Click a name to read more:

Carlos Amezcua, Marc Brown, Christine Devine, Laura Diaz,
Rick Garcia, Pat Harvey, Sylvia Lopez, Michaela Pereira

Marc Brown

KABC 7 promoted Marc Brown to regular weeknight anchor in September of 1996 for its 6 p.m. newscast. In August of 2000, Brown's role expanded and he was given the reins to anchor the 11 p.m. news. In either event, Brown thus became only the second Black weeknight news anchorman in Los Angeles television history, the late Ken Jones being the first in the early 1970s with KTTV (now FOX 11). Brown remembered Jones, as well as other broadcast influences growing up.

"It made me so sad to hear of the recent death of Ed Bradley," the Eyewitness News anchor commented. "He was definitely a major influence in my choosing this profession. Former newscaster Larry Carroll, the brother was so smooth. I watched him in my formative years and definitely while I was at USC. Watching his reports was really something. Larry McCormack at KTLA and ABC's Peter Jennings . . . with Jennings, I liked his delivery, his matter-of-factness, and his ability to cut right to the story."

The Marc Brown story is the typical "hometown boy makes good." Born in Los Angeles, Brown and his younger brother, Darryl, were raised by Melba and Adron Brown. The Browns were educators: mother Melba was a teacher and father Adron was an elementary school principal. For Marc and Darryl, the foundation of learning, reading, and overall intellectual growth was solidly emphasized. "I was born in South L.A.," he says. "We lived near 120th and Vermont until I was 5, then our family moved to Harbor City.

"My childhood was really good. My parents were educators and their message was always, 'education, education.' As soon as I was 5 or 6, my mom was taking me to the library, having me get the maximum number of books (eight) for each visit. They both were constantly cultivating in me and my younger brother, Darryl, the need to read, take school seriously, and try to excel."

Brown took school seriously and did excel. During his time at Narbonne High School, he was regularly enrolled in advanced placement and accelerated classes. He garnered school recognition for his superior efforts and his involvement in extracurricular activities. He was a part of the Key Club, Student Council, and the Boys' Tennis Team. During Brown's time at Narbonne, the Los Angeles Unified School District was in the early stages of busing and integration. Given that he lived in the Harbor City area of the school, he was not bused. However, many of his black and Latino classmates were. Brown indicated that the ethnically diverse Narbonne student body at the time had a peaceful co-existence.

"I thought it went pretty well," he reflected. "Most everybody was of the same economic class. Everybody was working-class. Wasn't nobody rich at Narbonne High School. It seems that the kids that were bused in, they had both parents. Things weren't what they have devolved into lately, where things seem to have gone downhill [as far as two-parent families].

"Everybody at the school generally got along," he continued. "You had self-segregation: Surfer guys hung together, students that were bused hung together. There was no animosity that I saw. Certainly not like what we are seeing now (racially/ethnically charged fights in L.A. high schools). In the accelerated classes, especially, there was diversity at Narbonne. We all participated in these classes and we all got along."

Though the students were peaceful with one another at the school, the yearbook of Brown's junior year put the non-white returning students on notice regarding some members of the faculty. In a yearbook question posed to all teachers, it was asked, "How do you feel about school integration?" