KTLA

KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson. The station's signal covers the Southern California region and KTLA is also available as a regional superstation via cable and satellite in the United States and Canada.

KTLA was the first commercially licensed television station in the western United States, having begun operations in 1947.[1]

Experimental years
KTLA's first commercial station logo, from 1947, under Paramount ownership. This logo combines Paramount's mountain and stars logo with a TV transmitter.Originally owned by Paramount Pictures subsidiary Television Productions, Inc., and located on the Paramount Studios lot, the station was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in 1939 as experimental station W6XYZ, on channel 4, but did not go on the air until September 1942. Klaus Landsberg, already an accomplished television pioneer at the age of 26, was the original station manager and engineer. On January 22, 1947, it was licensed for commercial broadcast as KTLA on channel 5, becoming the first commercial television station in Los Angeles, the first to broadcast west of the Mississippi River, and the seventh in the United States. Estimates of television sets in the Los Angeles area at the time ranged from 350 to 600.

Bob Hope served as the emcee for KTLA's inaugural broadcast, which was broadcast that evening from a garage on the Paramount Studios lot. The program, titled as the "Western Premiere of Commercial Television", featured appearances from many Hollywood luminaries. Hope delivered what was perhaps the most famous line of the evening when, at the program's start, he identified the new station as "KTL", mistakenly omitting the "A" at the end of the call sign. A 10-minute fragment from KTLA's first broadcast exists at the Paley Center for Media[2]

KTLA originally carried programming from Paramount's partner, DuMont, but discontinued the practice after the 1947-48 season. Despite this, the FCC still considered KTLA and sister station WBKB (now WBBM-TV) in Chicago to be DuMont owned-and-operated stations because Paramount held a minority stake in DuMont. As a result, the agency would not allow DuMont to buy additional VHF stations—a problem that would later play a large role in the failure of the DuMont network, whose programming was splintered among other Los Angeles stations until the network's demise in 1956. Paramount even launched a short-lived "Paramount Television Network" in 1948, with KTLA and WBKB as its flagship stations.[3] [4] The programming service never gelled into a true television network, but during KTLA's early years, the station produced over a dozen series seen in syndication in many parts of the U.S. Among these series were Armchair Detective,[5] Bandstand Revue,[6] Dixie Showboat, Frosty Frolics,[7] Hollywood Reel,[8] Hollywood Wrestling, Latin Cruise,[5] Movietown, RSVP,[9] Olympic Wrestling,[9] Sandy Dreams,[7] and Time for Beany.

In 1958, KTLA moved to the Paramount Sunset Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, originally the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros. Warner Bros.] Sunset Studios. For many years, those who have worked on Stage 6 at KTLA have been told that it was the site of filming Al Jolson's landmark film The Jazz Singer in 1927; Mark Evanier, who wrote for one such show in 1978, points out on his website that Stage 6 didn't even exist at the time The Jazz Singer was produced and the actual location used was probably what is now Stage 9.[10]

In 1964, KTLA was purchased by actor and singer Gene Autry and merged with his other radio properties (including Los Angeles' KMPC) into an umbrella company, Golden West Broadcasters. From 1964 to 1995, the station was the broadcast television home of the Los Angeles/California Angels baseball team, which was also owned by Autry. KTLA carried selected Los Angeles Lakers games from the early-to-mid 1970s. During the 1970s, KTLA became one of the nation's first superstations, and was eventually carried on cable systems across much of the country west of the Mississippi.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, KTLA sought a different programming strategy from the competition. It would emphasize syndicated reruns of off-network programs (with a heavy emphasis on western-themed programs such as The Gene Autry Show), first-run talk shows, movies, and sports programming. Children's programming, with the exception of weekend morning Popeye cartoons, were also phased out. It also launched a 10 p.m. newscast in the mid-1960s, the simply-titled News at Ten (also known over the years as The George Putnam News, NewsWatch and KTLA Prime News).

[edit] A Tribune Broadcasting station
In 1982, Golden West sold KTLA to investment firm [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg_Kravis_Roberts_%26_Co. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.] for $245 million. In 1985, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts sold KTLA to Tribune Broadcasting. Under Tribune, KTLA continued to acquire high rated off-network sitcoms as well as talk shows. In July 1991, KTLA added the first live, local morning newscast, the KTLA Morning News, to compete with major network morning shows. At first, the KTLA Morning News suffered from low ratings. However, the ability to cover breaking news live (as opposed to the network morning programs, which were aired on a three-hour tape delay) attracted more viewers to channel 5. As time went on, the KTLA Morning News has enjoyed great ratings success, generally ranking number one in its main 7-9 a.m. time period. The program's success spawned rival KTTV to launch its own local morning program, Good Day L.A., in 1993.

