TV MILESTONE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF `BABY IN THE WELL' TRAGEDY

TV MILESTONE: 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF `BABY IN THE WELL' TRAGEDY

SAN MARINO, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- Tomorrow (April 8) is the 50th anniversary of a watershed event in TV news history: the day 3-year-old Kathy Fiscus fell down a 120-foot well shaft in San Marino, California. Rescue crews spent nearly two days trying to save Kathy, who died during the disaster. The tragedy marked the birth of the first continuous live TV coverage of a news event thanks to L.A. station KTLA, which assigned reporters Stan Chambers and Bill Welsh to cover the rescue live for 27 hours straight. Chambers -- who at age 76 still works at KTLA -- says the remote newscast was difficult because heavy, bulky studio cameras had to be trucked to the rescue site. However, the live coverage went a long way in proving the power of the brand-new medium. This Sunday, the San Marino Historical Society will hold a remembrance service by placing a memorial marker at the site of the well.

CONTACT: Stan Chambers, ****; LA; (323) 460-3947; Paul Crowley, **** (San Marino Historian); San Marino, CA; (626) 796-6023