Ron Olsen
Encyclopedia
Ron Olsen is a veteran cross-platform journalist based in Los Angeles, California
, United States
.
, Bemidji , MN. He has studied vocal interpretation with Lilyan Wilder (NY) and Pat Fraley
(LA).
in 1994, best newscast over 35 minutes in length (Prime News-KTLA TV) in 2006 and a Peabody Award
for KTLA's coverage of the Rodney King
beating in 1991. In 2001, he was awarded first place for television hard news coverage from the Greater Los Angeles Press Club. Other honors include three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California, the 2001 award for spot news coverage from APTRA of California and Nevada, a Regional Edward R. Murrow
Award for spot news coverage from the RTNDA in 1998 and two Sigma Delta Chi "Golden Quill" awards from the Society of Professional Journalists
.
During the course of the Simpson trials, Olsen appeared as a guest on "Reliable Sources
" on CNN, "This Week With David Brinkley" on ABC and on WGN Radio, Chicago. His coverage of the criminal trial featured analysis from authors Dominick Dunne
, Joseph Bosco and Lawrence Schiller
.
Other noteworthy stories Olsen has covered include: George McGovern
running to re-gain his seat in the U.S. Senate after his losing bid for the Presidency in 1972
, the return of the U.S. hostages from Iran to Andrews Air Force Base in 1981, sentencing of "Hillside Strangler" Angelo Buono in 1982, an exclusive first interview with John DeLorean following his acquittal on a charge of drug trafficking in cocaine in 1984, the release of "We Are The World
" song to aid famine relief in Africa in 1985 and the execution of serial killer John Wayne Gacy
in Joliet, Illinois, in 1994.
In 2002, Ron Olsen joined other California television news professionals in demanding more stringent rules governing the safety of news vans following an accident that critically injured reporter Adrienne Alpert. The demands were presented to Cal/OSHA, which eventually drew up the regulations.
. Before his career in television and radio news, he worked in tv production at KSTP
, Minneapolis/St. Paul. He then moved into broadcast journalism at KELO-TV
in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
, WBNS-TV
, Columbus, Ohio
, KDKA-TV
and radio in Pittsburgh, PA, WMAR-TV
in Baltimore, MD, KABC-TV
and the ABC Radio Networks in Los Angeles
, KHJ-TV (now KCAL-TV
), Los Angeles and KTLA-TV, Los Angeles. At KDKA in Pittsburgh, Ron hosted the "Channel to Pittsburgh" talk show and the Group W public affairs show "Impact." At KTLA, he co-hosted the "Weekend Gallery" talk show.
Olsen joined the staff of KTLA
in Los Angeles in 1987. While there he would wear several hats, working as a reporter/anchor and a talk show host. From May 2002 to 2007 Ron was at the Los Angeles Times
, where he worked with the newspaper's staff adapting daily newspaper stories for television to be aired on KTLA-TV. Both the [Los Angeles Times] and KTLA are owned by the Tribune Company
. Tribune acquired the Times Mirror Company, prior owner of the Los Angeles Times, for more than 8 billion dollars in 2000 and began a push for "synergy" between the print and broadcast properties. Tribune executives touted the purchase as giving Tribune a dual presence in in the three largest media markets in America, owning both a tv station and a newspaper in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The move toward creating synergy was not without controversy. Faced by declining revenues as newspaper readership fell and advertisers increasingly moved their money into "new media," the Tribune Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2008. Olsen left Tribune and KTLA-TV in 2009.
Ron Olsen is a member of AFTRA (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), SAG (The Screen Actors Guild) and the Los Angeles Press Club. He served on the broadcast committee of AFTRA's Los Angeles Local in 2002.
. The trial coverage was carried by the Tribune Company television stations.
. He maintains a website for journalists at http://workingreporter.com, and a blog at http://workingreporter.com/wordpress. His writing appears regularly in the Valley News Group Newspapers in Los Angeles.
Ron Olsen has volunteered his time to several charities including the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation
and the World Children's Transplant Fund. He is a recipient of the "Celebration of Life" award from the World Children's Transplant Fund. Olsen is a member of Theta Tau Epsilon Fraternity at Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Olsen attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and Bemidji State UniversityBemidji State University
Bemidji State University is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities .-History:BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School...
, Bemidji , MN. He has studied vocal interpretation with Lilyan Wilder (NY) and Pat Fraley
Pat Fraley
Patrick "Pat" Fraley is an American voice actor, who is best known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones and numerous other characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
(LA).
Awards and Accomplishments
Olsen, is the recipient of Emmy Awards for coverage of the Malibu Fire in 1993, the Northridge earthquakeNorthridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
in 1994, best newscast over 35 minutes in length (Prime News-KTLA TV) in 2006 and a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for KTLA's coverage of the Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
beating in 1991. In 2001, he was awarded first place for television hard news coverage from the Greater Los Angeles Press Club. Other honors include three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California, the 2001 award for spot news coverage from APTRA of California and Nevada, a Regional Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
Award for spot news coverage from the RTNDA in 1998 and two Sigma Delta Chi "Golden Quill" awards from the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
.