In March 1991, KTLA was the first station to air the infamous video of the Rodney King beating by Los Angeles police. From 1994 to 1995, the station aired gavel to gavel coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial anchored by Marta Waller.

Also around 1995, KTLA introduced a midday newscast at noon, but was discontinued sometime in 1997. This was revived on April 1, 2009 with the relaunch of a midday newscast at 1:00 PM weekdays.

Locally, KTLA has been co-owned with the Los Angeles Times since 2000 when Times Mirror, the previous owners of the daily newspaper, merged with Tribune.

[edit] The WB comes to KTLA
On January 11, 1995, KTLA became a charter affiliate of The WB Television Network, in which KTLA's parent company Tribune held a 25 percent ownership stake. That fall, KTLA added afternoon cartoons from Kids' WB, entering the weekday children's television business for the first time in many years. KTLA also broadcasts the annual Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena as well. The station has aired the Rose Parade since 1948, and while other local stations also broadcast the parade over the years, KTLA remains the sole English-language outlet in the Los Angeles area to continuously broadcast the event. The station also served as host broadcaster of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, which was later syndicated to all Tribune-owned stations.

Tribune purchased the Times-Mirror Company, parent company of the Los Angeles Times, in 2000, bringing the Times into common ownership with channel 5. The Times had been the original owner of Los Angeles' Fox station, KTTV.

[edit] "Where L.A. Lives"
The station launched a new branding campaign in January 2005, which omitted all references to its channel 5 position (although when rebranding as The CW affiliate, the channel 5 reference would return). It adopted a new logo, and became known on the air as KTLA The WB: Where L.A. Lives. The new look also featured a brand new black and orange color scheme for news broadcasts and other functions of the network. KTLA's Halo logo, used from 2005 to 2009; The CW logo and "5" were added in 2006On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. Television unit of Time Warner and CBS announced it would be merging the operations of its The WB and UPN networks into a joint-venture, The CW Television Network. KTLA became the Los Angeles affiliate of the new network. The station rebranded itself as "KTLA 5 The CW" on September 18, 2006 after The Night of Favorites and Farewells.

[edit] KTLA today
KTLA tower on Sunset Boulevard in 2007.Today, KTLA is a typical network affiliate, running the usual blend of syndicated shows, first-run prime time programming from The CW, early morning and evening newscasts, and sports. KTLA was the over-the-air home of the Los Angeles Clippers; the station carried Clippers games from 1985 to 1991, and again in 2002 to 2009, and was also the TV home of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1993 to 2001. Although not as widespread in national carriage as its Chicago sister station, WGN-TV, KTLA is available via satellite as a superstation, throughout North America on Ku-band, C-band, and Dish Network systems, as well as on cable systems in selected cities throughout the Southwestern part of the United States and in Canada nationwide.

KTLA offers 46.5 hours per week of local news, and its 10 p.m. newscast was the most-watched for decades until KTTV took the top spot consistently since 2000.[citation needed] The KTLA Morning News is the number one-rated local morning show according to Nielsen ratings.

KTLA's facility is also home to Sunset Bronson Studios (formerly Tribune Studios), where shows like Greed, Fox's Celebrity Boxing specials, WKRP in Cincinnati, Judge Judy, Hannah Montana, Solid Gold, Name That Tune, Family Feud, Win Ben Stein's Money, Lingo, The Newlywed Game, MADtv, Judge Joe Brown, Let's Make a Deal, Family Game Night, and Pictureka! have been produced over the years. With its location, KTLA and KCET are currently the only Los Angeles area broadcasters based in Hollywood. On February 14, 2008, Tribune Company announced the sale of Tribune Studios and related real estate in Los Angeles to Hudson Capital LLC for $125 million.[11]

While KTLA and KCET are the only broadcasters from Hollywood, there has been speculation that KTLA might move into the headquarters building of the Los Angeles Times in Downtown Los Angeles and combining operations and staff with the Times. This arrangement is also used by two other Tribune combined newspaper/broadcast operations; Miami's WSFL-TV is based in the building of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, while WTIC-TV/WTXX moved into new facilities in the Hartford Courant building in December 2009.

On January 13, 2007, KTLA began broadcasting its newscasts in HD, becoming the second Los Angeles television station to do so.

