The End Of An Era...

On Wednesday, September 25, 2013, the Dodgers played the hated San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Trailing 6-4, it was the top of the 9th, Adrian Gonzalez on 1st. Hanley Ramirez is at the plate, full count. Giants closer Sergio Romo throws, Ramirez grounds-out. The game is over.

The camera shows the Giants teammates congratulate each other on the field, and then the screen shows a montage of game highlights. Vin Scully bids all a "Good night." Then a short video segment of season highlights flash before the screen, with the above graphic displayed, then fades.

It was the end of an era.

Now in terms of this season, our Dodgers, having already clinched their National League West title, will go on to postseason play next week, and may or may not become World Champions by the time the month of October is done. But in terms of the team's 55-year history in Los Angeles, it was the sad ending of a longtime tradition in Los Angeles.

See, Wednesday's game was not only the last game of the season on KCAL, it was the last regular-season scheduled Dodger game to be shown on free broadcast television. Starting next year, all Dodger regular-season games will be shown on Time Warner Cable's new SportsNet LA, a team-owned cable TV channel that was the result of an $8.5 billion deal with the cable provider.

For those of you who are TWC subscribers, no big deal, You'll enjoy the 2014 season and beyond just like you always have. And for those who have other cable providers, depending on if they pony up the dough to TWC, they may or may not carry SportsNet LA. But for those of us (like The Militant) who do not have cable television...tough shiyat.

The Militant watched every inning of the game like a series finale. But this was bigger than your Dexter or Breaking Bad (shows The Militant never seen before 'cuz they on cable), this was a series that has been on local TV since 1958. The cast may change, the writing might be better some years than others (It's been really good this year - at least since late June...), but the premise and the setting are what draws him in year after year. And now, he can't watch his favorite show (The Militant doesn't really watch much else on TV, so "Just getting cable" isn't really justified).

Of course, this is not without precedent. The Lakers were the first local team to enter a deal with TWC. So, gone are the days of watching a Lakers game on broadcast television, where the likes of Kareem, Magic, Shaq and Kobe inspired the hoop dreams of many a Southland youth. Or even provided a means of entertainment for first-generation immigrants finding a way to connect with and integrate with mainstream culture.

The same goes for baseball fans. The Militant (and countless others) grew up watching Dodger games on KTTV 11 for decades, they were even more part of the Summertime pastime than going to the games, if you weren't privileged enough to have access to season tickets. Your day would even revolve around them. When The Militant was growing up, his ballpark hero was Steve Garvey. So even when he did go to the games, the TV broadcasts made the players the larger-than-life stars that we admired. When Fernandomania struck Los Angeles in the early 1980s, watching #34 on the mound on broadcast TV made many a kid in East Los Angeles or Echo Park look up to a hero that reminded them of themselves. Likewise when Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park played over a decade later, many in the Asian American community found their own ballpark heroes to look up to. When the games moved on to KCAL 9, we followed suit. It was the same Vin, same game, same team, same uniform and same tradition we've enjoyed in this City for over half a century already.

But sad to say, the babies born today, unless they're privileged enough to be born into a family with cable TV, won't be able to watch a Dodger game on television. They might not even get to see a game called by Vin Scully. Will they be interested in the Dodgers at all? Will they be interested in baseball at all (even the Angels games are all-cable now)? Will they be interested in sports at all, since the Lakers, Clippers and Kings and Galaxy also have all-cable coverage (Apparently, only the Anaheim Ducks and Chivas USA still have games on broadcast TV (both on OC's KDOC 56, and also KWHY 22 for the latter).

What kind of local fans will we have 20, 30, 40 years from now? Will they support the teams, admire the players, go to the games?

Of course, there's always the NFL games on Sunday and Monday...a sport without any teams that represent this city, hmph.

As far as the Dodgers, he'll have to do with the radio now. At least there's still Vin Scully to provide the mental imagery of the game...for the time being, at least.

