Covering the Fires: Local L.A. Stations Dump Commercials, Network Fare to Cover the Disaster

(Above, a YouTube video of the fires in Canyon Country, via deadlesa For more YouTube videos of the Southern California wildfires, go here.)

Los Angeles' local TV stations once again went virtually wall-to-wall on Monday with coverage of the region's wildfires -- and potentially lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result.

By dropping network and/or syndicated fare for most of the day (until primetime), KCBS, KNBC, KABC and other outfits stood to lose at least $400,000. But as I write in today's Variety, general managers and news directors see that as the price of covering news in Southern California. Natural disasters are simply a way of life.

"Los Angeles never disappoints when it comes to drama," says KNBC news director Bob Long.

Local stations spent most of Sunday and Monday covering the fires, breaking only for primetime. On Sunday, KCBS and KTTV took advantage of their sister stations (KCAL and KCOP, respectively) to continue covering the story even after switching to NFL coverage.

By primetime on Sunday, KCAL was the only station with news for all four hours -- and scored big in the ratings as a result. The station will probably see huge Monday night results as well.

"We have to cover it," says KCBS/KCAL general manager Don Corsini. "This is why we do news. Unfortunately, it's the name of the game. You're doing the right thing with the coverage."

To minimize disruption, the stations have been using their digital feeds in order to juggle programming; Long says KNBC.com reached over a million hits thanks to coverage of the blazes.

"People who wanted to follow our coverage were able to do so," Long says. "That's not an option I would have had even a few years ago. We're all discovering these new platforms and using them in different ways."

Meanwhile, with so many fires hitting the region hard at the same time, maxed-out local TV news teams put aside some of their competitive ways in order to pool video coverage:

In the process, local TV helicopters were stationed all over the region, rather than duplicating coverage of the same fire.

It's usually done ad hoc, with a couple of stations at a time," Long said. "Most of us only operate one machine, and we obviously can't be everywhere at once. We have long-standing arrangements with some of our colleagues. After all, helicopters have to land and get fuel. We'll protect a competitor while they're gassing up, and expect the same will be done for us."

Long says the dynamic changes from time-to-time - occasionally, one of the local stations will get too competitive and refuse to cooperate - but "mostly we get along pretty well."

"In a situation like this, it's nonsense to fall back on a competitive attitude," Long said. "It's about public safety and the safety of our own people. And it's not safe to stack a bunch of helicopters over one fire."

Long knows very well the danger of news crews covering out-of-control fires. During the last major regional fire disaster in 2003, KNBC lost a news truck - and news reporter Chuck Henry was nearly killed, along with his cameraman. Because of the risks, Long said his news team is required to take classes on how to cover the story.

"Almost all the fire agencies offer training, and this company insists on it," Long said. "Our crews went through some training very recently." Long also noted that covering fires is nothing new to most of his staff, given the regular natural disasters here.

"Sadly, we get to train all the time," he said.

Over at KCBS and KCAL, Corsini said even the resources of two TV stations and an expanded news team hasn't been enough to cover the scope of the story.

"Clearly this requires a lot of resources, and frankly, more resources than we have in order to be in every single spot at the same time," Corsini said. "But we're doing the best we can with the crews and reporters that we have in the field."

What's more, many staffers - including the two stations' news director, Nancy Bauer Gonzales - were having to deal with their own homes being evacuated.

Long, meanwhile, has coined a new nickname (borrowed from Walter Cronkite, who earned the moniker from his marathon rocket launch telecasts) for anchor Beverly White: ``Iron Butt.'' White, who usually anchors the weekend "Today in L.A." 7 a.m. telecasts, sat in the anchor chair until the start of "Sunday Night Football."

"These anchors really earn their keep sitting at a desk, making sense of what is by definition chaos," Long said. As for the news team as a whole, "Everyone who knows how to do something really useful is out there."

KP's Kaput

Sad news for Silver Lake bahn mi fans: As first reported by LAist, KP's Deli -- home to some the tastiest, biggest Vietnamese sandwiches around -- is shutting down at the end of the week.

The KP's website shares the sad news that the restaurant's lease hasn't been renewed:

Dear Friends,
We regret to inform you that KP's Deli will be closing its doors October 27, 2007. It has been wonderful these past three years and everyone's support has been tremendous. Unfortunately, our lease has not been renewed for the upcoming years.
Thank you for everything! You have meant so much to us.
Best regards,
KP'S Deli

There are obviously plenty of spots to get a banh mi in Los Angeles. But KP's was the best in the area (you'd have to travel far for a better one) and the staff was always super friendly. Go while you still can!

Here's our 2005 review of KP's.