On January 22, 2007, KTLA celebrated its 60th anniversary of continuous broadcasting in Los Angeles. Two days later, on January 24, 2007, KTLA was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first television station or network to receive such an honor. In addition to the station itself, six other individuals associated with the station—former owner Gene Autry, newsmen Hal Fishman, George Putnam, Stan Chambers and Larry McCormick, and KTLA founder Klaus Landsberg—have received stars on the Walk of Fame. In addition, KTLA continued its celebration on the weekend after Thanksgiving by airing a 60-hour marathon of classic shows that aired on KTLA in the past. KTLA also aired retrospectives of historic Los Angeles news stories during its weekend newscasts.[12] However, the retro news segments were canceled on November 24 due to extensive coverage of the Corral Canyon fire in Malibu, California. Among the programs shown during the marathon were The Honeymooners, The Jack Benny Program, The Little Rascals, Wonder Woman, and Peter Gunn.

On October 14, 2009, KTLA unveiled a new logo and a redesigned news set, bringing back the classic stylized number 5 previously used by the station from 1981 to 1997 (see sidebar at top of article) and eliminating The CW network logo, which is still used in promotions for network programs. The "LA" in the KTLA callsign is in bold lettering to emphasize the station's Los Angeles location and service area, similar to a previous logo used from 1997 to 2005.

[edit] Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Virtual channels

[edit] Analog-to-digital conversion
KTLA shut down its analog signal, on June 12, 2009 at 10:45 p.m. during its evening 60-minute newscast KTLA Prime News <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Analog_to_Digital_14-0">[15] as part of the DTV transition in the United States. Veteran newsman Stan Chambers, who was hired by KTLA almost a year after its launch in 1947 and remained there for more than six decades, was given the honor of "throwing the switch" to digital at its Mount Wilson transmitter site. He pulled up a ceremonial mock switch from the analog to digital position, signaling the engineers to shut down the analog signal. Covering the on-air event for KTLA was reporter Jaime Chambers, Stan's grandson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15">[16] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17]

Although no mention was made of it beforehand, the analog signal temporarily returned to the air 15 minutes later at 11:00 p.m. to air an analog nightlight video, joining KCBS-TV and KNBC in the post-transition practice. KCBS-TV and sister station KCAL-TV cut their analog signals earlier in the day (1:10 p.m.) while KNBC's analog signal switched to the nightlight video during the station's 11:00 a.m. newscast.

KTLA broadcasts on digital channel 31 using PSIP to display KTLA's virtual channel as 5.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FCCForm387_17-0">[18] KTLA broadcasts in 1080i high definition on virtual channel 5.1, since CW Network programming uses that particular HD format.

[edit] News operation
KTLA news anchors Hal Fishman, Larry McCormick, and George Putnam have become icons in Los Angeles TV News over the years. Its veteran field reporters have included Stan Chambers (who had been with the station since after its inception in 1947 until his retirement in 2010) and Warren Wilson. Stu Nahan, Keith Olbermann and Ed Arnold (who now anchors KOCE-TV's Real Orange) were formerly the sports anchors. Accompanying his news anchoring career, McCormick also hosted KTLA's own public affairs production called Making It!, which featured stories on the entrepreneurial successes of ethnic minorities. The station briefly ran a noon newscast during the mid-1990s anchored by Marta Waller.

For many years channel 5's news operations were considered the benchmark of Los Angeles television. Its evening news program was often serious and no-nonsense in nature and has received many awards and distinctions. However, KTLA's newscasts have become more tabloid-based in nature in recent years, perhaps to compete with KTTV. Both stations have rivaled each other in ratings for many years. As part of the change, KTLA has placed more emphasis in entertainment news, and has featured personalities including Mindy Burbano Stearns, Zorianna Kitt, and recently Ross King as entertainment reporters.

In 2004, KTLA debuted a reality show segment on its morning news titled "The Audition", in which several actors and actresses competed for a role as weathercaster on the News at Ten. Ross King was the winner in the first installment. Jessica Holmes, of Nickelodeon fame, won the second installment and is now an anchor for "KTLA Morning News at 9." Although KTLA does not cover police pursuits like other stations, it has put more emphasis in local crime stories, as opposed to politics, health, and other serious news. As part of the 2005 graphics change, KTLA's graphics were significantly modernized, and a new, futuristic-looking set was constructed for its newscasts.

KTLA has also created synergy between Tribune Company entities. For example, entertainment reporter Sam Rubin is often seen on WGN-TV in Chicago. Ron Olsen also frequently reports on upcoming stories in the Los Angeles Times from the paper's headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles.

