On Wednesday evening, Enrique Chiabra was reporting on the Los Angeles fires for Telemundo’s KVEA-TV (Channel 52) when a fresh fire broke out in Hollywood’s Runyon Canyon. As he informed viewers about evacuation orders, it occurred to him that his own house fell within the affected area.
In my role as KNBC/KVEA president and general manager, I confirmed that our anchor stepped away from the set, left the location, and drove back home. Given the situation, I felt compelled to instruct our staff members, including the on-air talent, to evacuate, regardless of whether they were currently broadcasting live.
This week has been incredibly tough and emotional for local TV stations in Los Angeles, as they provided round-the-clock, commercial-free news coverage from Tuesday afternoon until Friday. The Palisades and Eaton fires have wreaked havoc, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and at least 10 fatalities have been confirmed. What’s more, the reporters, photographers, and news teams have found it particularly challenging because they themselves have been directly impacted by the devastation happening in their own communities across Southern California.
KABC-TV Channel 7 president/general manager Wendy Granato stated, ‘Our team members have often found themselves needing to urgently evacuate their families.’ We immediately told them, ‘Leave now and prioritize your family’s safety.'” Granato shared that it was challenging for her to see her colleagues on air, dealing with the fires affecting their own neighborhoods while they were reporting.
Granato expressed that it’s painful to witness these journalists reporting from neighborhoods they are familiar with, whether it be where they grew up or currently reside. He emphasized that while they are professionals, they are also human beings, and he understands the emotional toll this work takes on them. However, he acknowledged that this is part of their job, something they have committed to. He further explained that they must persevere, taking a moment to gather themselves before returning to their duties.
On Tuesday night, it was particularly applicable to Josh Haskell from KABC as he was both reporting the evacuation and making efforts to help his parents leave Pacific Palisades at the same time.
During that moment, Haskell remarked that what he was doing was quite extraordinary. He was simultaneously broadcasting news about the ongoing event and trying to gather crucial details. The fire’s location, for instance, and urging people to evacuate. At the same time, his parents were texting him and calling him in distress, asking for guidance. He advised them to pack their car immediately as they needed to depart within half an hour since the danger was approaching them. He wanted them to feel fearful because, during an evacuation situation, people might be instructed to act, but without witnessing the imminent threat themselves, they may not fully grasp the gravity of the situation.
Thankfully, Haskell’s parents managed to escape, and he felt a sense of relief as they passed his burning home on Sunset Blvd., waving goodbye. Yet, being a local from Palisades, the fate of his community continues to be deeply saddening for him.
He shared that discussing his cherished community and the Palisades brought him a sense of healing. Each July 4th, he participates in the parade and run, traditions he’s maintained over the years. Currently, his beloved community is going through tough times, with some parts disappearing entirely. He can’t help but wonder about his childhood friends and their families, many of whom used to live in homes that no longer stand. Part of his elementary school was destroyed, too. Even the supermarket his mother frequented frequently, where she met old acquaintances, has vanished. The community as he knew it seems lost, leaving uncertainty about its future shape. Working through these losses is proving to be quite challenging for him.
Similar to many TV journalists, Haskell has been putting in long hours, often 15 hours or more, on location. Each morning, he finds himself questioning whether his respiratory system can handle another day in the Palisades. “It’s a distressing thought,” he admitted. “My family shares this concern, and I do too. I wear masks as much as possible and prioritize safety, but I feel a strong sense of duty to be present, no matter the circumstances.
Gigi Graciette from KTTV Fox 11 has personally experienced the risks: In 2008, while reporting on the Sayre fire, a propane tank explosion caused a piece of metal to enter her eye. She acknowledged that despite protective gear, sometimes nature can be overpowering and dangerous. However, she emphasized that they make every effort to stay safe by using protective equipment such as goggles, helmets, and fire suits. Firefighters appreciate this because it means one less person for them to worry about rescuing. Furthermore, Graciette mentioned that during her 24 years of covering fires, she’s never had any issues with firefighters. They are more than willing to let reporters work close by as long as they stay out of the way, wear protective gear, and don’t damage their hoses. In simple terms, Graciette was injured while reporting on a fire in 2008, but she takes precautions to stay safe. Firefighters appreciate this because it reduces the number of people they need to rescue. She also mentioned that her experience with firefighters has always been positive, and they are comfortable having reporters work near them if they follow certain guidelines.
