KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin was at the center of a revolution in local television news.
Rubin, who died Friday of a heart attack at age 64, became a core member of “KTLA 5 Morning News” shortly after its launch on July 8, 1991. The morning broadcast was a bold experiment: The stations Local news organizations had generally focused on their evening newscasts, feeling that morning viewers would be more likely to tune in to national shows like NBC's “The Today Show” or ABC's “Good Morning America.”
But the Channel 5 broadcast immediately struck a chord with its emphasis on news and events around Los Angeles. Its success was due to its relaxed approach and a collection of anchors and reporters who interacted with light-hearted banter.
The original team included anchors Carlos Amezcua and Barbara Beck, meteorologist Mark Kriski, traffic reporter Jennifer York and reporter Eric Spillman. Rubin joined the unit three months after its release and made an instant impression with his energetic delivery and clear enthusiasm for Hollywood news and gossip.
The format became so popular that KTTV Channel 11 soon started its own morning broadcast. The two stations became rivals, turning the local television landscape into a fierce ratings battleground. Years later, it is common for television stations to have extensive local coverage in the early morning hours.
Amezcua reflected on the broadcast's legacy during its 20th anniversary celebration in 2011, which reunited several members of the original team.
“I can't believe it's been so long,” said Amezcua, who left the station in 2007. “When it started, it was such a scary time that we were sure it was going to be a short-term gig.”
In a separate interview, Rubin said the newscast's initial ratings were so bad “that we were pretty sure we wouldn't last more than a year.”
He added: “There was the feeling that no one was watching. What we were doing maybe didn't deserve to be seen. There was tremendous freedom in letting go. Our boss Joel Tator told us they were all going to fire us all anyway, so we might as well do what we want.”
That freedom allowed on-air talent to be casual on broadcasts, particularly Rubin, who talked about his wife and daughter. His home life became part of the self-promotion that often appeared in his reports.
As an entertainment journalist, Rubin's primary focus was geared toward positive coverage of the topics he interviewed. He was a favorite of publicists and his interviews rarely included probing questions. He filed reports on press trips that took him around the world and were paid for by the studios, a practice that is repudiated by members of the press in an effort to provide fair and balanced coverage. But he denied he was influenced by the free travel or accommodation he enjoyed.
One of Rubin's most famous segments was one of his most awkward: In a 2014 remote interview with Samuel L. Jackson, who was promoting his new movie, a remake of “RoboCop,” Rubin confused the “Pulp Fiction” actor ” with Laurence Fishburne.
“You're as crazy as those people on Twitter,” Jackson scolded, pointing his finger at the camera. “I'm not Laurence Fishburne! We don't all look alike!
Embarrassed, Rubin tried to make light of the mistake, but a cheerful Jackson continued to mock him.
“Are you the entertainment reporter?” she told Rubin in an incredulous tone. “You're the entertainment reporter for this station and you don't know the difference between Laurence Fishburne and me?”
Rubin frequently projected an advantage, which often got him into trouble inside and outside of KTLA.
In 1993, the station's longtime anchor, Hal Fishman, threatened to quit his job if the station's management did not take action to punish Rubin for what he called “a shocking and appalling slander.” He was angered by Rubin's joke that Fishman once “wore a skirt to a co-hosting job in Spokane.” It was part of a clip in which Rubin compared Fishman to Dustin Hoffman, who dressed as a woman in the movie “Tootsie.”
In 2004, Rubin was suspended for a week after he made satirical comments on the Monday Morning News show about the show's temporary news set, thanking a local high school for sending it to him.
Rubin would also criticize on-air entertainment coverage by the Los Angeles Times and television columnist Howard Rosenberg, stating that he could do a better job. The Times and KTLA at the time were owned by the Tribune Company.
Regardless of his confrontations and comments on and off screen, for viewers, Rubin managed to maintain on screen an unflappable image of a television journalist who appreciated his access and enjoyed his work.
