KCAL9 Celebrates 30 Years Broadcasting In Southern California
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - "From the desert to the sea to all of Southern California..."
30 years ago today, Los Angeles news legend, Jerry Dunphy introduced us to 'Prime 9 News'. It was something that had never been done before in broadcast - 3 hours of news at 8, 9 and 10pm.
Nearly a year and $30 million in the making, KCAL9 News launched on March 5, 1990. This new 'startup' had cutting edge satellite technology, state-of-the-art editing equipment and fresh faces like Pat Harvey along with familiar ones like Dunphy.
"Once the viewers say that we were serious and that we really delivered a credible news product, then they stayed with us," said Harvey.
The newscast was branded "Live, Local and Late Breaking", which is still in use today. Also still being used today - the term "StormWatch" which, is said to have originated at KCAL9.
David Goldstein was at the station from day one. "Here everyone was coming in with a brand new idea, brand new equipment, brand new bosses and everyone started on an even keel," he recalled.
Although we no longer call ourselves "California 9", this station and newscasts were created specifically for Southern California and with local news our first priority. We were there in April of 1991 when an assault caught on camera against Rodney King ignited the city in flames. Also in 1991, Magic Johnson granted KCAL9 an interview which developed into a five-part series on living with HIV. We kept viewers informed through the Northridge earthquake and the OJ Simpson trial, and on that fateful September day in 2001, we kept Southern California connected with our East Coast brothers and sisters.
In 2002, the faces of KCAL9 that viewers were accustomed to watching merged with the faces of CBS2. Now, the forces of two major market TV news stations collectively delivered more hours of news than any other local station in the Country. That is still true today.
From our teams at the anchor desk to our reporters in the field, KCAL9 News thanks you for tuning in these past 30 years!
For a blast from the past, watch the original signoff of KHJ-TV, leading into the debut of KCAL9. You may remember the station's theme song, here in its entirety: