Los Angeles, CA- -While TV news is dying nearly everywhere, the late KTLA-TV weekend morning anchor, Chris Burrous found better ways to reach the audience.  What made Burrous rock was his fearless attitude about broadcasting his way, always departing from the routine.  He was a TV Maverick that truly knew how to have fun.   Burrous has proven his news reporting chops on so many high profile stories.  But there was always so much more for him to deliver to the audience!  Rather than accept reality that few newsworthy things happen on the weekend, he used exceptional creativity to fill a five-hour show!  Burrous often, brought the normally unseen weekend KTLA production crew into the studio.   Burrous encouraged everyone connected to the show to simply relax and show his or her human side.   There was much more on display than sterile anchors and a plastic studio set to see.  Burrous gave viewers real warmth as he made his own...

Chris Burrous, 43 Glendale, CA —Yesterday afternoon fire and police officials responded to the Days Inn Motel here after being called.     Reportedly KTLA-TV newsman, Chris Burrous, 43 was found un-responsive in a room there.     He was present in the room with a currently unidentified man that supposedly had unsuccessfully performed CPR on Burrous.   Glendale Police and the LA County Medical Examiner are investigating this death as a potential accidental overdose.  It will take perhaps several weeks to obtain the results of toxicological tests that will identify any drugs involved.   This death has shattered KTLA-TV , their workers and viewers to the very core. All are mourning the loss of a very unique and bright TV personality of this or any market. Is this yet another tragic example of the Opioid Crisis ?  Who supplied the drugs and how will this shake out in the Criminal Justice System?   ...

Thousand Oaks, CA —The November 8 th   massacre  of college kids and a Sheriff’s sergeant by a crazed gunman still generates many more questions than answers.     It’s now more than obvious that the answers will have to be forcibly extracted from the officials by legal process and court orders.  Right now, lawyers helping victims face a solid stonewall as far as getting enough information to even file lawsuits. Legal authority is required to open the reports, surveillance video and evidence for inspection.   The lawyers must sue before they can obtain subpoenas or any discovery material.  However they can’t sue without having a proper theory as to negligence or some other tort claim.  With the records locked up so tight, justice may never be done.  The first obvious liability target is the Borderline Bar and Grill itself.  We know that those people injured were not shot.  Due to inadequate...

Thousand Oaks, CA —Exactly one month to the day,  Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayob  and his PR department held a press conference to release some “new” details.  In reality those details were not so new since a small 5.56 MM projectile was removed from the body of  Sergeant Ron Helus during unsuccessful emergency surgery.   Since they knew immediately that  Ian David Long, the shooter was only armed with a .45 automatic Glock pistol and only the police were using Ar-15 style rifles capable of discharging the 5.56 MM rounds.  They did learn definitively from the FBI laboratory that the round came from a CHP officer’s rifle.  This was and is beyond humiliating as well as epically tragic.  I don’t envy these fellows that had the duty to let this troubling cat out of the bag.  I did not make things easier for them when I asked about several off duty officers from at least three departments socializing in the Borderline club that wer...

Marianne Williamson, Founder Hollywood, CA--Marianne Williamson founded the Project Angel Food charity in Hollywood in response to the HIV/Aids epidemic in the 1980s.   Angel Food brings meals to those people due to illness are unable to shop and prepare their own meals.  As of 2004 the program was expanded to include people suffering from all types of disabling and deadly diseases. Make no mistake; Project Angel Food is in the business of saving lives everyday.  The workers, donors and contributors involved with Project Angel Food are true heroes.  I’m delighted to introduce you to the Executive Director, Richard Ayoub who will take us on a tour of this amazing operation.  

Canon 80D Los Angeles,CA —I just got a new vlogging DSLR camera.  I already had a decent news gathering video camera, a couple GoPro cameras, an iPhone and four drones.   I actually have a working video and photography studio in my home. Needless to say, I also have a video editing suite and can post whatever I please on Social media sites.  However now, I really do have all need to regularly produce a very watchable vlog.   I’m still learning new things every day.  The largest vlogging obstacle is a lack of subject material.  I finally made the realization that the best vloggers can make a story out of a trip to the dentist or even the grocery store watchable and interesting!  It’s time for me to learn how to be an enterprising vlogger.  I must go out and find my stories and share them.   I do have a huge TV news background working on such stories as The Oklahoma Bombing and Ted Kaczynski , the long sought UNIBOM, serial ...

Los Angeles, CA — George Orwell said in best, “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.” I’ve enjoyed a joint Career, along with being a licensed private eye, I was drafted into TV news as an investigative producer.   Fortunately I’ve never been sued despite thousands of investigations and news stories.  I’ve always been very careful to avoid common pitfalls or errors in gathering and disclosing records. However I’ve seen plenty expensive litigation both legitimate and frivolous plague news organizations. Right or wrong litigation costs can be crippling to any newsroom.   I’ve watched news managers panic when the phone calls bombard newsrooms after an Exposé.  Threats to sue along with demands for retractions are common.  Today’s news managers just don’t have the stomach to hear the whining from the miscreants who see their foul deeds displayed on their TV screens. It is routine fo...