During the 1970s, KTLA operated a well-equipped helicopter known as the "Telecopter" for its news operations (having debuted in 1958); the Telecopter was the most advanced airborne television broadcast device of its time, but was ultimately sold to another Los Angeles station, KNBC, which flew the Telecopter with pilot Francis Gary Powers and cameraman George Spears until its fatal crash on August 1, 1977.

On July 30, 2007, Hal Fishman anchored what would be his final broadcast for KTLA. Following several days of hospitalization for a liver infection, Fishman died on August 7, 2007. KTLA's newscasts that morning and evening were dedicated to Fishman, for whom channel 5 dedicated its news studio in 2000. After Fishman's passing, KTLA installed longtime Morning Show co-host Carlos Amezcua as the interim co-anchor on Prime News. Local media speculated that Amezcua would be given the assignment permanently, but on September 4, Amezcua announced he would be leaving channel 5 to take over as co-anchor of KTTV's evening newscast, replacing John Beard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19">[20] Morning news co-anchor Emmett Miller took over as interim evening anchor, and on December 4 was named as Fishman's permanent replacement.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[21]

On February 4, 2008, KTLA changed the names of its morning newscasts. The First Edition news is now known as KTLA Morning News @ 5 AM, while the Early Edition program is now known as KTLA Morning News @ 6 AM. The KTLA Morning Show has now reverted back to its original title, KTLA Morning News, while its 9 a.m. hour is now called KTLA Morning News @ 9 AM.

On January 19, 2009, KTLA launched a 6:30 p.m. newscast anchored by Emmett Miller. Jason Martinez took over in the summer of 2009 and since September 2009, anchored by Micah Ohlman. Also in September, KTLA addded a 6 p.m. newscast anchored by Micah Ohlman and Victoria Recano. Currently, Ohlman co-hosts the 6 p.m. edition with Leila Feinstein and anchors the 6:30 p.m. solo, as Victoria Recano has left the station. The 6:30 p.m. newscast is the region's first since the mid-1990s when KCAL-TV and KCBS-TV aired newscasts during this time slot before becoming sister stations in 2002. KTLA is also the region's first to air an hour-long 6pm newscast since the mid-1990s when KCBS-TV aired an hour-long 6pm newscast up until 1999.

On April 1, 2009, KTLA added two additional weekday newscasts. First, the KTLA Morning News begins at a earlier time at 4:30 a.m. The 4:30 AM newscast is anchored by Megan Henderson. Second, KTLA once again, began airing a midday weekday newscast at 1:00 p.m., currently anchored by Glen Walker (Mon-Wed), Jessica Holmes (Thur-Fri) and Lelia Feinstein. Additionally, KTLA expanded weekend operations to include a 6 and 6:30 p.m. newscast, anchored by Cher Calvin and Glen Walker.

In October 2009, KTLA unveiled a new set, graphics package, and music package.

[edit] Controversies

 * In 2004, Zorianna Kit, an entertainment writer for People and The Hollywood Reporter, was installed as an on-air reporter despite her having no television news experience. (Her only previous television experience was as a panelist on the short-lived Movie Club with John Ridley.) Kit then raised ethical questions in January 2005 when she was critical of the appointment of Brad Grey to head Paramount Pictures on the air. She did not tell viewers that her husband, producer Bo Zenga, had sued Grey over profits from the film Scary Movie. The Los Angeles Times reported the issue and in mid-January, Kit apologized on-air. She left KTLA in July 2005.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[22]
 * In January 2006, KTLA management came under fire for changing the hosts for the station's annual broadcast of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Stephanie Edwards, who emceed the parade for nearly three decades with Bob Eubanks, was moved out of the booth and became a street reporter. She was replaced by Michaela Pereira in the booth. The move was widely seen as insensitive and created a storm of controversy, including a scathing column by Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times, which, like KTLA, is owned by the Tribune Company. This situation was made worse by the fact that it was raining that day, and Edwards was forced to stay out in the rain. In 2007, Pereira fully replaced Edwards. However, KTLA management later, in September 2008, announced that Edwards would resume her co-hosting duties with Eubanks for the January 1, 2009 broadcast of the parade. Edwards once again returned to co-host the parade coverage with Eubanks the following year in 2010.
 * Another ethical issue bubbled up in late February 2006 when the Pasadena Star-News reported that the three KTLA personalities — Carlos Amezcua, Sam Rubin and Michaela Pereira — accepted free rooms at the recently renovated Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena. The station was broadcasting an entire "Morning News" from Pasadena, although the hotel was not specifically mentioned. Still, it was widely seen as a significant ethical lapse, one that violated Tribune Company guidelines.
 * On March 4, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Michaela Pereira had accepted $10,000 worth of furniture for her Pasadena home. The furnishings, delivered in September 2005, were to be part of a "Extreme Home Makeover" segment on the Morning News. But the segment never aired and the furniture company was never paid. The company said that it was under the impression that the work was in exchange for favorable coverage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[23] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23">[24]
 * In a 2007 MSNBC.com investigation into partisan journalists and newspersons who donate to political parties and causes, KTLA news writer Diana Chi was found to have donated to the Republican National Committee 19 times between 2002-2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24">[25]
 * The Los Angeles Times reported that weekend anchor Lu Parker began a relationship with Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, in March 2009. Her employer KTLA was reportedly unaware of this fact until May 2009. Parker reported several stories on Villaraigosa's political future before being reassigned.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26]

