KTLA pilot Tim Lynn and cameraman Jeff Laabs had quite the Monday afternoon as their helicopter made an emergency landing in Hollywood when smoke filled the cabin.

The pilot of KCBS’ SKY2 first noticed the smoke and quickly notified his fellow helicopter colleague of the problem.

Thanks to some quick thinking by Lynn, the KTLA helicopter was able to land in an empty parking lot on Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue.

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Despite an apology to the El Coyote Cafe by KTLA anchor Chris Schauble, the National Hispanic Media Coalition has filed a formal complaint against the station following a racist remark during an on-air segment on June 11.

During a segment where KTLA was interviewing employees at the legendary Mexican dining establishment, Schauble was caught saying “bond hearings” in reference to the good times the workers share together.

“We are disappointed that KTLA management did not ask Schauble to apologize on air,”   NHMC’s president Alex Nogales said in a statement. “Comments such as Schauble’s help perpetuate negative stereotypes.  The offense is made worse when it’s done in a news segment. NHMC will record Schauble’s negligence by filing a formal complaint.”

The National Hispanic Media Coalition is demanding a public apology from KTLA anchor Chris Schauble following an on-air remark during a segment on June 11:

Mac Kay (reporter): These employees here at the lovely El Coyote, some of them have been here, quite frankly, longer than some of you at the desk have been alive. This man Billy, he has been here for over 30 years, you are the manager here, what is it like? It’s a total family atmosphere right?

Restaurant Manager: Right. That’s what keeps us all together, because it’s such a family, we know each other. We know their sons, their daughters, their parents, we go to their weddings, their baptismals, we share all our good times together…

Chris Schauble: …bond hearings…

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The Lakers parade?

Really?

Force of habit?

This marks the end of an embarrassing few weeks from the local TV media.

You have four months to study up on hockey before the 2012-13 season starts in October.

[H/T Puck Daddy]

 

Our friends at TVSpy have video from Tuesday’s broadcast of the KTLA Morning News when their helicopters captured video of a 300-pound bear on the loose as it stumbled across a man texting in a La Crescenta alley.

That’s not how you want to start your morning.

A four-day blackout has come to an end as the Tribune Co. and DirecTV have reached a new deal on retransmission consent fees. For local DirecTV customers, this means the return of KTLA and CW programming.

The previous deal between the two sides expired on March 31 and as a result, 23 Tribune Stations across the country and WGN America were pulled from the satellite provider.

“We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with DirecTV and to return our valuable news, entertainment and sports programming to DirecTV subscribers,” Nils Larsen, Tribune Broadcasting president, said in a statement. “On behalf of Tribune Broadcasting, I want to thank viewers across all of our markets for their support, understanding and patience during the negotiating process—we truly regret the service interruptions of the last several days.”

KTLA entertainment anchor Sam Rubin delivered a wonderful tw0-minute analysis of KFI’s suspension of Ken Chiampou and John Kobylt for their insensitive comments towards the late Whitney Houston.

This is where you could normally watch the video on this blog … but it appears KTLA.com isn’t big on that whole embed code concept.

Alas, head over to their website to view the video from Friday morning as Rubin tears KFI’s management and the conservative talk show duo a new one.

They’re With Stupid: We applaud the LAT effort to sex up its Web coverage with video, but why does that video have to come from KTLA? The incomparably stupid report by a star-struck, ill-prepared Jaime Chambers detracts from Dan Morain and Michael Finnegan measured story about Barack Obama‘s Beverly Hills fundraising effort. At one point, after showing shot after shot of fancy cars driving up to the funciton, Chambers says, “Ron Howard just walked by.” Yeah? How about catching that on film, Jaime? The idiocy continues as he talks to a random Obama detractor who says she’s going to vote for McCain. The detractor’s name? Cindy Cheney. Any relation? We’ll never know: Chambers DIDN’T ASK HER.

At Least Someone Is Making a Smart Call The LAT might not be wise enough to leave KTLA in the cold, but at least the Obama camp is. From the piece mentioned above: “Lest anyone be diverted by the Hollywood spectacle Tuesday evening, Obama’s campaign denied TV crews access to the mansion and hotel events.”

AP TV The LAT thankfully had the sense to go with the AP’s video on this story about how Alaska state employees are refusing to honor subpoenas in the Sarah Palin Troopergate scandal… though, a perverse part of us would love to see how Jaime Chambers would have handled that story.

ERSNews.com is reporting that Sam Zell-owned KTLA laid off seven News Department employees and four reporters.

But, ERS says, “they have hired a new features reporter for the Morning News. Her name is Allie MacKay and she arrives in the newsroom tomorrow. MacKay will be on the air in the next week.”

UPDATE: We had initially reported that 11 people were fired, but, um, we did our math wrong. (“Tee-hee.” Twirl hair.)

It’s nice to know that someone watches KTLA enough to care about the minutiae of our local TV station.