Los Angeles, CA-- Do you have a cause, perhaps a beef with your government, school, employer, homeowners association or even the news media?  Do you have something you need to promote or sell?  You can unleash that beast in your smartphone and get results!  If your voice is not being heard you’ve apparently found yourself helpless in calling attention to your situation.  Don’t expect others to speak up for you, but now you can speak up for yourself through technology. Yes, you can tell your story to the masses on your own terms.  It’s far easier than you may think.   Your smartphone has a powerful video camera and video editing system.  You just must be able to tell a coherent and compelling story.  You use that smartphone to shoot, write, edit and create your story just as any seasoned TV journalist or vlogger would. You simply sign up for a free Youtube account.  An important part is creating the tags or search words that...

Breezy Love Rocking! Winettka, IL —My work has taken me to Europe, Mexico and even India.  I’ve met some amazing people during my adventures.  Last summer I somehow found myself at a great concert.  The venue was the spacious back yard of a beautiful home where some wonderful intimate concerts are held.  The weather could not have been nicer.  I had an elegant date for the evening but we did not quite know what to expect.  I loaded up with the wine, cheese grapes and other snacks in lieu of dinner. I grabbed a front row seat and the show began.  The opening act was a precocious and amazing teen, Breezy Love .  She writes, sings and plays a guitar.   Soon she was wowing the audience with her raw talent.  This youngster absolutely owned her audience as few pros can ever equal.  The star of the show was, Logan Brill who was not in anyway, chopped liver she has been honing her craft already for years.  Logan did n...

Officer Richard Nuccio circa 1968 Chicago IL --It was 50 years ago in June of 1968.  The location was the old Franksville hotdog stand just across the street from Wrigley Field. There was a Town Hall District Cop, Richard Nuccio, just two years on the job.   He apparently had an ongoing situation with a neighborhood lad, 20 year-old, Ronald Nelson .   Nuccio allegedly once exercised an unusual act of curbside justice.   In the brutal Chicago wintertime Nuccio supposedly took away Nelson’s shoes and ordered him to walk nearly a mile barefoot in the snow as he slowly followed him in his squad car.   Things came to a head in early June of 1968, as Nuccio chased Nelson on foot at the popular hot dog stand across from the ballpark.  Nuccio shot Nelson in the back killing him.  A 3 1/2” knife was recovered that Nuccio claimed Nelson threw at him.  The rub here was Nelson was shot after the knife  was thrown that actu...

Chicago, IL —Chicago’s politicians have steadily used the police pension fund as their personal ATMs looting millions.  It’s no secret it will fail at some point soon.   Were the board members asleep while this was happening?  Were they complicit or just negligent? One thing for sure the pension was not aggressively protected or it would be solvent today. Retired officer, Rosemarie Giambalvo has fought for the rights of disabled officers for many years.  She’s fought for retirees along with the disabled too. Ro really earned a spot on the Pension Board and now needs the votes to make it happen.  I anticipate Ro flashing her razor sharp bulldog teeth and making life really miserable for those victimizing retirees.  Ro will never get in bed with the city politicians and administrators.  It’s long past time to bring new watchdogs to secure retirement of Chicago cops.  Vote for Ro! 

This case was prosecuted for purly political reasons!

Los Angeles, CA —The future is already here and so many adults have been left in the dirt. They like all of us communicate by voice and in writing.  However technology has given all of us huge megaphones.  The Internet came and so did huge advances in video-making equipment.  While most of us were sleeping, Democracy suddenly came to mass media.   You no longer had to be rich like William Randolph Hearst who could afford huge printing presses and bought ink by the barrel to get your message out to millions.   David Sarnoff and a handful of others created the radio and television empire, RCA that morphed into NBC .   It took untold billions in equipment for RCA to broadcast moving pictures with sound to their fellow Americans. That’s all changed now with a computer and as little as $500.00 in equipment anyone can create and broadcast watchable video on the World Wide Web.   That video is far s...

Manhattan Beach, CA —I met with my favorite Media Guru, Michael Rosenblum  yesterday.     He’s a long time TV producer and founder of TheVJ.com .   Michael is giving 30 rookie Video Journalists their hands on training to cover news for Spectrum’s SOCAL-1 , 24/7 news startup.     I suspect there’s no doubt that this offering will shake up the L.A. news market in a big way.    Gone at SOCAL News1 are the news crews and the obscenely expensive TV gear.  The news stories will either work or fail through the individual efforts of these hand picked youngsters.  These lucky VJ’s will be seen by all manner of agents, producers and TV network decision makers. Those talented ones, that shine will have unlimited opportunities.   Spectrum has already done the same thing in NYC and this concept is spreading over the nation. Traditional TV new is in a death spiral over their insane fear of making the slightest ...

That Racially Charged Chicago case is beginning this week with jury selection.  This is my take on this mess.

Los Angeles, CA -- LAPD Public relations people are spinning like a top to somehow sanitize their killing of a hostage.  Frankly they should have incapacitated or shot the offender dead before he was able to grab his innocent hostage.  Officers managed to actually kill the hostage with two misplaced rounds.   The offender, a career piece of shit, deserved his fate. Could this be the result of cops being fearful of Leftist and minority political retaliation?  Did they wait until the situation was even more dire and out of control before they shot this bastard?   T he LAPD officer's Marksmanship is way over-rated in movies and television!  Additional police training cost money that the Democratic City Administration would rather waste elsewhere instead.