Frank,

Another great blog. In the case of covering the news, you will never make everyone happy. Thanks again for shareing your thoughts.

FRANK, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO
APOLOGIZE FOR YOU ARE ALWAYS
FAIR, AND YOU VOICE YOUR
OPINION.
I THINK THAT OTHER ANCHORS
SHOULD TAKE LESSONS FROM YOU
AND THE REST OF THE MORNING SHOW ANCHOER.
THE WAY WAY YOU DELIVER
AND PRESENT, THE NEWS IS ONE
OF THE MAIN REASONS I KEEP WATCHING THE MORNING NEWS.
I COULD BE WATCHING ONE OF MY LOCAL STATIONS, BUT WHY
WATCH THE SECOND BEST WHEN YOU CAN WATCH THE BEST.
FRANK KEEP UP THE GREAT
WORK.
BOB PALMER

Frank I have to give you kudos once again. As an openly gay male I feel you were very fair in your coverage on same sex marriage. I wanted to have some questions answered as to some of the legal ramifications if an initiative is passed in November and then we have all these marriages that have been performed. What if the state makes 700 million dollars off of the said marriages and then an initiative is passed and our state is opened up to major lawsuits which then bankrupts this great State? But Frank you have been so fair and balanced...one of the few at KTLA who has been.

On another note I sent in a Viewer Mail Wednesday,directed to you, regarding a young girl of Japanese/Caucasian heritage in dire need of a bone marrow donor. All I received back was a generic reply from KTLA. There will be several donor drives at various Japanese Cultural centers around the Southland. The article was in Wednesdays Press Telegram. I thought maybe you being of the same heritage would be interested in covering this as a story or possibly being tested. My understanding is time is of the essence because this is a rare disease attacking this young lady.
Thank you Frank, you're the best! Sorry you've received negative mail. You are very fair and balanced!

Frank:

The military must be questioned. No matter what they are doing, no matter who says it is right, it MUST be questioned. Our founding fathers had a great deal of wisdom in the creation of this country's power structure. It essentially ensures that the military will never get too strong.

My brother was murdered on a military base. Those in charge refused to allow an independent investigation by the local police. Did you know that the military had that power? Guess what happened to my brother's murderer? NOTHING. The military decided it was a "suicide".

Anyone who tells you that questioning the military hurts morale is blowing smoke. If our soldiers are so weak that questions raised thousands of miles away from them are 'hurting' them, well then maybe the military isn't as great as those people would have you believe.

Question, question, question. It is your duty as a journalist. Not enough journalists question these days. Had the questions been raised often enough and the answers dug for and further demanded, maybe we wouldn't be in the quagmire we're in today.

QUESTION EVERYTHING.

You can not please everyone that is an impossible thing to do. But what you can do is be yourself which you do. You do not need to apoligize for anything and don't NEED to tell us whether you oppose or support this or that jsut give us the news!!

Frank,
As far as bias is concerned, you are the balance on KTLA. When a news story starts to lean in either direction, you have a unique ability to "right the ship" in the same vein as Hal Fishman. And don't compare to CNN; the bias there is down right abrasive.

In my opinion however, to sensationalize Abu-Graib and profit from it in book form is an insult to all Americans (and others) that have been tortured, beheaded, etc. by terrorists.

Regards.

Frank, It is so reassuring to have someone as fair and balanced as you delivering the news. You are the best. At least they have got one thing going right there on the Morning News. You are like the calm in the storm.

BTW, I thought Dan's comment on the little Japanese/American girl was very touching. I do hope they find a compatible donor for her soon.

Maria, thank you for your comment and God Bless you! I don't even know young Krissy Kobata, but her story touched my heart and anytime there is a struggle to find a bone marrow match for anyone - it's so urgent that we all do whatever we can to help.

Frank, if you would like a copy of the story from the Press Telegram, please feel free to email me, I can get it to you!

