Making the rounds in the newsgroups: an article by longtime TV and print journalist Hans Laetz in TV Technology magazine (unfortunately, apparently not available on the web, and we have a policy not to cut & paste the work of other publications).
Laetz pretty much tears apart the lack of TV coverage of the Station Fire -- especially egregious considering that TV station's own towers on Mt. Wilson were in harm's way:
The TV and FM stations that were protected by the valiant firefighters on Mt. Wilson were relaying regular programming, much of it informercials, as the fire inconveniently spread out above the city on a Saturday morning. No TV station went live with continuous coverage until MONDAY morning, nearly 54 hours after homes began being evacuated. ...
At 5 p.m. on the Saturday of the fire, it was I who wrote to the LA Observed web page: "It's 5 p.m. on Saturday, the biggest fire in years is in the backyards of thousands of homes from Lake View Terrace to Pasadena, and NOT ONE Los Angeles TV station is providing continuous coverage. A few minutes ago, KTTV popped on with a brief update after the Dodger game, then returns to 'Whacked Out Sports.' KCBS did a half hour at 4:30 then went to an NFL preseason game. Sister KCAL is in syndicated schlock. KNBC: regular programming, some sort of taped feature show on hot cars at Mt. Pinos. KABC: live coverage from ABC News of the Kennedy interment. KTLA: some show about warlocks and evil spirits."
What's particularly alarming is the pitiful state of emergency communications in the Los Angeles area -- Laetz says we could be in real trouble in time of major disaster (such as, say, an earthquake):
[Emergency Alert System] was, as usual, not used in Los Angeles. It is important to know that L.A. emergency authorities relied on sirens, reverse 911 and people knocking on doors to get the word out. The EAS system has NEVER been activated for a major emergency in Los Angeles. During the riots, the floods, the earthquakes, the old L.A. EBS and the new EAS have never been activated. There isn't one L.A. TV station assignment desk that has an EAS monitor of any sort, period. I've been at them all (except Fox, and I bet it doesn't have one either.)
We'll link to it if it goes online.
