Ktla Channel

In the latest of a long line of examples of KTLA-TV Channel 5 assisting the major networks, portions of the independent station's coverage of Monday's earthquake were used by ABC and CBS. When technical problems kept KABC-TV Channel 7 and KCBS-TV Channel 2 from providing their networks with pictures, the networks contacted KTLA.

The funeral of slain Riverside police Officer Michael Crain was broadcast live by almost all local broadcast stations as they preempted several hours of regular programming for the poignant, tearful ceremony attended by hundreds of mourners and several law enforcement agencies. But while KCBS Channel 2 and sister station KCAL Channel 9, KNBC Channel 4, KTLA Channel 5 and KABC Channel 7 ran continuous coverage of the procession and funeral, KTTV Fox 11 and sister station KCOP Channel 13 stayed with their regular programming, including "TMZ" and the Wendy Williams talk show.

As baseball begins its three-day break for the All-Star Game, officials at KTLA-TV Channel 5 are calling their first half-season as "L.A.'s Baseball Station" a success, even though ratings for the newly acquired Dodger games are slightly lower than last year and far behind the two previous seasons. "The baseball station concept seems to have been accepted," said KTLA general sales manager Tom Arnost. "There's a synergy in cross-promotion and, so far, it's worked well."

Tribune Co. is expected to emerge from bankruptcy protection Monday with a new board of directors composed largely of entertainment-industry veterans. Exiting bankruptcy would mark a milestone for Tribune, the parent of the Los Angeles Times and other newspaper and television properties. Tribune sought Bankruptcy Court protection in December 2008 after a leveraged buyout by real estate magnate Sam Zell saddled the company with $12.9 billion in debt just as advertising revenue was collapsing.

Congratulations to the morning news of KTLA Channel 5. Having one of the best news broadcasts at night (10 p.m.), I'm sure they will make it in the morning. Woh Tam-Ley, Los Angeles

A special thanks to KTLA Channel 5 for bringing back uncut episodes of "Columbo." The "CBS Late Movie" used to butcher this classic series to fit it in its strange time slot. Kent Hollenback, Santa Paula

I would like to thank KTLA Channel 5 for taking "The New Monkees" out of prime time. It is one of the most stupid and meaningless shows ever made. Anupama Menon, Sepulveda

Thank you, KTLA Channel 5, for your 40th anniversary celebration. Showing us the rare old clips, not only of KTLA's past, but of the other Los Angeles stations as well, was a real treat! Steve Mittman, San Pedro

Star Gazing: Hal Fishman, anchor of KTLA Channel 5's "News at Ten," will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday. Fishman, who has been at KTLA since 1975, has been an anchor in Los Angeles for 31 years.

We Can Talk: "The Joan Rivers Show" has found a new home on KTLA Channel 5. The nationally syndicated talk show, which had earned lousy ratings at 3 p.m. on KCBS Channel 2 against "Oprah" and "Donahue" since it debuted in 1989, will premiere on KTLA at noon beginning March 11.

John D. Silva was the chief engineer for KTLA-TV in 1958 when he outfitted a helicopter with a TV camera and changed television news coverage forever. He turned a rented Bell helicopter into the Telecopter, essentially a flying TV studio. The first of its kind, it put Channel 5 news at the forefront of live aerial coverage of major events like parades, fires, earthquakes and massive freeway snarls. Hundreds of televised car chases later, Silva's invention is a staple of local television news stations, along with the mobile unit he also had a hand in developing.

A Los Angeles television reporter is dating Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, about two years after his extramarital affair with another local newscaster led to the breakup of his 20-year marriage. KTLA-TV Channel 5 reporter Lu Parker, a former Miss U.S.A., has been dating Villaraigosa since March, station officials confirmed Monday. On Sunday, while working as a weekend anchor, Parker announced a story about the likelihood of Villaraigosa running for governor in 2010.

KTLA-TV Channel 5 is expanding its news operation and is adding more than eight hours of news programming each week, station officials announced Tuesday. The increase, which primarily affects early morning and midday newscasts, is part of a larger strategy begun this year to broaden the station's local news coverage. KTLA, which like the Los Angeles Times is owned by Tribune Co., began a 6:30 p.m. weekday newscast in January.

In a strategic move that could be repeated elsewhere, Tribune Co. announced Wednesday that its South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Miami-based WSFL-TV would merge operations, with the TV station's staff moving to the newspaper's Fort Lauderdale headquarters. The move goes further than any previous newspaper-TV station collaboration, said Ed Wilson, new president of Tribune Broadcasting. He said the merger would give advertisers "a single point of contact" for reaching the South Florida market via print, broadcast and the Internet.

Hal Fishman, longtime anchor at KTLA Channel 5, was hospitalized with a serious infection after collapsing at his home Wednesday, the station announced at the top of its 10 p.m. newscast Thursday. Fishman, 75, was said to be awake and alert, but no other news about his condition or where he was hospitalized was available, said Rich Goldner, executive producer of KTLA Prime News. Fishman, a news veteran of more than 45 years, has anchored the station's 10 p.m. newscast since 1975.

It's 1 a.m., the surfboard has been waxed, the new wheels are on the skateboard and Mom and Dad are deep into their REMs. It's time to commandeer the TV remote and relax. But what to watch? Conan and Kimmel are winding down, you've seen that episode of "Cops" at least a dozen times, and besides, you're kind of in the mood for some music videos. MTV?

Re Coverage of Rose Parade by KTLA Channel 5: It was such a treat having no commercials. I did switch to other channels now and then, but there was no doubt that Channel 5's coverage was by far the best. Lillian Goulette, Garden Grove

What has KTLA Channel 5 done to "American Bandstand"? My Saturday mornings are miserable now. I enjoy dancing and exercising to the music. It is a very uplifting show. I also enjoy the artists and musicians on the series. C'mon, KTLA, get real. Tammy Anne Connelly, Ontario

The rivalry between KTLA Channel 5 and KTTV Channel 11 escalated during the just-completed May sweeps, with competitive news face-offs that resulted in an exchange of barbs between executives at the two stations. KTTV's "Fox News at 10," which tied in ratings with KTLA's "News at 10," during the November sweeps, was a decisive winner in May, according to local Nielsen figures released Thursday. Meanwhile, the seesaw battle between "The KTLA Morning News" and KTTV's "Good Day L.A." ended in a tie for third place in the morning race.

Tribune Co.'s merger with Times Mirror Co. is reminiscent of another major acquisition by the Chicago-based media company nearly 15 years ago: the purchase of KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles. Tribune bought the television station in 1986 for a then-unprecedented $510 million from Golden West Broadcasting, which had bought it for $245 million just three years earlier from cowboy star Gene Autry.