Frank, Fair and balanced is a must in the news. A reporter is just that - a reporter. There are "opinion shows" which is fine because we know it's their opinion. Unfortunately, many of the network news and even CNN show too much bias in their so-called reporting i.e. "I get a tingle up my leg just hearing Obama speak" (Chris Matthews CNN). Hal Fishman labeled his commentary specifically when he was giving his opinion and that is how it should be. Frank, you are a model for reporters - they should be watching you. I know I do! Thanks for your honesty and integrity. It's refreshing! Robin, Woodland Hills

I just heard on KCAL that today is "National HIV Testing Day".
Way to go KTLA. You push this shlock through and totally missed something very important that should have been in your 3 hour Morning News!
Meanwhile the largest new infection rate category still belongs to ages 13 - 25 and it's heterosexual women or color!
Way to keep on top of things KTLA. I guess feeding Sam Rubin's ego is far more important to you than trying to reach the goal of getting 1 million Women of Color tested!
My goodness you should be oh so proud of your priorities.

Sorry Frank, this by no means applies to you. It has to do with Sam having linked his blog to The Drudge Report. I know that if you had any say in things you would have covered the story for sure! Why wasn't Elizabeth Espinosa out covering this instead of free gas that was no longer available at the time of her report? God how I wish you'd be picked up by ABC or NBC Frank. You deserve a much more prestigious venue for broadcasting.

Frank -

What I find fascinating is how so many people can view something from so many different angles. In other words, it seems that no matter what you do/say it will be interpreted very differently by various individuals.

Although, I did not see that particular segment, I feel I have seen enough of your reporting to feel that you are about as objective as they come. Seriously, if you can't figure out one's true opinions, then obviously you are doing an excellent job at remaining unbiased!

Recently, there were several comments regarding Tim Russert and the respect he got from "both" parties. The fact that both sides felt he was harsher or more critical of them, speaks highly of the man's fairness.

I got a kick out of the "fair and balanced" comments with regards to your reporting (isn't that Fox's tag line?), and since one might think "well here's a former CNN man so he must be a left-leaning reporter." Which is he? Can't be both. There goes more proof that you are indeed objective.

You are 100% correct about your personal view not mattering while doing your job, and in my opinion you are excellent at hiding it and thus terrific at conducting your job. In fact you wouldn't be doing your job if you did NOT ask certain questions!

Keep up the great job and if you do consider taking on a wonderful issue mentioned by Dan, I am sure many of your fans would support the cause.

-m

Mike, I'm guilty of throwing out there the "fair and balanced" phrase and I don't even watch Fox. Guess it is just one of those "bytes" that has become part of the lingo. Shame on me! How right you are in all your comments. And, as Jason said, it would be great to see Frank being picked up by one of the larger networks - he deserves to be elevated out of KTLA.

With apologies to Frank - this is his blog his space... but,

I just have to thank Maria my friend out there in the cyber world who has GREAT posts and offers wonderful insight on all her comments. And no, not just because I received a compliment from her, which was nice (and appreciated) : )

ok now back to Frank - it looks like you are developing a fan base who wants only the best for you!!!

By the way, there is nothing wrong with being Fair and Balanced if it applies - which it does!

-m

Bravo Frank! Another great blog to prove what a great reporter you are and what a great heart you have!! I cannot say enough great things about you. The suits at KTLA would be crazy if they ever let you get away!

I continue to tune in to KTLA every morning because where else can you tune in to get well balanced news covered with a twist of fun to remind us that you are all human? You are a great (looking) anchor that can be serious, sensitive, fair, funny, private and all that while still getting his grove on to his favorite Flo Rida song!

Much props to you Frank!

just hold everyone's feet to the fire and you'll do fine!

Very nice job on the blog, I used to watch Fox however, I got sick of the one sided commentaries by those idiots, (except for Steve Edwards) and the lack of intelligence from the girls.
I'm glad to hear that you post with objectivity and don't try to push your own agenda. There was a guy on Foxes blog that worked for Fox and believed it was his job to enlighten everyone to his personal beliefs, from the wars to who is qualified to run the country. I thought what he was blogging was in bad taste.
As long as you give equal coverage and let us make the decision, I say GOOD JOB!

Frank, you are probably the most unbiased newscaster on the air today. But that's just my opinion. You're always playing devil's advocate. It's like basketball, you're dribbling down the court, you have that skill to dish it off for an assist or put it in. You see the whole play all around you. You're the Magic Johnson of KTLA.

As far as the bone marrow story. Quite a number of years back I took a test for being a donor for a child in need of a bone marrow transplant and I was told that I would be on a list in case others might match up with me. That would be a story for all of us. To know how long they keep you on the list, qualifications and locations would serve our community well.

