The 3:00 p.m. newscast was anything but “routine” on KCBS on Friday October 18, 2024.

A fire had broken out in the Oakland Hills on what was a warm and dry day in Northern California.

The flames produced thick, pungent smoke.  Residents were ordered to evacuate.  Several structures burned.  

Our fire coverage began an hour earlier – when the fire first broke out.  By 3:00 p.m., the situation had escalated – significantly – and our newscast reflected it.

Our 3:00 p.m. newscast was comprehensive and thorough – a stellar combination of live reports from the scene and informative conversations from the studio.  The KCBS news team was able to draw on a variety of resources – including fearless and nimble field reporters, thoughtful news editors and producers in the newsroom, and calm and confident news anchors with plenty of firsthand experience covering the fire-prone Oakland Hills.

Naturally, we abandoned our typical “news wheel” – sports, business news and commercials – to prioritize breaking news.  Indeed, we recognized the gravity of the situation, and took seriously our responsibility to relay critical and life-saving information to the community.

It was a team effort, to be sure:  KCBS anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart; KCBS fire desk reporters Holly Quan and Jade Hernandez, KCBS field reporters Raquel Maria Dillon and Matt Bigler, KCBS traffic anchor Kim Vestal, KCBS editor Karishma Patadia, KCBS producer Bejan Siavoshy, KCBS news writer Michele Fredregill and KCBS production assistant Ryan McDermott.

We supplemented our broadcast with digital coverage of the fire:

https://www.audacy.com/kcbsradio/news/local/fast-moving-oakland-brush-fire-prompts-evacuations

https://www.audacy.com/kcbsradio/news/local/calmer-weather-helps-contain-oakland-fire

KCBS Radio proudly submits for the judges’ consideration our 3:00 p.m. newscast on October 18, 2024.


MURROW ENTRY - NEWSCAST - OCTOBER 18, 2024 3P

KCBS Radio