KTLA's Tribute to Stan Chambers

We want to share the KTLA Stan Chambers: Legendary Newsman special from last night with you:






Thank you for watching.

Stan Chambers, Giant of LA News is Gone

Stan Chambers

KTLA newsman

August 11, 1923 – February 13, 2015

Once there was a time when television newscasters reported the news.  They were not smarmy or ironic or stand up comedians.  They did not tweet.  They didn't have to do any of that to catch your attention because once there was a time when the news itself, coming through a small box in the corner of your living room was compelling enough.  It didn't need jokes.  Or posturing. Or self aggrandizing pundits.  It didn't need Howard Beale mad as hell or Ceasar Flickerman, the slick master of ceremonies on the Hunger Games.  It didn't need a nightly network news "star".  It just needed a story, well told.  For 63 years, Stan Chambers told that story for the city of Angels, on pioneer television station KTLA.

Stan Chambers got his start at KTLA in 1947, a time when TV was so rare it could still spark shock and awe. People would gather round the flickering tube outside a store window to see what was going on.  For over 60 years in Los Angeles, Stan was the guy who told you what was happening.  From the sad story of little Kathy Fiscus  who fell down a pipe well in San Marino, to the Watts riots, the Bel Air fires, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, the Manson Family murders and the Northridge earthquake.  A sure and steady town crier, Stan told the people of Los Angeles about their city as it happened live.  He broke the story about the Rodney King police beating.  He was there for it all.

It hasn't been a great week for U.S. news reporters.  Some, like Stan, have passed away...generating pounds of print and posts about their important contributions.  Farewell to David Carr of the NY Times and Bob Simon (60 Minutes).  One reporter (Brian Matthews) has stepped away from his post at NBC nightly news in disgrace.  But Stan's long sojourn on the planet Earth embodies the life so well lived it is almost impossible to achieve anymore.  He worked in media for over 6 decades and was loved..by his large family, his co-workers, his friends and an entire city of grateful viewers.  He never sought the limelight but was at the center of it, painting a picture of life in Los Angeles and making friends of us all.

In the beautiful tribute below, Keith Olbermann relates the time he asked Stan why he stayed so long at KTLA, even after he had been demoted.  In true "everyman" style, Stan replied that he "liked the people".  I was fortunate enough to work at legendary TV station KTLA myself, many years ago.  It was my first job after college.  Unlike Stan, I didn't stay, but there were many times I wished I had.  I liked the people too.  Especially people like Stan Chambers.

Rest in peace my friend.

KTLA's Stan Chambers -- Happy Birthday and Happy Retirement!

The news is out -- KTLA's long time -- longest time -- news reporter Stan Chambers announced today that he's officially retiring after a career lasting almost 63 years. This is a good news, bad news situation; it's also Stan's birthday today -- Happy 87th, Stan! -- and while there's nothing but good in celebrating a great man's birthday, there's also a distinct sense of a door closing slowly on an era in TV news. Once upon a time, local news (at least in L.A.) was something more than just gossip, lightweight features, and bubble-brained anchors. KTLA was always something quite different, with the late anchor Hal Fishman handily defying the lightweight anchor stereotype, and with guys like Stan Chambers nosing around the streets of Los Angeles to give the local stories some grativas.

The Flaming Nose has many great memories of Stan Chambers -- some of worked at KTLA in the ol' days -- and to know Stan is to love him. And to respect him, most of all.



Stan's announcement today received a lot of coverage in industry publications and local newspapers, and it's easy to understand why. In a town where scandals reign and the biggest mouth may get the glory, Stan Chambers has been the epitome of class and professionalism his entire career. Many of us may aspire to such a descriptions, but few attain it. Stan Chambers has.

We're happy to read that he might be back for occasional stories on KTLA, but we also think that retirement will suit Stan Chambers. A man with such a zest for the next story or the happening that might happen tomorrow will have no trouble keeping involved with the city that loves him.

To read more about Stan's momentous announcement and to get a sense of the high esteem in which he's held by fellow journalists, read today's article by Cynthia Littleton in Variety ("Stan Chambers signs off from KTLA"), the L.A. Times story by Greg Braxton entitled "KTLA's Stan Chambers to announce retirement", the coverage on Business Wire (from a KTLA press release), and a nice interview and story on the Southern California Public Radio site by KPCC's Steve Julian and Mike Roe. Also check out the L.A. Observed site's article from yesterday by Kevin Roderick -- "Standing Ovation: Stan Chambers to retire". (On an almost related note, I found a great essay by Nathan Callahan about Stan Chamber's role in KTLA's coverage of a little-remembered 1951 murder in Southern California; read it here.)

Stan Chambers compleatists will want to watch the excellent four-hour interview with Stan at the Archive of American Television, from 1998, in which he discusses his career and his place in the world of Los Angeles newsgathering. We also hope that you've devoured his excellent autobiography from a couple of years ago "KTLA's News at Ten 60 Years with Stan Chambers"; Jane wrote about it here when it came out, and loved it!



Best of all is that KTLA is producing a one-hour special "Stan Chambers -- NEWSMAN" which will air on Monday, August 23rd at 8pm, with an encore on Sunday, September 5th at 11pm. This will be must-watch TV for all of us at The Flaming Nose, and we hope you'll tune in, too. Visit KTLA's site for more great info and photo features on Stan Chambers!

News At 10 (60 Years with Stan Chambers)

Today I had the honor of spending an hour with a former KTLA-TV colleague of mine, the amazing Mr. Stan Chambers. Stan has just had a terrific book published about his 60 years as a television news broadcaster in Los Angeles, and one of his first stops on the book signing tour was the Borders right here in Torrance, CA where yours truly lives. There was a very diverse crowd of about 75 people waiting for Stan today, and when he walked into the room everyone burst into applause. Young and old, thick and thin, and a United Nations cross section of every possible ethnicity had arrived at Borders to meet Stan the man. These LA folks clearly adore him and rightfully so. Stan Chambers, in addition to practically inventing television news, is also one of the finest, kindest gentlemen in the broadcast biz. The first thing he did at the book signing was walk down the row of seats as he shook the hand of every single person in attendance. Stan has always been a steadfast family man (he had 11 children!), and one of his grown daughters gave his introduction today. She told a few adorable anecdotes about what it was like to have a busy newsman as a father and her love for her Dad was abundantly apparent as she fought a few tears to get through her speech.

Stan spoke very eloquently at the book signing and the audience was enthralled. You don't have to be a broadcast history fanatic (like I am) to be fascinated by accounts of the early days of TV news in Los Angeles; from the story about little Kathy Fiscus who fell down a well in 1949 to the many floods, fires, riots and earthquakes that have riveted and rocked Los Angeles for 60 years. Stan also spoke reverently of Klaus Landsburg, the technical and creative genius who founded KTLA in 1947, as well as veteran Channel 5 news anchor Hal Fishman who just passed away last year.

All of these stories and more are in this wonderful book, so I urge everyone to seek out a copy. Everyone, that is, except for my fellow Nose founder and KTLA alumni Lisa. Because Mr. Chambers remembered Lisa, as the extraordinary Programming Director for KTLA back in the 80's. And he signed a book for her saying, "To Lisa: Here's a salute to those KTLA days we shared". It will soon be in the mail, speeding its way to her Canadian home.