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

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)

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)

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 Media Notes: El Mandril Disappears, and Carlos Amezcua Exits

Where's El Mandril? Ricardo 'El Mandril' Sanchez, the morning host on KLAX-FM ("97.9 La Raza"), hasn't been on the air since last month, and the Los Angeles Times investigates why:

Sanchez's manager, Fernando Schiantarelli, said Monday that Sanchez was pulled from the air during negotiations over his employment contract, which ends next month.

But Schiantarelli also confirmed, as did other industry sources, that Sanchez's show has been the subject of an investigation by research giant Nielsen, which acquired radio ratings firm Arbitron in late September, into allegations of ratings tampering.

"There was an investigation raised by some other competitors who were very concerned that Mandril was being so successful," Schiantarelli said, adding that such investigations — and complaints from rivals — are not uncommon in the industry. He said the investigation didn't turn up anything.

Allegations have been raised that members of Arbitron's audience panel had been contacted by people connected to Sanchez's show and encouraged to listen to his program, a violation of Arbitron's and Nielsen's practices.

A Nielsen representative said the company had no comment on its investigation, adding, "Nielsen Audio is committed to the highest standards of integrity in our data and our panels."

A KLAX programming executive also confirmed that Sanchez's program was taken off the air because of an investigation. The executive referred The Times to top company executives who did not return repeated calls for comment Monday.

Schiantarelli said a top SBS executive told the janitor-turned-radio star to show up to work every day but sit around "doing nothing."

Carlos Amezcua is out at KTTV/Fox 11 after five years as the station's 10 p.m. co-anchor (with Christine Devine). TV Spy has the details:

Kevin Hale, vice president and general manager of KTTV told staffers this evening about Amezcua’s departure. “After more than five years on KTTV’s Fox 11 10 p.m. News, Carlos Amezcua has decided to step down from the news desk to expand his own media and technology company, “Carlos Media Corp.” here in Los Angeles, said Hale. “Having won over 10 Emmy’s throughout his career, Amezcua has made many contributions to this community, as well our newsroom. We wish him continued success in building his own media and technology firm.”

PREVIOUSLY ON FRANKLIN AVENUE:

BREAKING NEWS: Carlos Amezcua In, John Beard Out at Fox 11 (September 4, 2007)

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

Q&A: John Beard on L.A. News, and His Return to "Arrested Development"

In Southern California, we all still remember John Beard for his lengthy stints as a news anchor at KTTV/Fox 11, and before that, at KNBC/4. But Beard gained a whole new level of recognition for playing the news anchor of fictional "Fox 6" on "Arrested Development," frequently reporting on the exploits of Orange County's Bluth family. (Beard also played a newscaster on another Fox series, "24.")

Beard is now in Buffalo, hosting a morning show there (where he wins the timeslot), having departed L.A. in 2009. But he still keeps tabs on Los Angeles, and recently flew back here to shoot some scenes for the "Arrested Development" revival, set to hit Netflix in May. I recently asked Beard to answer a few questions over email:

FRANKLIN AVENUE: As talk of an "Arrested Development" revival swirled for years, did you ever imagine that one day you'd be reprising your role as "Fox 6 News Anchor John Beard"?
JOHN BEARD: I was looking forward to the series revival as a viewer, but since I’m not on the air now in LA I wasn’t sure if I’d be a part of it. But at the taping, the head writer told me I was always going to be in the new series no matter what. I’m very appreciative for that!

FRANKLIN AVENUE: Usually TV show news anchor cameos are "one and done." But you made regular appearances throughout the show's original three seasons. How did it first come about? Did Mitch Hurwitz write the anchor role with you in mind?
BEARD: You get called on to do a lot of cameo appearances when you’re on the air in Los Angeles, but I said no to most of them over the years. When the producers called me about “Arrested Development” I told them no as well. But they explained they wanted me to play myself and that Mitch and the writers appreciated my sense of humor. They said “Just let me send you the script for the pilot. If you say no I’ll understand.” Well, I thought it was one of the funniest things I had ever read, I couldn’t turn it down.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What are you up to now?
BEARD: I’m now anchoring the morning news at WGRZ, the NBC station in Buffalo, NY. This is the first time I’ve done a morning show except for filling in on “Good Day LA” and the "Today Show." I think maybe I should have been doing morning all along, it fits my personality and I’m having great fun.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: How was shooting the show different for you this time?
BEARD: The first time around, most of my work was done in studio at KTTV, only two episodes were shot with the rest of the cast and crew. This time I shot 12 scenes, all on the lot in Culver City. Most of my scenes were on a “news” set, but there is one long and hilarious scene with David Cross (Tobias).

FRANKLIN AVENUE: I'm sure most people recognize you on the street for being a news anchor, but how often do people want to talk "Arrested Development" with you? What do they ask, and what do you tell them?
BEARD: It’s a mix. In Buffalo, most people know me from the morning show. In LA, they know me from KNBC and KTTV…including some who think I’m still on. People everyplace (even in Canada) come up to talk about “Arrested Development." And there are sometimes those who say they used to watch me in Chicago. I’ve never worked in Chicago.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What do you miss most about working in L.A. news?
BEARD: I miss my friends in the news business there, both the ones I worked with and the ones I competed against.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What do you miss the least?
BEARD: I don’t miss having to fight every day to do real news and not fluff.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: When will we see you back on the air in Southern California?
BEARD: Good question… when somebody has a good answer just leave it on my website (johnbeard.com) or tweet me @jb111.

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.

Fox 11 Reports on Los Angeles' Hurricane

Thanks to Todd Beck for spotting this. KTTV Fox 11 gets the location of Hurricane Isaac, um, slightly wrong. Guys, New Orleans is in La., not L.A.!

UPDATE: KTTV called me to clarify -- and sorry folks, the real story isn't as fun. It turns out this was done on purpose -- the station was juxstaposing Hurricane Isaac onto California to give us some perspective on how big the storm is, and how much of SoCal it would consume if it were here.

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.

The Most Bizarre Police "Chase" Ever?

Viewers of KCBS 2, KNBC 4, KTLA 5, KABC 7 and KTTV 11 on Tuesday evening were treated to what was alternately both the dullest and most unusual car chase in recent memory. First, it wasn't actually a car, but a tow truck. But secondly, the guy was following most traffic rules -- stopping at intersections, allowing other drivers to go and mostly following the speed limit. The LAPD was behind him, taking their time as well... and allowing news vans to join the chase.

An LAPD spokesman even mentioned on air that this wasn't a big deal, that they were basically going to let him keep driving. (And whatever the infraction was, it seemed pretty minor. Check out the details on the KABC screen grab above. We're having a chase... for that??) Channel 7 relied on a 14-year-old eyewitness for some shaky details, while Channel 4 reporter Robert Kovacik decided to saunter up to the driver's window and talk to him -- and then tout an "exclusive" that consisted of an exchange of maybe two sentences.

The driver finally entered Glendale, where eager Glendale Police officers decided to one-up their LAPD counterparts and finally arrest the dude at around 6:40 p.m. As usual, it was a complete waste of time (remember, the stations blow out their commercials when they go with wall-to-wall chase coverage) and yet you couldn't stop watching.

Only in L.A., kids, only in L.A.

KCET's Moving Day

And then there was one. Now that KCET has officially moved to Burbank -- today is day one for the entire station to be in its new headquarters -- KTLA is the last L.A. TV station to be physically based in Hollywood.

When I moved to L.A. 16 years ago, KTLA, KCBS, KTTV, KWHY and KCET (which back then still aired business programming during the day and Spanish in the evening) were all on Sunset; KCOP was on La Brea; KABC was in Los Feliz; KCAL was on the Paramount lot. All were pretty much in the same Hollywood-ish region.

But slowly, the stations all moved to newer digs: KTTV moved to West L.A., and eventually merged with KCOP (which moved there as well), while the old Fox TV Center became a high school; KABC left for Glendale; KCBS and KCAL vacated Columbia Square for Studio City; KWHY was purchased by NBC and moved to Burbank; and now, KCET is moving into The Pointe building in Burbank.

Rumors abounded a few years ago that KTLA might move to the Los Angeles Times' downtown building, now that Tribune doesn't own that Hollywood lot anymore. But no movement so far. But much of that L.A. Times HQ is now vacant -- so who knows.

