Stan Chambers, born Stanley Holroyd Chambers in the 11th of August 1923 in Los Angeles, CA, still remains one of the most prolific and dependable newsmen in the U.S. He has remained in work since he started working for KTLA in 1947. His highlight coverage includes covering such historical events as the 1952 atomic bomb test in Nevada, the 1961 Bel Air fires, the 1965 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (which was aired live for several hours--even after the death of the president candidate), the Manson family murders and many others. Chambers has worked in television, keep in mind that for a single company, more than sixty years and is considered as one of the classic
news reporters, who helped shaping modern television to the one that we see each day.
Stanley has eleven children from his two marriages, and has a grandson James who began working for KTLA in 2003. He was quite fond on engineering and had served in the Navy before he started his broadcasting career. Stan Chamber's early life is covered in his autobiography, but other facts about his former life prior to KTLA, are little-known, except for the funny fact that Stanley wanted to go to law school, but as a soldier of the Navy, didn't want to wait in the line that "the registration line went out the door and around the corner", so he quit the idea of studying law and said hello to broadcasting.
Stan Chambers was one of the pioneering journalists of the modern television. Soon after his debut, the remarkable reporter's employers got to know a few other talents of his - Chambers designed the first ever tele-copter, for filming from air. He is credited the first major story in the history of American television - the 1949 Kathy Fiscus rescue operation. This national landmark was broadcast when the Los Angeles area had only about 300 to 600 households with TV sets - Chambers himself recalls KTLA's manual surveys of all the viewers. Nevertheless, it is widely thought that this tragic incident made the modern television so popular. Chambers has said that, of all incidents he has covered, he remembers this particular the best. His latest highlight coverage includes covering KTLA anniversaries - Stanley Chambers has covered most of them, actually.
Stan has lost most of his influence during the years, but still goes live on television and remains a historical figure in Los Angeles. He is also an active promoter and advocate of professional journalism. The annual Stan Chambers Journalism Awards are a terrific example of his benevolent persona. His annual award is awarded to high school seniors, and the award is known for its tentative style that leaves a lot of room for creativity. He himself has received many different publishing awards. He has won several Emmys and Golden Mike awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and the USC Alumni Association Award, and, beyond that, he won a special place in the history of television journalism.
