Stan Chambers facts for kids
Stanley "Stan" Chambers (born August 11, 1923 – died February 13, 2015) was a famous American television reporter. He worked for KTLA in Los Angeles for a very long time, from 1947 until 2010. Stan Chambers was known for being one of the first reporters to cover news live on TV.
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A Pioneer in TV News
Stan Chambers was born in Los Angeles. His career started soon after KTLA became the first TV station in the western United States to get a commercial license. This meant it was the first TV station in the West that could broadcast to the public.
First Live News Coverage
In April 1949, Stan Chambers made history. He reported live for 27 and a half hours from the scene of an accident. A young girl named Kathy Fiscus had fallen into an old well in San Marino, California. People tried to rescue her, but it was sadly unsuccessful. Stan's live report made many people in Los Angeles buy TV sets so they could watch the news as it happened. This event is remembered as the first time a breaking news story was covered live on television.
Covering Big Events
Stan Chambers was involved in many other important news events. In 1952, he helped with the first live TV broadcast of an atomic bomb test at the Nevada Test Site. He also reported on many other major stories. These included the 1961 Bel Air fires and the 1963 Baldwin Hills Reservoir dam breaking. He covered big earthquakes like the 1971 Sylmar and 1994 Northridge quakes.
He also reported on the 1963 kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr.. Stan was there for the 1965 Watts Riots. He covered the sad assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. He also reported on the Tate and LaBianca murders. Later, Stan Chambers was the first to report on the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police Department officers.
Awards and Family
Stan Chambers received many important awards for his work. He won several Emmy Awards, which are like the Oscars for television. He also earned Golden Mike Awards and an LA Press Club Award. The City and County of Los Angeles gave him special proclamations. He even has a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His grandson, Jaime Chambers, followed in his footsteps. Jaime became a reporter at KTLA in 2003. He now works at KSWB-TV (Fox-5) in San Diego.
Later Years and Legacy
Stan Chambers retired on August 11, 2010. This was his 87th birthday. He had worked as a reporter at KTLA for an amazing 63 years!
He passed away on February 13, 2015. He was 91 years old and died at his home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles.
Stan Chambers' first wife, Beverly, died of cancer in 1989. He was survived by his second wife, GiGi. He also had 11 children, 38 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. Stan Chambers is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, next to his first wife, Beverly.