Channel 7 Dominates February, But Channel 2 Has Reason to Celebrate Too

KABC/Channel 7 once again led the Los Angeles TV market in February, winning all of the weekday news time slots among both total viewers and adults 25-54, the key news demo.

But KCBS/Channel 2 had reason to crow as well: On a full Monday though Sunday basis, KCBS' 11 p.m. newscast (125,000 viewers) narrowly edged out KABC (124,000) among adults 25-54 (they were both virtually tied at a 1.7 rating). KABC was still tops in total viewers, narrowly beating KCBS (333,000 vs. 323,000). For KCBS, considered an also-ran just a few years ago, the growth -- bolstered in part by CBS' strong primetime -- has been dramatic. According to KCBS, the Monday-to-Sunday demo win at 11 p.m. is the station's first since February 1994 (the Lillehammer Winter Olympics) and only the third time in 30 years.

"We are especially pleased that we have made such tremendous progress in late news," says KCBS/KCAL president/GM Steve Mauldin. "Two years ago, we were nearly 100,000 viewers our of first place. Today... we're number one in our target demo and just 10,000 viewers awat from being the most-watched newscast at 11 p.m."

KABC remains L.A.'s dominant TV station, however. On weekdays at 11 p.m., KABC (365,000 viewers) beat KCBS (305,000) and KNBC (219,000). The gap is wider at 6 p.m., with KABC (320,000) followed by KNBC (150,000), KCBS (112,000) and KTLA (76,000). At 5 p.m., KABC (292,000) also attracts more than KNBC (121,000) and KCBS (102,000).

(I don't have KMEX ratings, but the Univision station is traditionally a top market performer as well.)

In the early morning news race, KABC's "Good Morning America" (217,000 viewers) beats KTLA's "Morning News" (173,000), KNBC's "Today Show" (171,000), KTTV's "Good Day L.A." (110,000) and KCBS' "CBS This Morning" (53,000). But KTLA dominates in demos, winning the morning shows with 99,000 viewers 25-54, then KNBC (85,000), KABC (73,000), KTTV (72,000) and KCBS (26,000).

Back at the KCBS/KCAL duopoly, execs were also cheering KCAL's weekday total viewers win at 10 p.m. (132,000 viewers) vs. KTTV (121,000) and KTLA (84,000). KTTV won in the adult 25-54 demo, however, with 105,000 viewers.

The local L.A. stations still scramble to compete during sweeps months, even though they don't matter like they used to here. That's because L.A. has had local people meters since 2004 -- which means demo info, which used to only come during quarterly "sweeps months" is collected and reported daily. Old habits die hard.

Local TV Covers the Occupy LA Eviction

Most of the local TV stations -- with the notable exception of KABC/Channel 7 -- went with live coverage late into the evening Tuesday (and into Wednesday) as the LAPD began removing the Occupy LA protesters from the lawn outside City Hall.

The operation itself appeared to go smoothly, as protesters stuck to civil disobedience and the LAPD, under chief Charlie Beck, went about their business slowly and methodically. It could have gone much differently, but clearly Beck wanted to avoid past LAPD missteps -- of which there have been plenty over the years. (As a result, your average post-Lakers victory riot was more eventful and dangerous than what happened at City Hall on Tuesday night.)

Sadly, the local TV coverage was more predictable. L.A. TV media is notorious for parachuting into situations with general assignment reporters lacking much depth or background on a complicated subject, and that was painfully apparent on Tuesday night, as most of the local TV coverage didn't have much to offer beyond eyewitness accounts of what was going on at the moment (coupled with the occasional inane interview with an Occupy LA protester -- many of whom, granted, were hostile to the media anyway).

"Fox 11" and "KTLA" were trending nationwide by the middle of the night, although many (most?) of the Tweets weren't exactly favorable. Nonetheless, it was still notable that both of those stations went with wall-to-wall coverage, not even breaking for commercials, until 2 a.m. Those stations' competitors closed up shop earlier; and again, it was strange to see market leader KABC relegate its coverage to its website, even as things heated up a bit after midnight.

Some criticized the news media for agreeing to a news coverage pool; Fox 11's Gigi Graciette tweeted that the three pool reporters agreed not to Tweet "as to not have advantage over other stations."