The Militant Takes On SNL's 'The Californians' Skit

The Militant, ever the watchdog on all things in the mainstream media stereotyping or degrading Los Angeles or Angelenos, caught the social media buzz generated this past weekend by people on this side of the country over NBC's Saturday Night Live sketch, "The Californians," which depicts a faux soap opera about a bunch of outdated '80s-era beach-blonde surfer-talking So Cal stereotypes obsessed with driving directions involving a litany of freeways referred to by their route number, preceded by the article, "The."

Now, the Militant likes a good joke, and he knows, even though NBC is part of the great East Coast-based media hegemony which conspires to degrade us through its inaccurate media portrayal of our people, that the New York-based SNL is not just about a good laugh, but also pokes fun at their own regional quirks even more. Although every time an SNL skit comes on that involves characters talking in a thick Bwooklynesqe accent, he knows that every single joke will fly over his head and will not find anything funny about it whatsoever.


So now to "The Californians." He gets the surfer talk and the Valley talk but, dude (no pun intended), that's like three decades old already. Nobody talks like that anymore, unless they arrived in a time machine that looks like a telephone booth. And speaking of "like," they somehow kinda like glossed over that word which us Southern California locals unconsciously interject in a seemingly random manner to our colloquial speech pattern for the sake of maintaining a certain rhythmic flow to it. And what about uptalkers? Y'know, the people what make every sentence sound like a question when they talk? Everyone in So Cal knows someone who's an up talker? They weren't even considered?
The other problem with the outdated surfer/Valley talk, was that it was, like, really poorly executed. They sounded like their mouths were in pain trying to recite those lines. To the point where some of what they said was unintelligible. Apparently there was a Zankou Chicken reference in there. But after watching the skit several times, he still can't find out where it was. Oh well.
And as for the freeway directions, ha ha, The Militant gets it. It was funny, but not ha-ha funny. It just got old fast. And besides, the research was bad. San Vicente does not go to The 10. Beverly Glen does not reach Encino. The 105 does not have a Culver exit. Venice Blvd doesn't take you to Marina Del Rey all the way down (it takes you to, um, Venice?) Hanging a right on Alhambra doesn't take you to Sunset, and even if it does, it's a long way from Cahuenga.
And what was up with the maid? Was she supposed to be Latina? If so, why does she have a Swedish accent?
Was the Militant offended? No, not really. They could have pulled it off better and made it funnier, but it was just haphazardly done. The funniest part was cast member Bill Hader trying to contain his laughter. Worst of all, the best "inside" jokes were rendered unintelligible (The Militant finally found the Zankou reference after watching it for like the 4th time).  They had a chance to do something really good, even at our expense, but they just like kinda blew it, y'know?
And for a sketch called "The Californians," where does it leave the Nor Cal folks? Meh, The Militant hella don't care.

Infinitely Mortifying! KCET Divorces PBS

An earthquake shook today in the local broadcast television world as TV station KCET decided to terminate its relationship with the Public Broadcasting Service, stemming from disagreement over paying an annual $7 million programming fee to broadcast such shows as PBS News Hour, Antiques Roadshow, NOVA and, of course Sesame Street. Elmo no like that!

KCET has been a PBS station since the network formally started 40 years ago. The Militant, like many people his age, grew up on PBS shows on Channel 28. In addition to Sesame Street, it was all about The Electric Company, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, 3-2-1 Contact, Reading Rainbow and lesser-known shows such as Villa Alegre, Zoom and The Song Bag with Tony Saletan. Where would today's kids turn to? Oh, wait, never mind. Also, most televisions in So Cal can pick up Orange County's KOCE, which remains a PBS affiliate.

Still, the shock is unavoidable, and one can only guess the impact of KCET's split. Hmm. Mayor Villaraigosa got divorced and disappointed Los Angeles. Frank McCourt got divorced and disappointed Los Angeles. Is KCET next?

KCET plans to remain, as station president Al Jerome (no, not that guy) stated in his official announcement, an "independent public television station" with "a track record of producing great local programming." Huell Howser fans need not fret, as he won't be going anywhere. In fact, The Huell will be the undisputed face of the station. Wow, that's a-mazing!