[edit] Newscast titles

 * Newsroom (1939–1947; as W6XYZ)
 * Telenews/Newsreel (1947–1955)
 * The News Live on 5 (1955–1962)
 * Newspicture 5:30 (1962–1966)
 * Big 5 News (1966–1969)
 * The News (1969–1973)
 * George Putnam News (1973–1975)
 * News Watch (1975–1977)
 * (Channel 5/KTLA) News at Ten (1977–2005 and 2009–present)
 * KTLA 5 Prime News (2005–2009)
 * KTLA Morning News (1991–2006 and 2008–present)
 * KTLA 5 Morning Show (2006–2008; formerly used for the 7am-10am portion of the news)
 * KTLA 5 News at 1:00 (2009–present)
 * KTLA 5 News at 6:00 (2009–present)
 * KTLA 5 News at 6:30 (2009–present)

Station slogans

 * The Number One Prime Time News Hour (1969–1995)
 * KTLA 5, LA's WB (1995–2004)
 * KTLA, The WB, Where L.A. Lives (2005–2006)
 * KTLA 5, The CW, Where L.A. Lives (2006–2009)
 * LA's Local News Leader (2009–2010)
 * Get Connected (2010–present)

Current on-air staff<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[27]

 * KTLA 5 Anchors/Hosts
 * Frank Buckley - weekday mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (7-10 a.m.)
 * Cher Calvin - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Leila Feinstein - weekdays at 1 p.m.
 * Megan Henderson - weekday mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (4:30-7 a.m.)
 * Jessica Holmes - weekday mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (9-10 a.m.) and Thursdays and Fridays at 1 p.m.
 * Glen Walker - Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Micah Ohlman - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Michaela Pereira - weekday mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (7-10 a.m.)
 * Chris Schauble - weekday mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (4:30 a.m-7 a.m.)
 * Mary Beth McDade - weekend mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (5-7 a.m. on Sat and 6-9 a.m. on Sun) Starts April 9, 2011
 * Chris Burrous - weekend mornings on "KTLA Morning News" (5-7 a.m. on Sat and 6-9 a.m. on Sun) Starts April 9, 2011
 * KTLA 5 Weather Team
 * Vera Jimenez - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
 * Jim Castillo - Meteorologist; Thursdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. and weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Jessica Holmes - Weather Anchor; Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 1 p.m.
 * Henry Dicarlo - Weather Anchor/Meterologist; (AMS Certified) "KTLA Morning News" (4:30 - 7 a.m.)
 * Mark Kriski - Weather Anchor; weekday mornings "KTLA Morning News" (7-10 a.m.)
 * KTLA 5 Traffic Team
 * Alex Calder - weekday mornings "KTLA Morning News"
 * Ginger Chan - weekday mornings "KTLA Morning News" (4:30-9 a.m.)
 * Tim Lynn - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * KTLA 5 Sports Team
 * Derrin Horton - Sports Director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Steve Hartman - Sports Anchor; weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Roger Lodge - Sports Commentator; weekday mornings at 6 and 7 a.m.
 * KTLA 5 Reporters
 * Gayle Anderson - general assignment reporter, featured segment "Gayle on the Go"
 * David Begnaud - general assignment reporter (per-diem)
 * Wendy Burch - general assignment reporter
 * Alex Calder - Sky 5 HD
 * Jaime Chambers - general assignment reporter
 * Ginger Chan - morning traffic reporter
 * Liberty Chan - general assignment reporter
 * Elizabeth Espinosa - general assignment reporter
 * Carolyn Costello - general assignment reporter
 * Cheryl Getuiza - general assignment reporter
 * Don Guevara - general assignment reporter (per-diem)
 * Jane King - NYSE business reporter
 * Rebecca Hall - general assignment reporter
 * Brandi Hitt - general assignment reporter
 * Tim Lynn - Sky 5 HD
 * Allie MacKay - general assignment reporter, featured segment "Allie at Work"
 * Dave Malkoff - general assignment reporter
 * Mary Beth McDade - general assignment reporter
 * Dave Mecham - general assignment reporter
 * Manny Medrano - "Inside the Law" reporter
 * Jim Nash - general assignment reporter
 * Lu Parker - general assignment reporter
 * Lynette Romero - general assignment reporter
 * Sam Rubin - entertainment reporter
 * Steve Salvatore - health reporter
 * Eric Spillman - general assignment reporter
 * Chris Wolfe - general assignment reporter
 * Chip Yost - general assignment reporter