Meanwhile, according to the GM of LA's recreation and parks department, the City Hall park will now be closed indefinitely for "repairs." He's no "Parks and Recreation" Ron Swanson, but is at least sporting a Swanson-style 'stache:

Retro Friday: L.A. TV I.D.s Over the Years

For the TV geek in all of us... the IdentChannel page on YouTube has compiled the logos through the years for local TV stations across the country. Above, the logos from 1939 to now for KTLA Channel 5.



KABC-Channel 7.



KNBC-Channel 4.



KTTV- Channel 11.



KCOP-Channel 13.



KCAL-Channel 9.



KCBS-Channel 2.

Fox 11 Gives Local News an Unconventional Twist

There's a strange trend going on in local TV: After the last few years of tremendous budget cuts and massive layoffs, stations are expanding their news footprint, adding new newscasts, particularly in the early evening.

Two reasons: With a dearth of primetime comedy hits in recent years, there are fewer half-hour sitcoms hitting the off-network syndication market these days. But even more likely, stations are eagerly looking at the 2012 political campaigns and the record amounts of cash that candidates are expected to spend on local ads.

But while they add more newscasts, they're doing so with their same reduced, stretched-to-the-limit staffs. How can they add more newscasts when their bare-bones teams are barely able to pull off the ones they already have?

That's a good question, and one that I thought about as I read L.A. Times columnist James Rainey's take on KTTV/Fox 11's new 5 p.m. newscast, "Studio 11 LA." Rainey says the show "vibrates with nervous energy, social-media feeds, pop culture stories, stilted newsroom vérité and heaps and heaps of opinion-making by the anchor-reporter hosts." More:

The conceit of "Studio 11 LA" seems to be that the news itself might not grab you but that people making a news show and gabbing about the news might. In its first two weeks, the hourlong "Studio" has offered up "War Room" shots of news planning meetings, lots of loosey-goosey on-set chatter, news "personalities" talking with off-camera producers and admonitions that we, the audience, should join the party via Twitter and Facebook.

Rainey doesn't have a problem with adding some flash to the news, but he is a big concerned about all of the off-the-cuff editorializing that comes with it. For example:

Did I really hear histrionic field reporter Ed Laskos compare the incident involving Fullerton cops and a homeless man to a "gang beating," one that was extra "arrogant" because they did it while wearing microphones that recorded the action?

I'm all for more local programming, and I gotta give credit to KTTV for doing something different with its 5 p.m. newscast (and, not actually calling it a "newscast"). But I also think the news department needs the manpower and resources to pull off such a grand idea.

And can someone please switch Ed Laskos to decaf?

LA Local Emmys: KNBC Scores All Three Top Newscast Prizes

NBC-owned KNBC (Channel 4) pulled off an Emmy hat trick on Saturday night, landing all three top newscast honors during the 63rd Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.

The station, which has struggled in the news ratings recently vs. market powerhouse KABC and growing KCBS, nonetheless earned the affinity of Emmy, picking up the statuette for daytime newscast (for the "Channel 4 News at 5 p.m."), morning newscast (for "Today in LA at 6 a.m.") and evening newscast (for the "Channel 4 News at 11 p.m."). KNBC repeated in the daytime and evening categories, but beat out last year's winner, KTLA, in the morning race.

KNBC led the pack in overall Emmys, winning 13. KTLA was next with 6, followed by KABC and KCBS, with 4 each. Fox Sports West, KCAL and KCET each received 3, while KLCS landed 2. KOCE and KTTV only landed one each. (If you're counting duopolies, KCBS/KCAL was actually second, with a total of 7, while Fox Sports West/Prime Ticket received 5.)

KNBC's Emmy haul included the fifth consecutive win for the station's Mary Harris, who continues her streak in the outstanding news writer category.

KTLA's Dave Malkoff won the news special Emmy for his report from Iraq. And KABC's David Ono's coverage from Haiti won for serious news report, while Ono also won for outstanding hard news reporting.

Also, KTLA's Bryan Hileman won for outstanding news director. (KTLA's Deborah Wilkinson won it last year.) And the Tribune-owned station's Rose Parade coverage, an Emmy favorite, once again picked up the Emmy for live special events.