One thing is certain - KCET plans to remain a nonprofit public station, will not go commercial and will continue to carry PBS programming until December 31, 2010. As for 1/1/11, that's anyone's guess.

Soooo...here's what the Militant guesses KCET will be broadcasting, starting in 2011:

Mr. Howser's Neighborhood: The Huell will be hosting yet another show, aimed at children, teaching them about a-ma-zing places in Southern California. There will be a trolley, which will be furnished by the San Pedro Waterfront Red Car.

Hipster Antique Store Roadshow: Filmed on location in Silver Lake, this show features hipsters from all over what they consider to be "The Eastside," lining up to get expert appraisals of their vinyl copy of Vampire Weekend's debut album, their first-generation iPhone and their medium-sized t-shirt with a picture of a synthesizer on it.

The LAist.com News Hour: The most-talked about local issues of the day are discussed in this nightly news program hosted by LAist.com's Zach Behrens and Lindsay William-Ross.

This Old Craftsman House: Produced entirely in Highland Park, the show's host shows viewers the step-by-step process of DIY'ing your own craftsman house restoration.

Second Street: This children's program takes place entirely in Downtown Los Angeles starring a human cast with puppet characters, designed by Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Puppet characters include the Taco Monster, Ponderous Pigeon and Oscar The NIMBY.

Actually, this whole independent, local KCET thing might not be a bad idea after all. In fact, it might be the best thing evar for the Los Angeles airwaves. PBS is based in Arlington, VA and has an obvious East Coast Bias. An independent KCET would be...Infinitely Angeleno!

Come to think of it...The Militant Angeleno should have his own show! No, really! After all, he possesses an exemplary knowledge of Los Angeles, has some experience being in front of the camera and KCET obviously knows about him. So whaddya say, KCET? GIVE THE MILITANT HIS OWN SHOW IN 2011!

MA blog readers, let KCET know you want to see the Militant on the air!

Go Retro: Whitney And The Robot!

Before Nickelodeon, and even before PBS, there was a time when local television stations around the country aired locally-produced children's programming.

Here in Los Angeles, locally-produced kids' shows aired largely from the 1950s to the early 1990s, stretching from Sheriff John to Hobo Kelly to That's Cat (Raise ya fist up if you remember any of those!).

The Militant did some reminiscing as well. When the Militant was young (a.k.a. Lil' Mil), he watched a show from the late '70s called Whitney and the Robot which aired on - and was produced by - KNBC 4.

The show featured an unabashedly blatant R2D2 knockoff robot named 4U2, who came from a planet named Zeda and was sent to the planet Earth to learn more about it, under the care of a whimsical taxi cab driver (not a very busy or lucrative profession in Los Angeles) named Whitney. Whitney's good pal, the red-headed Corky, would join them on their various adventures, and would frequently break out in song.

So what's so militant about this? Well, each episode featured a different locale, filmed around the Los Angeles area, where the child-like robot would learn about things or experience them, from visiting the city dump to learn about recycling and where your garbage goes (the one episode most people seem to recall) or taking a train ride at Union Station or learning about horses at a ranch (filmed at the Old Rex Allen Ranch in Calabasas). Did this show fuel Lil' Mil's budding Angeleno knowledge? It may or may not have...but he tends to think it did.

The show was created by its (human) actors, Whitney Rydbeck, a local actor with a mime background (having performed in the Richmond Shepard mime troupe in Los Angeles in the 1960s), and Robert V. "Corky" Greene, another local actor with a musical background. Both have done bit parts in television and movies since Whitney and the Robot - (Whitney even sealed his place in Star Trek lore), and Rydbeck currently works as a performing arts professor at Pasadena City College. Greene, a Van Nuys High alum, got into directing and producing and seems to be enjoying grandfatherhood these days. He's been known to lurk on teh Interwebz so he might very well stumble upon this here blog post! (Whatup, Corky?!)

Anyway, here's what the show's opening looked like (rather long by today's standards...):



You can watch one of the episodes here - if you were a kid in the late '70s, it may or may not take you back!

