Channel 5 to Replace Leek With Ex-’Eye on L.A.’s’ Carl

Despite a convincing first-place finish among independent newscasts in the November ratings sweeps, KTLA Channel 5 said Friday it will replace co-anchor Tiiu Leek with former KABC-TV reporter and “Eye on L.A.” host Jann Carl.

Last month, with a weeknight anchor team of Leek and Hal Fishman, Channel 5 rolled over its competition with more than twice the 10 p.m. news audience of both KCOP Channel 13 and KTTV Channel 11. KTLA received a 6.1 rating for its 10 p.m. newscast while both Channels 11 and 13 garnered a 3 rating (each rating point represents 46,527 households in the Los Angeles market).

Nevertheless, KTLA this week informed Leek, who had spent more than four years at the station, that it would not renew her contract. She was to anchor her final broadcast at KTLA Friday night.

Jeff Wald, KTLA news director, said that when he learned Carl would be freed from her contract with KABC-TV Channel 7, he decided to make the change simply because he thought she would make a stronger anchor than Leek.

Carl’s contract with KABC ended Friday. She will join KTLA Dec. 14. (With Fishman on vacation, the Channel 5 newscast will be anchored next week by Stan Chambers and Larry McCormick.)

“Tiiu is an absolute doll, but she wasn’t quite what we wanted,” Wald said. “She did not have that much experience as an anchor and we had hoped she would grow into the role.”

Wald said that replacing her with Carl, who does not have any regular experience as an anchor, would shore up Channel 5’s already successful news team.

He laughed at the notion that the Channel 5 news would be successful no matter who he teamed with Fishman, an anchorman with more than 27 years of experience in the Los Angeles market. “I wouldn’t make this change if I thought that were true,” Wald said.

Wald indicated he thought Carl’s journalistic background was stronger than Leek’s, even though she has spent the last two years co-hosting “Eye on L.A.”--a show which, Wald conceded, is not noted for its journalistic credibility. But Wald said Carl’s association with the magazine show, on which she was often seen romping on beaches with co-host Chunk Henry, wouldn’t tarnish her image as a news anchor.

“She never lowered herself to do the more extravagant stories that took her out of a credible role,” Wald said. “She was always more journalistically inclined.”

Through a spokesman, Leek said that though she was surprised by KTLA’s announcement, she understood that such maneuvers are endemic to the broadcast news business. Leek also indicated that her ratings success at KTLA would help lead to new television opportunities soon.