Police Efforts During Rioting

I was appalled when I read your story on the ethnic media (May 3). You made the preposterous statement that “Spanish-language television did not interrupt afternoon soap operas to provide live coverage of the three-day rampage, although such reports dominated their regularly scheduled news broadcasts.”

Not only is this statement totally incorrect, it is a slap in the face to one of the hardest working news departments in the city. Contrary to your report, on April 29, KVEA covered the Rodney King verdict live from Simi Valley. We were back on the air live with the first news of the unrest five minutes after the attack on the cement truck driver. Throughout the evening we provided our audience with live updates of the situation every 15 minutes until 11 p.m. At 11 p.m. we presented a one-hour news special.

On April 30 we were cutting-in and/or rolling over programming and commercials on the average of three every half-hour. Each cut-in averaged from 5 to 8 minutes.

By utilizing KVEA’s satellite truck, we brought our viewers, as well as those from our sister stations in Houston, Miami, San Antonio and San Francisco, live reports from the scene of the unrest. In an effort to bring about calm to our viewers, we brought in to our news set, community and religious leaders, who implored for a refrain from violence and looting.

On this same day, KVEA’s regularly scheduled 6 p.m. half-hour news program started at 5:30 p.m. and rolled over network programming, making it a 1 1/2-hour special news broadcast.

On May 1, we continued our live cut-ins (approximately two each half-hour) and had more religious and political leaders on the news set asking for calm and reason. Again our half-hour news program was extended to one hour. On this same day, a KVEA reporter and cameraperson were assaulted while covering the news. Their news van’s tires were slashed and windows broken. Our reporters were trapped in the home of a family who gave them refuge until sheriff’s deputies could respond to their call for assistance.

On May 2, we brought in the entire news staff for a non-scheduled Saturday news broadcast and provided live interrupts every 20 minutes throughout the day.

AUGUSTINE MARTINEZ

Senior Vice President/General Manager

KVEA 52, Los Angeles

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