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The CBS duopoly in Los Angeles announced today that KCAL anchor will leave the station on April 24 and enroll as a full-time graduate student in the Master of Public Health program at California State University, Northridge. Lopez currently co-anchors Channel 9's news at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. She has been at either KCAL or KCBS for 28 years. From the flackage:
“I’ve always had a passion for health issues, probably because I grew up helping my dad in his dental practice. Now, after three decades of shedding light on them as a journalist, I’m excited to take the next step by trying to address these issues in a hands-on role, especially those that affect children and families.”
“Sylvia Lopez is a Southern California TV news treasure,” said Steve Mauldin, President and General Manager, CBS 2 and KCAL 9. “Her professionalism and heart have set a shining example for what a newscaster should be.”
“We wish she was staying with us, but certainly understand her strong desire to affect meaningful change in the healthcare field. We look forward to celebrating her remarkable career at CBS 2 and KCAL 9 and giving her the sendoff she deserves later this month.”
Also:
- Layoffs at the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard: Senior editor Alex Ben Block and film reporter Tim Appelo at THR, correspondent Phil Gallo and editor-at-large Joe Levy at Billboard, according to FishbowlNY.
- Someone inside one of the Scientology buildings in Hollywood posed as a Time magazine reporter seeking an interview with celebrity church defector Paul Haggis. This is why journalists who cover cults learned long ago to confirm identities before talking to "colleagues" who call from other publications seeking cooperation. The Underground Bunker
- Colin Marshall's Los Angeles Notebook on Cities and Culture has ended its run with a final guide to Angelenos he has interviewed.
- The New York Times doesn't acknowledge Orange County? From an obit yesterday: "Art Powell, a star receiver for the New York Titans and the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League in the 1960s and a persistent voice protesting the segregation encountered by the pro football players of his time, died on April 6 at his home in Aliso Viejo, Calif., between Los Angeles and San Diego."
- New LA time-lapse from Gavin Heffernan: "Imagining an incredible night sky of stars and star trails over the light polluted city of Los Angeles." View on Vimeo.
