Stan Chambers tells us what the most important thing people should know about the news business. There are many things that are very important one of them being reaction to press, reaction deadlines and reactions to people.
Transcription
I think the most important thing is how do you react to pressure? How do you react to deadlines? How do you get involved in digging out information? Those are the tools you really need. And that way you become a very talented reporter and a writer and a news man. And when you have those things you have then the elements and the tools to work. And thats very important. And also to be flexible because plans go askew very easily but if you are flexible, okay we cant do that? Well do this. And during that live period when youre on the air, there are lot of moments like that when youre talking and your broadcasting and you dont know what to say because you dont know whats next, you better keep on talking. Heres whats happening. The good part with television you have the camera to back you up. There is nothing wrong with keeping quiet for a little while. We had the helicopter over the dam probably half hour before it collapsed. Flying over homes, little outlet of the dam was pouring water down pretty fast, we had the helicopter showing all those things with people moving out. We knew it was a serious thing but we never really know this is going to happen. You just cant believe it. A helicopter went in a full pass, a full screen the dam opened up and water poured out and luckily because we were on for quite some time and people were watching, almost everyone evacuated their homes. So no one was in their homes while the water wiped them out.
Stan Chambers has been with KTLA nearly as long as it has been on the air -- 60 years! And in a major market like Los Angeles, where news personalities come and go almost as quickly as one switches channels, such longevity is no small accomplishment. In six decades of reporting for KTLA, Stan has covered every major news event in and around L.A., including political elections, floods, earthquakes, human tragedies, riots, assassinations and fires.
