Ktla's News at 10: Sixty Years with Stan Chambers

By Stan Chambers

Book Overview

Los Angeles news icon, Stan Chambers, steps out from behind the mic to talk about influential stories.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933016507
• ISBN13: 9781933016504
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Behler Publications
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent History of KTLA

I 've always wanted to be in broadcasting, but in the great scheme of things I was destined to get a job that was dependable and not interesting. Growing up in the midwest radio and TV stations were copying things that "big city" stations accomplished first...but on a smaller scale. One of those big city stations that did things on a grand scale was KTLA-TV. It was not the first experimental station in los Angeles, but it was the first commercial TV station west of the Mississippi River. A friend of mine whetted my appetite for KTLA by sending me a copy of the station's 40th Anniversary program back in 1987. I was floored by the things they did. Starting with on the spot news coverage for events that would last several hours, which in those days meant taking a big van with several cameras and associated video equipment out to a scene and showing the viewing public what was going on. KTLA recorded live entertainment TV programs on kinescope so that stations in other cities could have high quality programming. There was the live coverage of an atomic bomb test that was fed nationwide that would not have been coovered if not for ingenuity of the station's founder, Klause Landsberg. The phone company wanted several months to construct the relay, but Klause only had a few weeks. By studying topographical maps he found a way to microwave the TV signal to Los Angeles and the networks then carried the signal across the country. Granted, an atomic bomb test may not be your cup of tea, but the fact that a major problem was solved in a hurry was most interesting. The book, "KTLA's News at Ten: 60 years with Stan Chambers," covers the entire history of KTLA mainly because the author has been at the station since late 1947. It is a very good book, and a good addition to the other Stan Chambers book about KTLA printed ten years ago. The two books complement each other in that a lot of the same subjects are covered by vastly reworded. If you are as interested in broadcasting history as I am then this book is a must for your library. It's easy and pleasant to read and impossible to put down. (You can take that two ways: you'll want to read it cover to cover in one sitting and you'll never say anything bad about it.) I highly recommend this book and its predecessor. (DISCLAIMER: I receive no compensation to say that, nor do I have an interest in the book publisher.) The TV stations on the east coast may have similar stories and people to tell them, but my heart tells me these books are the very top. Everything else is a distant second. Happy reading.

Stan.

A well known, loved, and respected TV Journalist here in the Los Angeles area. Have watched Stan most of his 60 year career, reading this book brought back a lot of memories.