KTLA’s Mark Kriski Among Layoffs As Nexstar Eliminates Jobs at Stations Across the Country; SAG-AFTRA Decries Cuts

Longtime KTLA weather anchor Mark Kriski, an eight-time Emmy winner who has been an L.A. TV fixture since he joined "KTLA Morning News" at its launch in 1991, has been let go by the station. Kriski's exit is a part of nationwide staff cuts by Nexstar, including major layoffs at flagship stations WPIX New York, WGN Chicago and KTLA Los Angeles.

Also let go at KTLA were midday anchors Glen Walker, who had been at KTLA since 2010, and Lu Parker, who had been with KTLA since 2015. At WGN, the Chicago Tribune reported eight layoffs, including Dean Richards, who had been with the station in various capacities since 1991.

"Nexstar does not comment on personnel issues, but the company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change," a Nexstar spokesperson said in a statement.

The Nexstar job cuts come as the company is in the process of acquiring the Tegna station group, which would give it a massive oversight of TV news departments in major local markets across the country.

In a statement, SAG-AFTRA blasted Nexstar for eliminating its union positions at KTLA and WGN — and noted that the layoffs come as SAG-AFTRA is actively bargaining with Nexstar stations in several markets.

Read more here.

KTLA Hires Melvin Robert to Fill Sam Rubin’s Role as ‘Morning News’ Entertainment Anchor

“Good Day LA” anchor and “Extra” correspondent Melvin Robert is heading to KTLA, where he will join the “KTLA Morning News” team as entertainment anchor the week of March 17. Robert will fill the chair that had been held for decades by L.A. TV icon Sam Rubin, who died last May.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Robert, who previously worked on “KTLA Morning News” between 2016 and 2018 and first interned there as a teenager. More recently, Robert was one of the original anchors at Spectrum News 1; he then joined “Extra” as a senior correspondent and weekend co-host in 2022, adding KTTV’s “Good Day LA” to the mix in 2023.

“It’s really exciting day to be back here,” Robert said of KTLA. “I’m a Southern California native, I grew up in Inglewood. I always dreamed of being on the ‘KTLA Morning News.’ It’s the most iconic show in LA. It is the morning show in LA. I was so grateful back then to have the opportunity to contribute as a culture and lifestyle contributor. And then I went other places, and I feel like all those other stops along the way, which were extraordinary moments in my life and in my career, led me back home, here to this place.”

Robert will work alongside “KTLA Morning News” anchors Frank Buckley and Jessica Holmes, as well as long-running weather anchor Mark Kriski. Since Rubin’s passing, entertainment news has been handled by a mix of fill-ins.

“I’m so excited to really get in here and to play and to collaborate with everyone and to make my contribution on the show,” Robert said. “And, of course, to celebrate the legacy of the ‘KTLA Morning News,’ and celebrate the legacy of Sam. There’s been some extraordinary people that have that have come and been a part of KTLA. Sam, and also [late KTLA anchor] Larry McCormick. Larry McCormick was somebody who paved the way for me as a Black anchor in Los Angeles, and he was so iconic here for so many years.

“And so to be able to just stand on the shoulders of these extraordinary giants and to celebrate Sam’s legacy every day,” he added. “Sam wrote the playbook for what this is. He was here from the beginning, since the show launched in 1991.”

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.

Local News Audiences Doubled and Even Tripled During L.A. Fire Coverage

As tragedy struck Los Angeles, residents turned to local journalists — on TV, radio and online — to stay informed. Los Angeles’ local TV stations saw a tremendous spike in news viewership last Tuesday, Jan. 7, as the city first came under siege from fierce Santa Ana winds, leading to the devastating fires in Pacific Palisades, Altadena and elsewhere. As stations went with wall-to-wall coverage, they saw their normal viewership double and even triple in some cases, especially has the fires began to quickly spread into neighborhoods in the early evening.

According to Nielsen data, market leader KABC (Channel 7) averaged 318,166 viewers for its 6 p.m. newscast on Jan. 7; in the days leading up to Tuesday, the ABC-owned station normally posted an average of 170,769 in the timeslot. The station also saw huge spikes at 4 p.m. (209,421, up from a normal average of 119,190) and 5 p.m. (268,915, up from 140,820).

Nexstar’s CW outlet KTLA (Channel 5) experienced a tremendous viewership increase that evening as well, averaging 212,396 (up from normally 73,036) at 5 p.m. and 282,710 (more than tripling its normal 70,027 viewership) at 6 p.m. NBC-owned KNBC (Channel 4) attracted 130,787 viewers at 5 p.m. (up from its usual average of 70,511) and 123,795 (up from 69,638) at 6 p.m.