Graciette mentioned that she frequently changes locations for her live shots, and it can be quite demanding. “It adds a significant amount of effort on our part,” she explained. “Today, I visited around 12 to 15 different spots all by myself, which means having to shift locations every 15 minutes. That’s 13 hours straight! There are no restroom facilities in Pacific Palisades, and there are no open coffee shops. Moreover, there is no power supply from Pacific Palisades to Malibu, so we can’t even take a break for anything. We simply keep moving from one location to another.
She also mentioned, “I aim to illustrate to the viewers at home who have been barred from their neighborhoods. These individuals have been evacuated and are uncertain about the situation. They’re not permitted to return. Hence, I make sure to provide precise details. I want to share the block number where I am, and describe my location, as it is significant to those who live in Pacific Palisades or Altadena.
Amidst the peak of the fires, reporters unexpectedly became part of the narrative themselves, offering aid wherever possible. For instance, KCAL reporter Jasmine Viel, who fortunately has her house standing in Altadena’s vicinity, was reporting a burning house on a Wednesday when a homeowner approached distraught. The woman had urgently evacuated the previous night, leaving behind her chickens and ducks. At this point, Viel and her photographer, John Schreiber, sprang into action to help.
Schreiber put aside his camera and started catching the chickens, a skill he’d picked up from his wife who was raised on a farm, as Viel put them into a waste-sorting container.
In simpler terms, Viel instructed his photographer, John, “We need to return there,” saying this. Equipped with firefighting gear, both have experience handling such incidents. Upon reaching the backyard, they noticed the chicken coop was starting to burn. Another cameraman arrived and joined them in moving the chickens. They successfully rescued around seven or eight chickens. The woman was visibly emotional, weeping over her pets. She then exclaimed, “There are still ducks!” So, John rushed back and saved at least two of the ducks, and she managed to drive away with some of her beloved animals, despite the distressing situation.
Viel stated, ‘I’m not sure if the house still stands at this moment.’ Shortly afterwards, outside a gas station, Viel and Schreiber assisted an elderly woman to safety. ‘It’s one problem after another,’ Viel said, ‘it feels like a terrible dream I can’t escape from. This is a community where my grandparents built a home in Altadena, where I grew up, and where I returned to buy a house in Pasadena. So many generations of my family have lived here. To witness the entire landscape transformed, I’m tearing up right now. I don’t know how they will recover from this, but I know they must.’
Over the weekend, stations started getting ready for a potential catastrophe due to the predicted exceptionally strong Santa Ana winds. The danger of fire was significant with dry vegetation and winds reaching up to 80 miles per hour.
Steve Carlston, senior VP/general manager at KTTV/KCOP, shared that a friend working in Century City sent him an image of the initial Palisades fire. It was just a large cloud of white smoke. Since we’d been anticipating the wind conditions for several days thanks to our weather forecaster, Adam Krueger, we were all ready. However, I often view news coverage like an option quarterback in football. We have our plans, but it’s not until the action starts that we really have to make decisions. Each day is like that.
On Tuesday evening, the local broadcasting stations provided uninterrupted, commercial-free coverage. Due to extended playtime and missed advertising slots, station managers estimate they’ve sustained a significant loss, potentially exceeding six figures, for this week’s broadcast. Mokhtari commented, “I’m setting aside concerns about revenue losses for now, as I know we’re doing what’s right.
Last year’s KABC joiner, previously in charge at KTRK Houston, pointed out that her former station broadcasted without commercials for eight consecutive days during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. “Financial considerations should be secondary,” she emphasized. “I’ll address those details later. For now, we’ll find a way to reorganize and recover.
