The News Director's Office KTLA Audio Network

On January 18th, 2021, 12 years after first walking through the doors at KTLA, Jason Ball announced he would be leaving the station to begin a new chapter of his life. After more than 2 years and 200 episodes of the podcast, Jason and Bobby enter the News Director's Office one last time to reminisce about the past and look towards the future. Jason opens up about his experiences in the news business, shares some of his favorite moments, and reflects on the many lessons learned throughout his career.

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Laura Davis is is a professor at USC Annenberg School of Journalism. KTLA is partnering with Davis on a new project to expand the reach of local journalism. Laura discusses why she became interested in this project, and ways to innovate storytelling techniques. She discusses the role of social media has in how Millennials and Gen Z consume news. She also talks about Stylebot, a copy-editing chatbot she created for her students at USC Annenberg that is now used by newsrooms nationwide.

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Earlier this week, KTLA News Director Jason Ball announced that he would be leaving KTLA after 12 years with the station. Moments after making the announcement, Jason spoke with the team from 5 Live, KTLA's digital streaming show, for this episode of the podcast. Samantha Cortese, Andy Reismeyer, Robert Puente, and Bobby Gonzalez talk about what makes 5 Live so unique. They react to Jason's shocking announcement, and Jason shares some of his plans for the next chapter in his life.

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Ryan Faughnder is a film business reporter for the Los Angeles Times. In this episode, Ryan joins us to talk about some of the struggles the film industry has had during the coronavirus pandemic. He shares his thoughts on some of the solutions the major studios have implemented to weather the storm, including their use of streaming services. Ryan also tells us about the L.A. Times' new newsletter, "The Wide Shot."

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Today on the podcast, we're counting down the most downloaded episodes of the year! First, KTLA tech reporter Rich DeMuro talks about the challenges of having to suddenly work from home, and shares some helpful tips. KTLA general manager Janene Drafs started her new job in Los Angeles at the beginning of the relentless year, and joined the podcast to share her insight on leading a news station during these times. Motivational speaker and author Mel Robbins joins us to talk about the power of failure, and KTLA reporter Wendy Burch opens up about her relationship with her son Brady. Finally, Perry Sook, President & CEO of Nexstar, gave a candid interview about the state of the company amidst the global pandemic.

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On this Christmas Eve, we're looking back at some conversations with some of our KTLA family who have moved on to brighter things! CBS News correspondent David Begnaud shares compelling accounts from his reporting at on major events such as Occupy L.A. and his award-winning coverage of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Dave Malkoff, now at The Weather Channel, tells us about his reporting from Iraq at the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Elizabeth Espinosa, the executive director of communication for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department, opens up about her special relationship with her brother. Long time KTLA photographer Gary Reyes looks back at his storied career, and shares what he is looking forward to in retirement.

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