LA's Most Watched Live Television
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The Washington Post is out with an interesting read about the phenomenon that is the SoCal car chase.
Southern California TV stations cover more police chases in a month than most other TV stations cover in a year.
The Post writes, Los Angeles, the city of freeways, wallows in the drama of live-broadcast police chases. These occur with stunning regularity, and if Variety weighed in, the reviews would be boffo: “Mesmerizing!” “Breathtaking action!” “Couldn’t stop watching!”
The airborne videographers zoom in tight at each intersection, as viewers hold their breath at the chance of a violent crash with some innocent commuter. The copter cameras swoop in as vehicles finally roll to a stop, often out of gas or limping on tires flattened by spikes thrown down by police. Viewers follow along if the driver bails from the car and sprints through a residential neighborhood. The pilots generally hover long enough to show suspects getting handcuffed.
At which point the stations switch back to their regularly scheduled programs.
Other cities have police chases. But Los Angeles has all the trappings to make it a grand event — endless eight-lane highways, a flat cityscape, a culture of cars.
“The freeway basically touches almost everyone’s lives. It’s central to the [city’s] identity,” said University of California at Los Angeles professor Tim Groeling, who studies political communication. But that’s not the only explanation.
“This is where Hollywood is. And the pursuits are a great spectacle,” Groeling noted. “I know the telltale sound of multiple helicopters in formation on the freeway, and I’ll turn the TV on to see who’s doing it this time.”
The king of the car chase is KTTV’s Stu Mundel.
Mundel, who sports a gray beard and wears rock band T-shirts, thinks the audience appeal is basic: “You’ve got a good guy. You’ve got a bad guy. You’ve got the Greek story of the struggle between good and evil.”
One of his competitors, Mark Kono of KTLA, brings a sports fan’s fervor. “Take this guy into custody,” he urges the home team in blue. “Oh, jeez,” he moans when officers fail to make the stop. “C’mon, it’s time to go to jail, time to give up,” he hoots at suspects.
Chief Michael Moore has grumped at the coverage, calling it “too glamorized at times . . . too sensational.” These situations are “not a video game,” he stressed.
Yet the in-air reporters defend their work, saying their reports can help clear neighborhood streets and minimize the danger to others.
Of course, they also bring big ratings, and let’s be honest, that’s what it is all about.
