UPDATE

SHE'S BAAAACK!

KNBC-TV REPORTER LAUREL ERICKSON BACK ON THE JOB

COMING SOON : THE MAYOR'S GIRLFRIEND MIRTHALA TOO!

(August 30th, 2007 1:30PM PST)

by ERS NEWS

ERS News can confirm that KNBC-TV reporter Laurel Erickson is back on the job following her run-in with a Telemundo crewmember after a press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on August 3rd 2007.

ERS exclusively broke the news about Erickson being disciplined by NBC over the incident. See below.

This photo taken this past Tuesday (8/27/07) shows a yellow jacket clad Erickson listening intently to a press conference involving the Mayor and LA Police Chief William Bratton concerning disaster preparedness in Los Angeles.

 

 

OPINION

VIVA KNBC & TELEMUNDO LA!
SISTER STATIONS:
SISTER SUSPENSIONS

KNBC REPORTER LAUREL ERICKSON SUSPENDED

(August 22nd, 2007 7:30PM PST)

by ERS NEWS

It looks like Mirthala Salinas may not be the only NBC/Telemundo reporter who is getting an extended vacation this summer. ERS News has learned that KNBC reporter Laurel Erickson may have been placed on suspension as well by local NBC station KNBC-TV, Channel 4 in Los Angeles.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the genesis of the possible suspension was a shouting match Erickson had with a Telemundo crew (referred to as "Mundos" at KNBC).

The "incident" occurred little over a week ago at the Port of LA after a press conference held by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Erickson, who covered the event for KNBC-TV, was her usual persistent self in asking the Mayor of LA about his relationship with Mirthala Salinas. ERS has previously noted (link) the high quality of Erickson’s questioning of the Mayor regarding the Salinas scandal. Other sources tell ERS that this may also have played a role in the possible suspension.

According to sources, after the press conference had ended a reporter working for Spanish language station Azteca was shoved into the side of a shipping container in the dock area by a member of the Mayor's security team when she tried to sprint after the Mayor to ask even more questions. The video of that incident made the rounds on local Los Angeles TV as the “big’ story of the day little over a week ago.

Erickson was there covering the story for KNBC but her crew missed the action and wanted the Telemundo crew to provide her the video of the incident. Since Telemundo is owned by NBC Erickson felt free to go to the Telemundo news truck to request the video be transmited back to Burbank for her story. The problem was that the Telemundo technician she was talking to was from out of town and didn't know Erickson. He told Erickson he needed to know who she was and that he would check with his supervisor before he could do so. That's when the trouble started, according to sources, Erickson got a bit peeved and went ballistic on the guy and now finds herself possibly suspended.

We here at ERS News applaud the unnamed hero technician for actually not knowing who Erickson was and even if he had, we still applaud his fortitude in actually following Telemundo news guidelines! It's a new concept that may be taking hold after the Villaraigosa and Salinas affair make a mockery of whatever semblance of credible journalism still remains in local Los Angeles TV news.

As we like to say her at ERS, The Villaraigosa and Salinas story is like a Santa Claus that never stops coming – it just keeps on giving again and again.