When News Happens
12:10 PM August 5, 2008
(LAX) -- Covering a PR event, we were surprised by actual news.
Emirates Airlines was flying the world's largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, into LAX. The tour is designed to promote the aircraft to travel agents and VIPs. We had our cameras trained on the runway waiting for it to land.
Then, from the opposite direction, an American Airlines jet makes a surprise landing. Fire trucks surround the plane, their lights flashing. We can see inflatable chutes deploy and passengers begin sliding down them to the ground.
I called back to the station to tell them they needed to take our picture immediately... It was clear to me this was an emergency.
The folks I work for were convinced it was just a drill.
I found someone who works at LAX who told me emphatically that it was NOT a drill, it was the real thing. Turns out there was smoke in the cabin. The plane had been flying from L.A. to Honolulu. It turned around so that the pilot could make an emergency landing.
We did get it on the air, maybe a minute or so later that I would have hoped.
Maybe they'll believe me next time.
Posted by Eric Spillman | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
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I do believe we have a movement here. However, I have feeling (and I could be completely wrong ) that Mr. Spillman would very much miss being a reporter.
Eric, I'm with the others - I think you'd make an excellent news director, one that would leave a very obvious mark on the station in spite of the very low bar set by current and recent-past management.
Posted by: Tim | August 06, 2008 at 06:00 PM
I'm with you, Simon! Eric you're a real pro with years of experience under your belt. The powers that be should have listened to you.
As an aside, a friend at work had relatives on that plane. They were enroute to their Hawaiian honeymoon when this happened. Fortunately for everyone this story turned out well for everyone on the plane.
Posted by: Lydia | August 06, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Simon,
I'm with you 100%. Eric should be the news director of KTLA. Maybe then there would be less fluff and more real news. This new guy sure hasn't done the job. And I think Hal would approve too.
Posted by: Paul | August 06, 2008 at 05:23 AM
I think Eric Spillman should be our new News Director for KTLA. After all, we can always count on him to bring us the real stories on air. Who's with me?
Posted by: Simon, Fullerton C-A | August 05, 2008 at 09:43 PM
Jeez...you finally get some REAL Breaking News and management ignores it.
HA!
Posted by: Tim | August 05, 2008 at 05:58 PM
Wow! If that isn't "Water Cooler Buzz" I don't know what is!
Posted by: Dan | August 05, 2008 at 02:38 PM
Eric,
With the new management at KTLA this does not surprise me. Maybe if the plane had come in with flames shooting out of it they would have thought it more news worthy. Sorry Eric, but your bosses are a bunch of morons and it shows more and more everyday.
Posted by: Paul | August 05, 2008 at 02:09 PM