There were only 14 episodes made, from late 1978 to 1979. KNBC aired the show on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings up until the mid-1980s, but the show was also syndicated to other cities and aired at one time or another on television up until 1990.

For the Militant, and those around his age who remember this show, it was a way to learn about things and places and present Los Angeles as a familiar place, free from the usual cliches and stereotypes one would eventually pick up later on in life. It's a crying shame the kids of today have no equivalent.

The End of a Rabbit Ear-a: The DTV Transition Begins!

Welp, Angelenos, the time has come. Are you ready for the DTV era? If not, the Militant hopes you know where to turn and what to do.

Today, various local televisions made the switch and shut down their analog signals forever, at their own specified time schedules. The Militant discovered that KABC had already made the full switch, and in the process, changed the frequency of its DTV channel so that it also no longer works. You have to re-scan your HDTV/DTV's tuner to pick up the new frequency.

At 1:10 p.m. today, the Militant witnessed history as KCAL 9 switched off the analog signal it has been broadcasting since August 25, 1948 (as KFI-TV, then KHJ-TV in 1951), and captured it on his Militant Cam!

Missed it? Watch the YouTube video below taken by the Militant himself to see it happen!





After KCAL switched, he also found his previously-viewed DTV Channel 9-1 was no longer viewable. A simple re-scan brought back KCAL 9-1 at the new frequency. Apparently you're gonna have to do the re-scan boogie for the next few days.

The Militant has been enjoying digital TV since he got the new Samsung HDTV set to replace the old cathode ray tube at the Militant Compound last year. He loves the new sub-channels, and awaits the creation of a few more in the near future. Being that the Militant does not have cable (Paying for TV that shows commercials is teh 'tarded, and honestly, if the Militant had cable, he would be more of a Militant Couch Potato than anything else...).

Los Conangeles

As you may or may not know, last night, Conan O'Brien finally brought his Late Night antics westward to become the fifth host of The Tonight Show.

For the Militant, who admits to being a Conan fan since September 1993, the thought of bringing the show here to Los Angeles is an awesome opportunity (for Triumph to poop on!), the ability to go see a taping notwithstanding.

Of note to the Militant is his amazingly beautimous set, which includes the requisite cityscape/skyline talk show backdrop, but prominently features well-known local edifices as the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills city halls, the Hollywood Bowl, Mann's Chinese, the U.S. Bank Tower and Bullock's Wilshire (which seems to tower over all the others). Above the backdrop is an art deco-style mural with So Cal iconic images (beach lifeguard station, etc) - a nice nod to one of the world's capitals of Art Deco.

Of more note to the Militant is how the City gets portrayed to the national audience. Granted this is a comedy program, so people, places and things will no doubt get lampooned, but surely one can be ROTFL funny without resorting to tired old stereotypes. O'Brien's predecessor, Jay Leno, initially relied on poking fun at the usual showbiz/superficial/cosmetic surgery-obsessed jokes posted at Angelenos, though in later years it's either been tempered down, or re-focused (i.e. the same jokes, but pointed at Beverly Hills). The intellectually-challenged interviewees from Leno's "Jaywalking" bit also inadvertently depicted Angelenos as clueless buffoons at first, but eventually the segment was taken nationwide and demonstrated that clueless buffoonery was simply an American phenomenon.

The Militant already has high hopes; so far O'Brien has employed the usage of "Los Angeles" far more times in the first episode than simply "L.A." (A pet peeve of the Militant, especially since you never hear those Frisco people say "S.F." when both cities' names contain the same amount of syllables). Plus, O'Brien's trademark non-sequitur/referential humor would likely offer something more than the expected stereotypical humor. The reference to the 99 Cents Only store (especially in the obscure products found there - in contrast to Leno's approach to 99 Cent store items) in the Universal Studios tour bit was a good indicator of what may be to come.

One thing, though that irked the Militant was O'Brien mentioning that guest comedian Will Ferrell "Lived in Los Angeles for quite a while." For quite a while? Um, the dude's an area native! Ferrell's from Orange County and all of the Militant's USC operatives know that he's a Trojan alum.

