Interview with exchange students from South Vietnam facing deportation. A view of the Watts Towers.
Watch Online
A selection of historical KTLA news stories are available for streaming on our website. Watch footage of Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley or explore a range of subjects including politics, civil rights, social issues and the economy.
Diverse Communities of Los Angeles (1970–1980)
Thanks to a generous grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, the UCLA Film & Television Archive has digitally preserved, cataloged and made publicly accessible online a curated selection of 65 television news stories documenting diverse communities in Los Angeles circa 1970–1980. These news segments, broadcast on local Los Angeles station KTLA, cover topics relevant to African American, Asian American, Chicano/a/x, Latino/a/x, LGBTQ+ and Native American communities and encompass issues including civil rights, poverty, public policy and more. Visit our blog to learn more about this project, which launched in November 2023.
About the Collection
Download a list of research resources (PDF) related to the KTLA Newsfilm Collection.
The first commercial television station west of the Mississippi, KTLA has been a prominent independent television station in the Los Angeles area for more than 60 years, bringing local, national and world news to a regional audience. The KTLA Newsfilm Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive primarily encompasses footage from circa 1958 to 1981.
Moments of national significance in the KTLA collection include: Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles in 1966, numerous illustrative stories documenting the Vietnam War, the Watergate hearings and President Nixon's subsequent resignation, the Apollo missions, the opening of China to the West, and the Iranian hostage crisis. Major sensationalist events are covered extensively, including the Charles Manson trial and the kidnapping and trial of Patty Hearst. The collection also documents significant social and cultural movements, such as the women's movement and activism by Asian American, Chicana/o/x and LGBTQ+ communities. Footage documenting African American history includes the 1972 trial of activist Angela Davis and the career of Tom Bradley, former Mayor of Los Angeles. On a local level, the collection includes thousands of stories relevant to Los Angeles and California history, ranging from the impact of crime in cities, coverage of natural and human-made disasters, milestones of state, city and county politics and elections, Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
Much of the footage in the newsfilm collection consists of cut and unedited stories, outtakes and fill footage. The original film is 16mm reversal film stock with magnetic soundtrack. However, some of the film, particularly the outtake material, has no synchronous sound.
Activists Irene Tovar and Bobby Seale.
Media Licensing and Research Access
Copyrights to the footage in KTLA Newsfilm Collection at UCLA are assigned to the University of California, enabling the Archive to commercially license select newsfilm material in support of Archive initiatives. All licensing requests should be directed to Media Licensing at footage@cinema.ucla.edu.
Please note that the UCLA Film & Television Archive's Television Collection also includes many additional KTLA news, entertainment and public affairs programming produced and aired on the station during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s that are available for research only. To browse the Archive's catalog records for academic research, please visit the UC Library Search catalog. To arrange on-site academic research viewing of the KTLA Newsfilm Collection, please contact the Archive Research and Study Center (ARSC).
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