I'm sorry I missed your show about the author of a book of Abu-Graib. It's interesting that Abu-Graib is brought up on this blog as just a few days ago C-Span televised hearings where the questioning was about more forms of torture. I found it sickening that accused suspects were forced to watch their children have their testicles cut off in front of them as a form of torture. With so many people arrested under false accusations I wonder how many MORE terrorists are we creating. Yes we need to know the truth. Most of us can handle the truth, although we may not like it.

W R O N G - Smashing testicles not cutting them off.

Frank, my problem with the same-sex marriage coverage is not that you presented an opposing view, but that the opposing view was given a platform to make fairly absurd statements without challenge.

The guy you had on made an entirely ludicrous argument that marriage should be restricted to m/f couples to "protect children." He cited a bunch of studies about children in households with "a mother and father" and how much better off they were. What he didn't say is that those studies don't compare kids with m/f couples to same-sex couples, but to single-parent households, which generally have huge socioeconomic disadvantages. It's simply a false comparison.

It's also a seriously logically flawed one. If you really want to "protect children" by keeping them in households with two biological parents, you have to do a lot more than restrict gay marriage (which does nothing to prevent a gay couple from raising a child together). His argument also suggests that marriage should ONLY be for the purpose of raising children... if that's the case, you might as well restrict older m/f couples, or couples who don't plan on ever having kids, from getting married.

This guy's "protect the children" rap, in short, was just an excuse for bigotry, and despite how obvious that was, he was never challenged on it. I would have more respect for these people (not much, but some) if they would just admit that they don't like gay people and don't want to see them treated equally. It isn't pretty, but at least it would be honest.

While there are two or more sides to many arguments, not all sides are equal, and should not be treated as equal. Nor should any side be permitted to spout their views without challenge to their motives and their fundamental logic.

*That* was my problem with the coverage.

I just heard that Bill Smith and Willa Sandmeyer, among others were fired. They're already off the KTLA website. All of your (Frank) postings about a return to real breaking news coverage is a farce if KTLA is keeping Jessica Holmes and Elizabeth Espinoza on air and getting rid of two of your most knowledgeable, well-connected reporters. While I like your presence, the show has gotten worse and worse over the last several months. GMA here I come.

JZ is that true about Bill and Willa? If it is they've lost me for good, Frank Buckley or no Frank Buckley. Can anybody confirm this???

I'm real sorry to hear about Bill and Willa if the rumor is true. Frank, you're absolutely the best. KTLA morning and prime news are still the best too. But in my opinion, there are a few that are bringing down the level of professionalism that I come to expect.

Looks like old Chief Bratton put you in your place with special order 40 lol good .

Dan, it's true - here's what I found and posted on Eric's blog the other day -

KTLA screwed up and got rid of the wrong employees. The powers-that-be need to look at the morning show and start clearing out some of that mess.

Here's some info from http://www.laobserved.com/

More downsizing at KTLA?
8:55 PM Monday

ERS News says that seven Channel 5 news staffers got the pink slip today, including on-air reporters Walter Richards, Bill Smith, Willa Sandmeyer and Janet Choi. Two long-time executive producers also are named, along with Joseph Russin, the executive planning editor who had previously been an assistant managing editor at the L.A. Times in charge of coordinating coverage with KTLA (thus, doing what Sam Zell says he wants his properties to do.) I have no independent confirmation of the names, but you'll remember that in May a new boss was brought in to start downZelling the newsroom. Back in April ex-anchor Carlos Amezcua predicted big changes at KTLA — and not for the better. Meanwhile, the reporters' bios remain on the staff page and Smith's blog is still up.

My God who the Hell is it that's crucifying KTLA? I won't even watch anything on KTLA anymore. Even though Frank was the only one keeping me tuned to KTLA, even that isn't enough to keep me there any longer. I can't believe they got rid of those 4 tenured news people. You're absolutely right Donna and they keep the garbage that they subject us to in the mornings. Go figure. I hope these changes have all been worth it to Mr. Zell. He must need some major tax write off loss - that's the only explanation for this last fiasco. I'd love to know what Carlos thinks of these cuts. I bet he's so glad he got out when he did. Boy he really saw the "Writing on the Wall"!