS)
Robert Kovacik, Reporter (KNBC)
David Ono, Reporter (KABC)

For "OUTSTANDING NEWS FEATURE REPORTING," won last year by KNBC's Bruce Hensel:

Pat Harvey, Reporter and Mansan Luc, Producer (KCBS)
Chuck Henry, Reporter and Tara Wallis, Producer (KNBC)
Susan Hirasuna, Reporter, Producer (KTTV)
Dave Malkoff, Reporter (KTLA)
David Ono, Reporter (KABC)

For "OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR - NEWS," won last year by KTLA's Bruce Hileman:

Gayle Galvez, Director (KNBC)
Deborah Wilkinson, Director (KTLA)

For "OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR - PROGRAMMING," won last year by KNBC's Gayle Galvez:

Doug Freeman, Director (Fox Sports West / Prime Ticket)
Andy Rosenberg, Director (Prime Ticket)

For "OUTSTANDING WRITER - NEWS," won usually by KNBC's Mary Harris:

Mary Harris, Writer (KNBC)
Nicolette Medina, Writer (KCBS/KCAL)

Already winning awards are KTLA for "LIVE SPECIAL EVENTS - NEWS" with coverage of the Royal Wedding. And KCBS/KCAL's Gustavo Sampaio won for news editing. Veteran KCAL producer Susan Stratton -- who broke gender barriers while working on the station's Lakers coverage for 27 years (harking back to the days when it was still KHJ) will receive this year’s Governors Award.

KNBC swept last year's awards in the news show categories, we'll see if they repeat on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.

KABC Continues Local TV Dominance; KCAL Wins 10 p.m.

KABC Channel 7 ended May with another dominant month-long win, leading the L.A. market and winning in every time slot the station produces news. At 11 p.m., on a Monday through Friday basis KABC's "Eyewitness News" led with 381,000 viewers, followed by KCBS Channel 2 (278,000), KNBC Channel 4 (212,000) and KCOP Channel 13 (34,000 -- behind "The Simpsons" on KTTV Channel 11 and "Friends" on KTLA Channel 5).

KABC also won at 6 p.m., with 277,000 viewers, followed by KNBC (116,000), KCBS (97,000) and KTLA (39,000). At 5 p.m., the story was nearly the same: KABC (216,000), then KNBC (102,000), KCBS (96,000) and KTTV's "Studio 11 LA" (34,000).

In the morning, KABC won 5 a.m. (109,000, followed by KTLA at 66,000) and 6 am. (223,000, then KTLA's 162,000).

CBS-owned independent KCAL took home the competitive 10 p.m. news race, with 185,000 viewers, followed by KTTV (170,000) and KTLA (123,000). (KCAL and KTLA don't include the last 15 minutes of their newscasts, however, which are coded as sports coverage and is usually the lowest-rated).

The "KTLA Morning News" (164,000) continued to beat out longtime rival "Good Day LA" on KTTV (112,000), although KABC's "Good Morning America" (221,000) wins the 7 a.m. spot.

It's probably worth repeating: With the advent of local people meters, stations now can get demo info on a daily basis -- making sweeps pretty much a relic of time past. But old habits die hard, and the rush by our local TV news operations to compete in sweeps is still high.