Last week, I wrote about the death of Tom Snyder and reminisced about the local TV news in Los Angeles. I’m saddened to report the death of another LA TV news fixture: Hal Fishman. Fishman had been broadcasting on KTLA-5 until July 30, when he was hospitalized after collapsing at his home on Wednesday, August 1. He was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to the liver, and died this morning at 3am.
Fishman was a long-time staple locally. He was an anchor continuously since 1960 at various independent local stations: KCOP, KTTV, KHJ, and KTLA. He had been anchoring at KTLA continuously since 1975. I will always remember that he delivered the news straightforward and with obvious knowledge of the subject… and if there was an airplane related story, his experience as a private pilot allowed him to have extra insights into the story. Certainly, LA news reporting will not be the same without him. I don’t think any local anchors still on the air have the credibility he had — even the ones that have been doing the news forever (and yes, I mean you Paul Moyer) — they just don’t exude the same journalistic credibility that Fishman had.
Thank you for reporting the news so honestly, and we’ll miss you, Hal.