So welcome back (O'Brien lived here in the late '80s-early '90s, just prior to starting Late Night) to Los Angeles, Conan! Maybe the Militant can show you and your crew around!

KNBC Shows A Little Censor-tivity

The Militant doesn't talk about television all that much, as he doesn't really watch that much television. In fact, this bike-riding Militant spends more time driving a car than watching TV (and that's really saying a lot). He would much rather write about real-life Angeleno adventures than stuff on the boob tube.

But check this out: While the Militant watched NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Monday night, at about 12:45 a.m., the host sets up a comedic bit about the recently-activated (and more recently-shelved) particle-smashing Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. O'Brien then exclaims, "Let's see what other things we can collide..."

Just then, the screen instantly cuts to the KNBC4 Los Angeles "Special Report" graphics, with viewers no doubt watching with a confused, "WTF is going on here?" sentiment and anchorwoman Colleen Williams greeting the viewers with this:

"We are live here at the news desk and we will return to Late Night shortly. Right now, Conan is showing a comedy sketch about trains crashing, and in light of recent events, we feel it's inappropriate to show it to you..."

Then she proceeds with a quick update story on the presidential race, a quick weather segment and a couple minor local stories before returning to Conan.

The Militant was like, "Whoa!" that's kind of different. For people watching in the Southern California area, memories of the September 12 Metrolink accident still linger.

Admittedly, it seemed a little bit of an overreaction; the Militant is probably sure the comedy skit might have lasted all but a few seconds, and that the offending trains resembling nothing like the rolling stock that 48,000 Southern Californians commute on daily.

But still, 26 people no longer have their lives, and over a hundred more are lying in hospital beds either recuperating or fighting for their life.

Of course, appropriateness rules supreme in these crisis-filled times. No doubt the Scorpions' '80s hit "Rock You Like A Hurricane" isn't getting any airplay right now in the Gulf Coast of Texas.

So did KNBC overreact? Or was it a justified show of sensitivity for the victims of Metrolink 111 and their families?

We'll Miss You, Stu

The Militant is surprised that no one in the local blogosphere caught this, but considering the fact that most of the transplant-dominated local bloggers are out of town, the Militant assumes control! Power! Absolute powah!

But seriously now, the Militant mourns today's loss of local broadcasting legend Stu Nahan, 81, who succumbed after a long battle with lymphoma. A Los Angeles native, he grew up in Canada where he became a minor league hockey goalie and eventually started his broadcasting career in Sacramento and Philadelphia before coming back to his hometown in the late 1960s.

Locals remember seeing him on KABC Channel 7, KNBC Channel 4 and KTLA Channel 5 and hearing "Silver-Tipped Stu" on KABC 790, Xtra Sports 690 and KFWB 980, where we last heard him as part of the Dodgers pregame show before his retirement three years ago.

He was known to non-locals too, as the boxing commentator in the Rocky saga, but many an Angeleno will forever have his spry, concerned and authoritative baritone embedded in their minds for the rest of their lives.

Go Retro: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

For natives and longtime Angelenos, she needs no introduction. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark's Movie Macabre, which featured kitshy, B-movie horror flicks, was a local staple on the old KHJ Channel 9 (now known as KCAL to all you n00bs) and was syndicated nationwide. She became a local cultural phenomenon - she played a cameo role in this Cheech & Chong video glorifying The Real Eastside, hung out with the likes of this dude, and was even a good personal friend of the Militant's high school English teacher. But none can compare with the Halloween of 1982 when she aired her first and only episode in 3-D: Over 2.7 million cardboard duo-toned shades were sold at local 7-11 stores and practically all of Southern California watched Elvira bust into their living rooms (pun intended). The YouTube clip above shows the intro to the 1954 3-D feature, The Mad Magician, which starred the now-dead Vincent Price (who, going along with this Halloween theme, did the "rap" for Michael Jackson's hit 1983 song, "Thriller").

Happy Halloween, Angelenos! The Militant will be dressing up as a hipster tonight. So if you see a hipster walk around Silver_Lake or Los Feliz...it may or may not be The Militant! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! (cough, cough, cough...)