January 2, 2016 marked my 34th year on television in Los Angeles.

It was late 1981. I had worked in radio for many years in Texas and Louisiana. One of my old news directors had moved on to the new Cable News Network and wanted me to come to L.A. and take a job with him as a correspondent at the relatively new Cable News Network.  He offered me a couple of jobs with CNN, but having only been on radio I wasn’t sure I had the face for TV or what it took to do that kind of work.

My old boss, Larry LaMotte, believed in me. He was a fun-loving guy. I remember the good times we had at KRXV Radio in Fort Worth, Texas and I remember, when I got to Los Angeles for the interview, we were driving up Highland Blvd. toward the CNN Bureau at Sunset and Vine. The tall palm trees hovered above us and Larry sang “Hooray for Hollywood” – it was fun and, clearly, memorable.

I had never been to Los Angeles. The idea of being on TV and working in California was intriguing but daunting. Well, to make a long story short I took the job. Sure glad I did. The next three-plus decades have been nothing short of amazing!

My stint at CNN-L.A. led to my working at local L.A. station KTTV. This was a Metromedia Station that became the flagship station for what would become the FOX Television Stations group. From FOX 11 I later  joined KCOP Channel 13 which ultimately was purchased by FOX Television Stations landing me right back at FOX 11. I like to say this is a good example of why its not a good idea to burn your bridges. You might recross them!

Early on I also put in some time at KTLA, KPIX and INN (Independent News Network), but KTTV and KCOP have pretty much been my life in L.A. I’m grateful for the support I have had at these stations. I am also grateful to all of you who have watched and been so supportive all these years whether I’m sharing information on television, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or here on HalEisner.com. Thank you!