Notable former on-air staff

 * Carlos Amezcua (now with KTTV Los Angeles)
 * Ed Arnold (now with KOCE-TV anchoring Real Orange)
 * Barbara Beck
 * Asha Blake
 * Markina Brown <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27">[28] - former Chief Metorologist
 * Jann Carl (now with Entertainment Tonight)
 * Janet Choi
 * Richard de Mille (deceased)
 * Rick De Reyes
 * Tom Duggan (deceased)
 * Dick Enberg (now doing play-by-play for San Diego Padres, and sports anchor for CBS Sports)
 * Giselle Fernández
 * Hal Fishman (deceased)
 * Lissette Gonzalez
 * Tom Hatten<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29]
 * Desiree Horton
 * Ross King
 * Dick Lane (deceased)
 * Rory Markas (deceased)
 * Jason Martinez
 * Larry McCormick (deceased)
 * Brett Miller
 * Keith Olbermann
 * Stu Nahan (deceased)
 * Ron Olsen
 * George Putnam (deceased)
 * Victoria Recano
 * Walter Richards
 * Willa Sandmeyer
 * Bill Smith
 * Bob Starr (deceased)
 * Tom Snyder (deceased)
 * Sharon Tay (now with KCBS)
 * Marta Waller
 * Jane Wells (now with CNBC)
 * Jennifer York

Rebroadcasters
KTLA is rebroadcast on the following translator stations:
 * K40HX Morongo Valley<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28">[29]
 * K35BQ Daggett<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[30]
 * K03EK Newberry Springs<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[31]
 * K16FI Twentynine Palms<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31">[32]
 * K29GK Twentynine Palms<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32">[33]
 * K48AD Lucerne Valley<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[34]
 * K05FO Ridgecrest<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[35]
 * K39HT-D Ridgecrest<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35">[36]
 * K58GH Sterling, Colorado<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[37]
 * K29GO Cortez, Colorado<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[38]
 * K32EX Peetz, Colorado<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[39]

In popular culture
KTLA gained a bit of notoriety among fans of the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 on November 30, 1991 with the airing of their mockery of the movie War of the Colossal Beast. In the movie, there are scenes of a KTLA news anchor predicting where the title character Glen Manning will end up next. That anchor is the real KTLA reporter Stan Chambers. The anchor ends up pronouncing the station's call letters as "KIT-lah". In a skit segment later in the show, Joel Robinson, portrayed by Joel Hodgson, mocks the anchor's "KTLA Predicts" style of newsreading and parodies The Amazing Criswell. The phrase "KTLA Predicts" became a catchphrase among fans<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space: nowrap;" title="The material in the vicinity of this tag may use weasel words or too-vague attribution. from July 2009">[who?] of the show.

During the 1950s, while Paramount owned the station, that company was also producing Popeye cartoons. In one episode<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space: nowrap;" title="The material in the vicinity of this tag may use weasel words or too-vague attribution. from November 2009">[which?], Popeye's nephews turn on their television to "chanel number 5" (not the perfume, but channel 5 – KTLA).

KTLA has also been featured in other media (usually with its newscasts). Hal Fishman was featured reporting for Channel 5 News at Ten in the movie Malibu's Most Wanted. In one scene in the 2002 movie Showtime, the KTLA SkyCam 5 (later renamed the KTLA HD Telecopter, now renamed to Sky 5 HD) was seen among a group of helicopters surrounding the Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

A fictionalized version of KTLA is seen on occasion on the Nickelodeon TV show Big Time Rush. It is identified as KULA and is seen on channel 6 instead of 5.