CBS-owned KCBS (Channel 2) averaged 93,231 at 5 p.m. (up from 58,165) and 113,180 at 6 p.m. (up from 78,033). And Fox-owned KTTV (Channel 11) averaged 44,891 (up from 30,184) at 5 p.m. and 67,821 (up from 31,016) at 6 p.m.

NBC’s Spanish-language Telemundo outlet KVEA (Channel 52) also saw big lifts, with 218,498 (up fron 168,305) at 5 p.m. and 231,777 (up fron 201,458) at 6 p.m.

In primetime, most of the local stations kept with wall-to-wall news coverage: KABC averaged 261,440 viewers from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.; KVEA had 251,194 viewers; KTLA had 215,972 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; KNBC averaged 156,864 in prime; and KCBS posted 76,839.

KCBS duopoly sibling KCAL, which always runs news in primetime, saw its telecasts jump up too: 166,320 at 8 p.m. (from its normal average of 111,473) and 193,606 at 9 p.m. (from its usual 104,708).

Late news also saw a huge lift as the fire danger became much more pronounced that night: KABC’s 11 p.m. hour averaged 191,995 (up from 134,753 for the normal half hour); KTLA saw 200,260 (up from 79,863) at 10 p.m. and 170,008 (up from 61,707) at 11 p.m.; and KCAL averaged 131,474 (up from 85,681) at 10 p.m.

Also, KCBS attracted 89,668 (up from 60,148) at 11 p.m. and KNBC brought in 81,916 (up from 66,408) at 11 p.m. At 10 p.m., KTTV averaged 87,233 (up from 35,198). And at 11 p.m., Spanish lingo KVEA brought in 177,400 (up from 132,752).

Read more here.

First TV Academy In-Person Event in Over a Year: KCET Leads 2021 L.A. Area Emmy Wins, While KTLA Lands Two Top Newscast Awards

It was the first in-person event for the Television Academy in at least 16 months, and Saturday night's L.A. Area Emmys — held outdoors, in front of the TV Academy's North Hollywood headquarters — was another good sign that we're marching back to a new normal (although, as we know, the rapid spread of the Delta variant among stubborn, ill-informed anti-vaxxers may change all that).

Public broadcaster KCET, which had led all local TV stations in nominations for the this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, also wound up taking home the most (for the fifth year in a row), with nine awards. It was followed by Telemundo’s KVEA and Spectrum SportsNet, both of which landed six.

The Television Academy announced the 2021 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award winners in an in-person ceremony at its North Hollywood headquarters on Saturday. Spectrum News 1 journalist Giselle Fernández hosted this year’s awards ceremony, which was produced by Bob Bain and Bob Bain Productions.

Other big winners included KTLA-TV, which was named best morning newscast (between 4 a.m. and 11 a.m.) and evening newscast (between 7 p.m. to midnight).

KCET’s haul included Emmys in arts; information segment; L.A. local color; music composition; informational series (more than 50% remote); informational series (more than 50% studio); and independent programming.

LA CityView Media Group was awarded the 2021 Los Angeles Area Emmy Governors Award, for its more than three decades of covering news geared toward Angelenos and Southern Californians, especially this year’s public health department pandemic updates throughout 2020 to all local area news outlets.

Click here to see this year’s nominees and winners.

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)

RIP Stan Chambers, Los Angeles Broadcast Legend

This has been a rough week for journalism. The Brian Williams scandal; Jon Stewart's Daily Show retirement; the death of foreign correspondent Bob Simon; and yesterday, the sad death of the New York Times' David Carr.

Now comes the sad news that local TV legend Stan Chambers has died, at 91. Chambers retired in 2010 after 63 years at KTLA -- hold up, lemme repeat that: 63 YEARS AT KTLA!

Chambers wasn't just a local TV legend -- he was a Los Angeles legend. If you're not up on your Los Angeles history, just Google "Kathy Fiscus." Here's what I wrote about Stan in 2010:

Writes KTLA colleague Eric Spillman: "Stan still comes in just about every day, putting together feature stories on topics that interest him... Don't worry, though, Stan promises you'll still see him on the air from time to time."

My colleague Cynthia Littleton has the details over at Variety:

Chambers said that he felt his birthday marked a "good time" to sign off. He's looking forward to having plenty of freedom to travel, play golf and spend time with his large family -- which includes 11 kids and a large brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Grandson Jaime Chambers, a KTLA correspondent, is so far the only one to follow him into the media biz.

KTLA is planning a series of sendoffs for Chambers. A billboard across the street from the station today will salute Chambers on the occasion of his retirement. An hourlong special featuring highlights of Chambers' career will air Aug. 23, and a tribute event at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is in the works.

As Spillman notes, it's extremely doubtful that anyone else in local TV anywhere has had the run that Stan has. Chambers, of course, is remembered for having put live, on-the-spot TV news coverage on the map thanks to his pioneering marathon coverage in 1949, when 3-year-old Kathy Fiscus fell into an abandoned water well in San Marino.

