Warren Wilson, KTLA Reporter and Broadcaster, Dies at 90

Warren Wilson, the former KTLA broadcast journalist who spent four decades covering some of the biggest stories in Los Angeles’ history, died Friday at his home in Oxnard, Calif. He was 90.

His son Stanley announced the news in a statement to KTLA, saying “Our beloved father Warren Wilson ‘Papa’ died September 27, 2024. His demeanor on the air as an iconic television journalist was just as authentic as he was a father, unsensational, sincere, a voice calming and eloquent.”

Over the course of his career, Wilson won six L.A.-area Emmy awards in addition to recognitions from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Los Angeles Press Club, the California Legislature, the American Civil Liberties Union, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Police Department.

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Wilson was one of the first Black broadcasters in Los Angeles. During his time at KTLA, News at Ten became the top-rated primetime newscast and held the title for 21 years. He also played a crucial role in addressing issues of police brutality through his coverage of the 1965 and 1992 riots. Due to the trust and relationships he cultivated in minority communities, he was able to serve as an intermediary in arranging the the surrender of 22 fugitives wanted by law enforcement.

“People knew that if Warren Wilson was involved, that there would not be an incident where a person would be mistreated,” L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks, who saw Wilson on crime scenes when he was chief of police, told The Los Angeles Times in 2005.

In addition to the L.A. riots, Wilson also reported on the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, the 1997 North Hollywood Bank of America shootout and the O.J. Simpson trial.