KTLA Morning News

The "KTLA Morning News" is a Breakfast television show currently aired on Los Angeles' CW affiliate KTLA channel 5. The show is broadcast from 5am-10am. The 7am-10am portion of the show was simulcast on its San Diego sister station, KSWB-TV channel 69. The 5am-7am portion is a general news/traffic/weather format. The 7am-10am segment also features news, traffic and weather, but emphasizes entertainment and other light-hearted stories.

History

The program began on July 8, 1991 as "The KTLA Morning News", anchored by Carlos Amezcua and Barbara Beck, with meteorologist Mark Kriski doing weather, and Eric Spillman and Michele Ruiz reporting from remote locations. It was produced by Raymond J Brune. The show's emphasis was mostly on news, with very little on lighter features. With the emphasis on hard news, the show received poor ratings.

Near the end of 1991, Joel Tator, a new executive producer, had been brought in to help revive the show, by giving the show a more relaxed atmosphere by spreading out newspapers on the desk. The anchors, feeling that the show was in its final weeks, also relaxed and they started joking around.

The critical moment for the Morning News came in February, 1992, when a series of rain storms hit the Southland, causing severe flooding in the San Fernando Valley. At that time, the only other news programs on in the morning were the morning news shows on ABC, NBC and CBS, which were all broadcast on a three-hour tape delay in the Pacific Time Zone, with limited live coverage during the local news segments.

Filling a need, KTLA set aside its normal programming and provided extensive coverage of the flooding. That brought in large numbers of Southland viewers; once the flood crisis ended, the viewers stayed with the show. And as a result, ratings improved dramatically.

With the new relaxed atmosphere and a need to provide live, local news when the other stations couldn't, the show survived.

On May 2, 2001 Barbara Beck resigned from KTLA, and Giselle Fernandez later became co-anchor. In 2003 Giselle Fernandez left and was replaced by Michaela Pereira.

On February 4th, 2008, KTLA changed the named of its morning newscasts. The First Edition news is now known as KTLA News @ 5am. The Early Edition news is now known as KTLA News @ 6am. The KTLA Morning Show is now reverting back to its original title as the KTLA Morning News while their 9am hour will be known as KTLA News @ 9am.

Personalities

"KTLA News @ 5am"

Anchors: Cher Calvin, Asha Blake

Weatheranchor: Jessica Holmes

Traffic reporter: Ginger Chan in KTLA Telecopter HD

Fill-In Traffic Reporters: Bill Smith

Fill-In Anchors: Gayle Anderson, Damon Andrews, Kurt Knutson, Frank Buckley

"KTLA News @ 6am"

Anchors: Cher Calvin, Asha Blake

Weather Anchor: Mark Kriski

Traffic Reporter: Ginger Chan

Fill-In Reporters: Bill Smith

Fill-In Weather Anchor: Jessica Holmes

Fill-In Anchors: Gayle Anderson, Damon Andrews, Kurt Knutson, Frank Buckley

"KTLA Morning News"

Hosts: Michaela Pereira, Frank Buckley

Weatherman: Mark Kriski

Traffic reporter: Ginger Chan in KTLA Telecopter HD & "Commander" Chuck Street with traffic (in 102.7 KIIS-FM Pepsi JetRanger helicopter)

Entertainment reporters: Sam Rubin, Jessica Holmes

Fill-In Anchors: Cher Calvin, Eric Spillman, Asha Blake

Field Reporters: Bill Smith, Elizabeth Espinosa, Kim Rogguie, Rachel Calderon, Gayle Anderson

(Sam Rubin, Mark Kriski and Eric Spillman are the only holdovers left from the original team of the show.)

KTLA News @ 9am

Hosts: Michaela Pereira, Cher Calvin, Jessica Holmes

News Updates: Frank Buckley

Weather Updates: Mark Kriski

Watercooler Buzz: Sam Rubin, Mark Kriski, Gayle Anderson

Fill-In Hosts: Asha Blake, Loni Combs

Former Anchors Of The Morning News

*Carlos Amezcua-Original Anchor (Now With KTTV)
*Barbara Beck
*Jennifer York
*Michele Ruiz
*Sharon Tay-(Now With KCBS-TV And KCAL-TV)
*Emmett Miller-Now anchor of "KTLA Prime News" (Officially replacing the Late Hal Fishman)
*Lu Parker-(It was confirmed by KTLA that Parker was Promoted To Main Weather Anchor for KTLA Prime News Then Was Replaced By Markina Brown]