Carlston explained that such challenging situations are often factored into a station’s annual financial plan. He reassured, “We’ll recover from this.” He acknowledged that there might be a decline in monthly revenue, but over a 12-month span, these setbacks usually balance out. So instead of fretting about the finances, he advised focusing on providing quality coverage. During such events, it becomes evident that clients are less concerned about their ads running. In essence, everything will be alright, and the company is well-prepared for this.
By Thursday, certain broadcasting outlets started reintroducing commercial breaks, yet the volatile nature of the events and the emergence of fresh blazes have made it challenging to finalize arrangements.
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Thursday saw a few stations resuming advertising intervals, but the uncertainty surrounding the developments and new fires cropping up have muddied the waters for making solid plans.
Erica Hill-Rodriguez, KTLA news director, stated, “It’s a decision we have to make every hour: what will today bring? What should we be ready for? There’s no way to foresee. Last night, we thought the situation was calming down, but suddenly the Sunset Fire flared up. When we encounter a developing news event, we ensure we have a strategy in place to join, maintain our presence, and have the necessary resources on hand to carry out that task.
During the Runyon fire, KTLA was placed within an evacuation warning zone itself. If necessary, the station had a full production truck ready to relocate operations. As senior producer Marcus Smith explained, “We have a contingency plan, and our goal is to continue broadcasting in the most effective manner possible, even if we’re not in this building. We’ll be there for our viewers.
In a bustling metropolis like Los Angeles, I’ve learned that being mindful of factors such as traffic is crucial when strategizing the deployment of my team across the city. Fortunately, technology offers solutions: Beyond traditional live trucks, stations can utilize cellular service for on-the-spot coverage. At KTTV, we took a proactive step by purchasing several Starlink kits directly from Best Buy. This allows us to leverage low-orbit satellites for our broadcast needs.
However, as time passes, Los Angeles broadcasting stations have been summoning additional help from fellow California stations and those across the nation to bolster their teams. At KABC, this has involved crews from KFSN Fresno, KGO San Francisco, and KTRK Houston. Stations owned by ABC in Chicago and New York are also preparing to dispatch crews.
Granato stated, “We gratefully accept their offer.” He continued, “There’s a sense of ‘we’ve got everything under control,’ but when they inquire about assistance, we must agree. It’s incredible and crucial because by the weekend, we need to compel people to rest. They’re running on high levels of adrenaline, particularly the field crews, and they resist taking a break. Sometimes you have to make them do it. With many of them witnessing their own neighborhoods ablaze, a respite is necessary. So, by the weekend, it’s comforting to have other stations ready to take on the task.
At my workplace, KNBC, I mentioned that backup will be essential by this weekend. “The exhaustion is becoming palpable,” I stated. “Even with all the assistance we’ve been given, I believe the exhaustion affects us all. It might also be felt by our viewers. There’s only so much one can endure. We’re making every effort to support our team as best as possible. Unfortunately, one of our colleagues has lost their home, and we’ve granted them leave to focus on their family matters. This morning, I saw another colleague who also lost their home, and I asked, ‘Are you certain you wish to be here?’ He replied, ‘I need to be here. I don’t have a house to return to. Being here is a welcome distraction for me.’ Thus, we’re doing our best to accommodate each team member in managing their grief.
I, too, am shifting my focus towards the long-term perspective. The devastating effects of these fires will undoubtedly be topics of discussion in the upcoming weeks, months, and potentially years to come.
Mokhtari stated that the transition from discussing insurance coverage to who takes charge during a disaster, such as who orders evacuations and when, happens swiftly. We have an abundance of stories on these topics, but we aim to deliver them at the appropriate time and with the right tone, taking into account whether people are still grieving or if they’ve moved towards anger and seeking answers.
Granato stated that KABC is preparing multiple teams to tackle the post-event situation. “We’re trying to understand how this will shape our future routine,” she explained. “This new way of doing things will permeate the way news is covered in L.A., regardless of whether your home was affected or not. Los Angeles has undergone a transformation, and we must adjust. We might require a reporter dedicated solely to insurance matters. We might need a reporter focused on arson investigations. We are evolving, and it’s our responsibility to determine how to adapt in the near future. But we will.
(Marc Malkin contributed to this report.)
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2025-01-11 00:17