Lights, On Your Feet

If you've ever braved the drive through the DWP's Griffith Park Festival of Lights, you've probably vowed never to do it again. On most nights, the traffic stretches all the way down Los Feliz Blvd. and even onto the 5. Motorists spend hours creeping their way through Griffith Park -- and let's face it, the light show isn't worth sitting two hours in the car.

That's why we now prefer to walk the route (parking at the zoo), if we go at all. And why we earlier applauded proposals to shut down the route to cars entirely.

Unfortunately, according to the L.A. Times, the DWP wasn't a fan of keeping the cars out. The paper notes the agency's bizarre reasoning:

The residents want the entire event to be pedestrian-only. Festival-goers do have the option of walking now, but they have to share the road with idling cars. So the DWP studied the issue for months.

And the Hall of Fame sentence the report contained was what?

"Transportation officials did voice strong concerns that the walking-only event could generate more traffic and congestion, due to established car-driving patterns and the limited number of parking spaces that are available in the immediate festival area," the DWP report stated.

Huh?
...
The DWP contends that the Los Angeles Zoo parking lot -- adjacent to the festival route -- and other places in the area have just 1,300 parking spaces, but 2,500 to 4,500 cars visit the festival each night.

That's a recipe for a traffic jam, the DWP says.

There's no way that traffic jam could be any worse than the mess that now transpires.

Oh well. The walking option still exists for anyone who doesn't want to spend ALL EVENING in their car just to see a few flashing lights. (If you must insist on using your car, go early -- right after dusk -- on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.)

Also, in one concession to residents, the DWP will make the festival pedestrian-only on Nov. 21 through 25 -- the first five nights.

SAVE THE DATE: The Great Los Angeles Walk Returns Nov. 17

All right, now about that announcement we promised ya on Friday (and kudos to Shannon for nailing it!): Last year, we hiked Wilshire Blvd. end-to-end, 16 miles from downtown to Santa Monica. This year, we head a few blocks south and conquer Pico!

For the second year in a row, we're clearing out the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- Nov. 17 -- for the all-day hike. (Consider it license to then gourge yourself a few days later on stuffing and cranberry sauce.) Those of you who joined in the festivities last year know the drill: We'll meet up early for breakfast, and hit the road by 9. We'll stop along the way at anything that looks interesting, as well as for lunch... and make it to Santa Monica by dinnertime, where we'll celebrate.



We had a great turnout last year -- I still can't believe how many people made it end-to-end. (Above, the Walkers at the finish line in Santa Monica.) Now, I'm hoping to get an even bigger crowd on board.

Wanna take part? Simply email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com. Leave us your name and email address... and we'll keep you informed of details.

So why Pico? For starters, I was inspired by the famous tale of L.A.'s own Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, who decided to eat his way down the boulevard when he was 20.

What's more, it's just a visually stimulating street. While Olympic (and even Wilshire) has long stretches of uneventful, residential areas, Pico is consistently loud and frantic.

Just ask Massive Attack. Check out the 1991 video to "Unfinished Sympathy," singer Shara Nelson walks down Pico between New Hampshire Ave. and Dewey Ave. in one uncut shot:



Keep it tuned here as we talk more about the Great Los Angeles Walk 2007 in the next few days. We'll be discussing transportation (including the possibility of a bus to shuttle us back to downtown), Pico eating options (perhaps J-Gold will give us some tips) and more.

But most importantly, keep Nov. 17 open. You're gonna be out walking -- walking! -- in L.A.

(Pico sign pic via Flickr by Powerkeni.)

A Windy, Firey, Devastating Sunday

Can't say any of us were surprised, once we heard that the Santa Ana winds would make a fierce appearance this weekend, that the fires would follow. But it's still frightening to see how fast things can get out of hand. (Check out L.A. Times coverage here.

Above, the view of the sky Sunday afternoon from Maria's mom's home in West Hills. We watched as the sky over Simi Valley turned a burnt orange... making for a bizarre, mid-day sky.



Strangely enough, at Franklin Avenue HQ in Glendale, there hasn't been any abnormal windy conditions. But drive deep (and west) into the Valley, and it feels like hurricane territory. It was those brutal winds that hit more than one large tree in West Hills; this is one (above) that completely blocked a housing division entrance off Roscoe.



And look at those roots! How the wind has the power to tear all this down is astounding.



Several stations went wall-to-wall with coverage on Sunday. My favorite moment had to be on KABC/Channel 7 Sunday morning. A reporter on the scene in Malibu was completely decked out: Yellow, fire resistant jumpsuit, breathing mask and goggles. Yet everyone she spoke to (like this guy, whose car was burnt to a crisp by the fire) was wearing their normal clothes, simply walking down the street.