During the course of the Simpson trials, Olsen appeared as a guest on "Reliable Sources
Reliable Sources
Reliable Sources is a weekly show on CNN, focusing on analysis of the American news media. It was initially created to cover the media's coverage of the Persian Gulf War, but has since also covered the media's coverage of the Valerie Plame affair, the War in Iraq, the outing of Mark Felt as Deep...
" on CNN, "This Week With David Brinkley" on ABC and on WGN Radio, Chicago. His coverage of the criminal trial featured analysis from authors Dominick Dunne
Dominick Dunne
Dominick John Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist, whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways in which high society interacts with the judicial system...
, Joseph Bosco and Lawrence Schiller
Lawrence Schiller
Lawrence Julian Schiller is a noted American film producer, director and screenwriter.-Career:Schiller was born in 1936 in Brooklyn, and grew up outside of San Diego, California...
.
Other noteworthy stories Olsen has covered include: George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
running to re-gain his seat in the U.S. Senate after his losing bid for the Presidency in 1972
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
, the return of the U.S. hostages from Iran to Andrews Air Force Base in 1981, sentencing of "Hillside Strangler" Angelo Buono in 1982, an exclusive first interview with John DeLorean following his acquittal on a charge of drug trafficking in cocaine in 1984, the release of "We Are The World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
" song to aid famine relief in Africa in 1985 and the execution of serial killer John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer, rapist and clown who sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawlspace of his home, buried three others elsewhere on his property, and discarded the...
in Joliet, Illinois, in 1994.
In 2002, Ron Olsen joined other California television news professionals in demanding more stringent rules governing the safety of news vans following an accident that critically injured reporter Adrienne Alpert. The demands were presented to Cal/OSHA, which eventually drew up the regulations.
Professional life
Olsen got his start in broadcasting at student-run WMMR Radio (now "Radio K") at the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Before his career in television and radio news, he worked in tv production at KSTP
KSTP-TV
KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview Telefarm. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States....
, Minneapolis/St. Paul. He then moved into broadcast journalism at KELO-TV
KELO-TV
KELO is the CBS affiliate television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, broadcasting on digital channel 11. South Dakotans pronounce its call letters as a homonym of "hello"...
in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
, WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV
WBNS-TV, channel 10, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The station is an affiliate of the CBS Television Network and is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Columbus Dispatch, along with WBNS radio...
, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
and radio in Pittsburgh, PA, WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV
WMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
in Baltimore, MD, KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
and the ABC Radio Networks in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, KHJ-TV (now KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
), Los Angeles and KTLA-TV, Los Angeles. At KDKA in Pittsburgh, Ron hosted the "Channel to Pittsburgh" talk show and the Group W public affairs show "Impact." At KTLA, he co-hosted the "Weekend Gallery" talk show.
Olsen joined the staff of KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
in Los Angeles in 1987. While there he would wear several hats, working as a reporter/anchor and a talk show host. From May 2002 to 2007 Ron was at the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, where he worked with the newspaper's staff adapting daily newspaper stories for television to be aired on KTLA-TV. Both the [Los Angeles Times] and KTLA are owned by the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
. Tribune acquired the Times Mirror Company, prior owner of the Los Angeles Times, for more than 8 billion dollars in 2000 and began a push for "synergy" between the print and broadcast properties. Tribune executives touted the purchase as giving Tribune a dual presence in in the three largest media markets in America, owning both a tv station and a newspaper in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The move toward creating synergy was not without controversy. Faced by declining revenues as newspaper readership fell and advertisers increasingly moved their money into "new media," the Tribune Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2008. Olsen left Tribune and KTLA-TV in 2009.
Ron Olsen is a member of AFTRA (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), SAG (The Screen Actors Guild) and the Los Angeles Press Club. He served on the broadcast committee of AFTRA's Los Angeles Local in 2002.
O.J. Simpson
Ron Olsen was among the first journalists to arrive at the Bundy murder scene and was KTLA's principal field reporter for coverage of the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials which continued for nearly three years. He followed Simpson in a news van during the famous "low-speed chase". KTLA's coverage of the Simpson criminal trial was broadcast internationally.Rodney King
He also covered the Los Angeles riots and the federal trials of the four officers charged with beating Rodney KingRodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
. The trial coverage was carried by the Tribune Company television stations.
Cross-Platform Journalism
A pioneer in the field of cross-platform journalism, Olsen took a desk at the Los Angeles Times in 2002, and spent more than five years working on product sharing between television, the newspaper and the Internet. In 2005, Olsen teamed up with Times columnist, Steve Lopez, to report on the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams at San Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
. He maintains a website for journalists at http://workingreporter.com, and a blog at http://workingreporter.com/wordpress. His writing appears regularly in the Valley News Group Newspapers in Los Angeles.
Ron Olsen has volunteered his time to several charities including the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Foundation
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership is an organization dedicated to training and nurturing the young leaders of tomorrow. Its mission is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower youth to achieve their highest potential....
and the World Children's Transplant Fund. He is a recipient of the "Celebration of Life" award from the World Children's Transplant Fund. Olsen is a member of Theta Tau Epsilon Fraternity at Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN.
External links
- Ron Olsen's website mentioned in guide to best journalism websites http://www.canadiansources.org/
- The Malibu Fire of 1993 http://www.malibucomplete.com/mc_history_malibucity_1993fire.php