L.A.’s 1st Storyteller

As a relative newcomer to Southern California, KCET programmer Stephen Kulczycki may be forgiven his glib observation that “. . . television has not organized the history of Los Angeles very well” (“Voyage of Discovery to L.A. Past,” by Diane Haithman, May 9).

Not so, however, for Haithman, who should have researched her subject more diligently before declaring KCET’s “The Los Angeles History Project” the first TV series to focus on Southern California’s past.

Had they been around the local TV vineyards in the years 1964 through 1969, Kulczycki and Haithman would certainly have recalled the highly acclaimed and popular “Ralph Story’s Los Angeles,” a weekly series on KNXT, Channel 2.

In its six years on the air, that venerable series--more than 250 half-hours--affectionately explored L.A.’s history in all its varying shades, poking into its lore and its legends, its movers and shakers and memorable eccentrics.

Story recently offered his entire collection of original film footage from the series to the USC School of Journalism. We plan to establish an archive for use of students, historians and documentary makers.

DAN GINGOLD

Assistant Professor

Broadcast Journalism

University of Southern California