(dramatic music)
- Good morning, I'm Barbara Beck.
FBI agents say they may never know
what motivated Andrew Cunanan.
- I'm Carlos Amezcua.
Scientists discover new life at the bottom of the sea.
- I'm Mark Kriski.
Cool weather as we head into this last weekend in July.
We'll have details and traffic and the forecast coming up.
- I'm Eric Spillman in Burbank and we're celebrating
our sixth anniversary by serving breakfast
to a lucky morning news family.
Would you like a pastry?
- Sure.
- You'll meet him, coming up.
(people applauding) - I'm Michele Ruiz
at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills
and we're having our own anniversary celebration here.
We've got viewers from all over.
From? - East Los Angeles.
- And? - Montebello.
- And a lot of other different places.
We'll have reaction to our anniversary coming up.
- I'm Sam Rubin.
Six years of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Who's been right here on the desk,
plus tons of local newscasters.
You'll meet 'em, coming up.
- It is a party.
And it is Friday, the 25th of July, 1997.
(upbeat music)
- [Voiceover] Live, the KTLA Morning News
with Barbara Beck.
Carlos Amezcua.
Mark Kriski.
Eric Spillman.
Michele Ruiz.
Sam Rubin.
Jim Newman.
Gayle Anderson.
And Jennifer York in Skycam 5.
LA's number one way to start the day.
The KTLA Morning News.
(dramatic music)
- [Dramatic Voiceover] Now, Southern California's
first two hour morning newscast.
Barbara Beck.
Carlos Amezcua.
Mark Kriski with traffic and weather.
KTLA Morning News.
- [Carlos voiceover] It all began on July eighth, 1991.
A day we'd like to think will live in infamy.
- From the royal ballet.
Also this morning-- - Well, maybe.
- Highway patrol says tougher seatbelt enforcement may--
- [Carlos Voiceover] Things were a little different back then.
Not only the way we looked, but the show itself
was slightly off kilter, ya might say.
- But first this morning, plus a look at the latest--
- Talk about chaos.
Nobody knew what we were supposed to do.
Oh and the thing was, we would say
"Oh my goodness, what are we gonna put in two hours?
"What are we gonna put in there?
"It's two whole hours."
Normally we do--
- It's not much of a holiday weekend for police
and ambulance crews all over--
- [Mark Voiceover] Well, we managed to fill the airtime.
And a few months later, Sam joined the show,
drawing on his vast experience.
- But it appears that "Cheers" will go on.
- [Mark Voiceover] That dated all the way
back to high school.
- California last year for the first time in five years.
According to a board of education--
- [Mark Voiceover] We seemed to be on our way
except for one thing.
(man snoring) Hardly anybody was watching.
- I absolutely thought, and I think the others thought too,
that the show, it was gonna be canceled
by the end of the year.
Show was not, it had no ratings,
it was like a noble experiment that failed.
- We truly believed that the show wasn't gonna
stay on the air, was so awful that all we could do
is just joke.
- They actually mail the ants to you,
which is really kinda strange,
because you get these ants.
And we got some more right here, Barbara.
(Barbara yelling) (people laughing)
- Plastic ants.
Works every time.
- [Mark Voiceover] Gradually, the show began to take shape,
thanks to a little help from a couple of our early guests.
First, there was our good buddy, Dom DeLuise,
who helped me forecast the weather.
- (laughing) And it's 72 degrees.
Palmdale, Palmdale, way up there, 95 degrees.
- A great place upstairs--
- [Sam Voiceover] Then actor McLean Stevenson
joined Barbara one morning for a rather revealing interview.
- Can I ask you something? - No no no!
- Do you memorize all this news or do you look down
on these little boxes and read it,
like are on the teleprompter. - No, no, no,
I memorize mine. - Yeah, it's pitiful.
- Ron is new on the show.
- These guys are looking down like this
and you can see their eyes going across.
- Right, no no. - And you just,
it just comes out.
- That's right, I memorize it.
But they're new, they're working on it.
(people laughing)
- I always feel a little grateful to him,
because he kinda broke the ice for me
and for everybody else and we were a lot more comfortable
with that and potential guests who saw that were too
when they came on the show.
- [Carlos] This is one of those hundred year floods.
Not since 1938.
- [Barbara] Our coverage of the news also helped
establish the program.
Especially during the Ventura county floods of 1992.
- [Mark] Basically, we're not even getting the wallop
of the storm.
The whole low-pressure system is heading into--
- Barbara and I basically learned from that moment on
that we could work together.
When we were told that there was flooding out in Ventura,
the decision was made.
Get the helicopter out there and we were the only ones
in the morning at the time to cover that news live.
Once again, a big first for KTLA.
- [Carlos] And you are watching this anywhere
near that area, get out with your life if you can.
You are not going to have any--
- [Sam Voiceover] This combination of news
and a little non-news seemed to click.
- Is the best-- (kissing)
- I love him! (people laughing)
- [Sam Voiceover] Honesty was another hallmark of the show.
From the beginning, we were never shy about showing off
our shortcomings.
- We do not do this!
(people laughing)
We do not put on these ridiculous shorts
and run around for our health!
(people laughing)
- [Michele] Sometimes I feel like I'm in a college dorm.
It's kind of that thing, you work with people long enough,
you get to know each other so well
that it transcends itself through the show
and when we're on the air.
(people clapping) - Thank you.
Thank you very much.
- He's huge, he's a mega.
I feel so small.
I feel so...
- Would you like some Thai food?
- Thanks for cleaning up.
This is the wildest,
this is new.
Cronkite did the news like this.
- When you watch us, it's as if you've got these
nutty neighbors down the street and their house
is built of glass.
Okay and you're able to see what these nutty neighbors do
every single day.
And that's kinda what it's like.
- You are really strong.
(upbeat music)
- Over the past six years, we've broadcast
more than 1,500 shows.
Some 3,000 hours of live television and not one rerun.
We sure hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have.
- What (mumbles).
- It's the greatest thing in the world.
It really just goes without saying.
It was really,
don't tell them it's astounding they pay us to do it.
Astounding we get paid.
But it's astounding they pay us to do it.
It's amazing, 'cause we'd do it for free.
- We ordered you this big birthday cake,
but they delivered it to us, so we ate it.
- And since we have been on the air twice as long,
we're twice as hungry.
How 'bout nuts?
(can rattling)
- [All] Happy birthday!
- Do they still have that slick weather guy over there?
(upbeat music)
- [Commercial Voiceover] Everyone loves "Murphy Brown."
- What is your favorite television program?
- "Murphy Brown" on Channel Five.
- [All] Not. (laughing)
- [Commercial Voiceover] Well, almost everyone.
"Murphy Brown," weeknights at seven, starting Monday
on Channel Five.
(air whooshing)