Mario Machado, longtime anchor and reporter in the Los Angeles market has died.

Machado joined KHJ (now KCAL) in 1967 and moved to KNXT (now KCBS) in 1969. According to CBS owned stations KCBS and KCAL, Machado was the first prominent Chinese-American newscaster in the US and the first in the LA Market.

After leaving work as a broadcaster, Machado played a newsman in films such as “Oh, God!” “Rocky III,” “Airport ’79,” “Scarface,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” and “Brian’s Song,” as well as working in three of the “RoboCop” films. He played himself in “Blue Thunder” and “Without Warning.”

Machado, was born in Shanghai, China to a Portuguese father and a Chinese-Portuguese mother. He played soccer in college and helped found the AYSO soccer league. He was 78. Read more

Fox-owned KTTV is entering into a helicopter sharing agreement in Los Angeles with CBS-owned KCBS-KCAL.

The partnership, which officially begins Monday afternoon, is a pooling agreement on a non-exclusive basis. Until last year, KTTV shared a helicopter with NBC-owned KNBC; KCBS-KCAL has been operating their own helicopter.

A Fox spokesperson said no staff reductions are expected at KTTV as a result of the agreement. The station says the partnership will lead to more content and a more efficient use of resources. The Fox Television Stations Group has helicopter sharing agreements in 13 markets.

KCBS-KCAL reporter Michele Gile allegedly had an odd brush with the mother of Christopher Dorner at an Orange County bar during yesterday’s deadly stand off.

Gile walked into La Capilla Mexican Restaurant in the Los Angeles suburb of La Palma around 3:30 p.m. She was in the area to do a report on Dorner’s mother who lives nearby.

Gile began talking to two women at the bar who were drinking wine and eating chips and salsa while watching breaking news coverage of the stand-off on TV. Read more

Los Angeles is gearing up for another “Carmageddon,” a weekend closure of a 10-mile strech of the 405 Freeway. One of the major complaints during the last Carmageddon weekend was the helicopter noise from the media’s aerial coverage, so LA stations are pooling resources this time around to keep things quiet. Rick Terrell, executive director of the RTNA of Southern California, shares details on the “unprecedented” arrangement with the Los Angeles Times:

Rather than sending up a helicopter from each station for each news broadcast, Terrell said, pilots will fly in shifts. Only one helicopter from member stations — including KABC, KCBS/KCAL, KMEX, KNBC/KVEA, KTLA and KTTV –- will go up at a time. He said the pool plan calls for three flights per night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings prior to each major newscast at 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. respectively. He said one helicopter will also be sent out about 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Starting next month, traffic anchor Teresa Frosini (left) will shift into a reporting role at KTVT in Dallas, the CBS O&O announced today. She will be replaced by Whitney Drolen (right) who joins KTVT from KCBS-KCAL in Los Angeles.

“Teresa and Whitney are both talented professionals, and we’re glad to have both of them on our news team,” KTVT general manager Gary Schneider said in a statement.

Frosini has been KTVT’s traffic anchor since 2006. In her new role, she will report on arts and entertainment, as well as special reports. “North Texas is a rich tapestry of art, entertainment and culture, and I look forward to bringing our viewers those stories,” she said. Read more