My Variety colleague Jon Weisman talked to Stan and the late Hal Fishman in 2007, on KTLA's 60th anniversary, about their career highlights. Here's what Stan had to say about the Fiscus story:

I was giving a speech down at the Biltmore Hotel, and while we were there we got a call from my mother saying, "They're trying to get ahold of you," and to go out to San Marino. So it was one of those things where luckily I was near a telephone, because of course we didn't have beepers or cell phones or things like that, and also I didn't drive -- I didn't have a car. So, the lady at the luncheon (asked) her husband, who agreed to take me out to San Marino.

There was this huge rescue operation going, with dozens of people, cameras were getting ready to go, and from the time we started until the time we finished, it was 27½ hours (though the rescuers) had been there like a day before. But the key was Klaus Landsberg, who was our station manager. He was a great engineer -- very creative. ... He had success (once before) taking all these big huge cameras and the big trucks and going out there and finding power and getting 'em all working.

But of course, no one had a television set -- there were just a few hundred.

I have a very vivid memory of maybe 2 o'clock in the morning, sitting in one of the trucks out there, just with (the) question: "Who in the world would be watching this?" ...

We thought there was no one listening, but in reality, the whole city was listening. Everybody knew somebody who had a television set. They were over there. They were sleeping on the floor.

More: Cynthia Littleton talks about her own personal memories of meeting Stan as a young, aspiring journo here.

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.

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)

KTLA Adds 11 p.m. Newscast: Temporary or Permanent Move?

Now that "The Arsenio Hall Show" has been canceled, KTLA last month quietly introduced an 11 p.m. newscast -- at least for the time being -- going up against stalwarts KABC, KCBS and KNBC. Tribune seems to be constantly adding new newscasts to its stations but my question is always the same: is it investing in more staffers -- reporters, editors, etc. -- to fill that expanded time? 11 p.m. is hugely competitive and dominated by KABC/7. Most recently, Fox tried an 11 p.m. newscast here in Los Angeles on its KCOP duopoly but canceled it last year, deciding that syndicated fare made more sense there.

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)

Rose Parade Ratings: Bob and Stephanie Do It Again, As KTLA is Down Vs. Last Year But Still Dominates

Here's why KTLA was silly a few years ago to try and marginalize Stephanie Edwards off its coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade: You don't mess with success. And KTLA continues to OWN the Rose Parade coverage in Los Angeles. No one else even comes close. Here's how the live coverage broke down on New Year's Day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.:

KTLA -- 1.3 million
KABC -- 264,000
KNBC -- 105,000
(CBS stopped airing the Rose Parade in 2005.)

KTLA's ratings are town a tick from last year (1.4 million), but still solid. Kudos to KTLA, but I must admit, I was disappointed to see Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards on their best behavior this year. Normally, part of the fun of the KTLA broadcast is catching the subtle passive aggressive jabs between the two, much like an old married couple. (They've been doing this for more than 30 years, after all.) But this year, the Bickersons seemed rather subdued, and if there were any juicy Bob/Stephanie moments, I missed them. (To be fair, I remember writing last year about how they played nice as well.)

KTLA airs the Tournament of Roses Parade throughout the day, and subsequent airings are also ratings hits. Here's how the rerun numbers broke down:

Encore 1 (10 am-12:30pm): 991,000
Encore 2 (12:30-3 pm): 373,000
Encore 3 (3-5:30 pm: 171,000
Encore 4 (Primetime 7:30-10pm): 113,000

By that last encore, viewers are pretty much done with the parade. KABC, KCBS and KCAL all beat the station in primetime.

Meanwhile, did you miss the parade? Here's a 3-minute time lapse of the entire event, via Los Angeles News Group photographer Dean Musgrove. H/t to LA Observed for this link:



Oh, you wanna watch the entire 2-hour show? KTLA has video here.

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)

Retro Friday: KTLA Covers the 1961 Bel-Air Fire

More than 50 years later, the 1961 Bel-Air fire is still remembered for its ferocity and destruction (destroying 484 homes and 190 other structures). 200 firefighters were injured. Here's how KTLA covered it in 1961.

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

Darn: Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks Play Nice This Year

It's the other Tournament of Roses tradition: Keeping an eye and ear out any for passive aggressive asides by Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards during KTLA's annual Rose Parade coverage. The two Bickersons will occasionally make a snide remark about the other one during the parade... but this year, it seems like they behaved themselves. There was so little mention on Twitter this Tuesday morning that I figured it was uneventful. And it sounds like I was pretty much right. Bob Timmermann wrote on Twitter that the duo offered up "nothing too outrageous. Except Bob didn't know that marching bands don't have strings and woodwinds." Another commenter, @MrTvEditor, writes that "My mother thought Stephanie was having denture issues at some points." Happy New Year!

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."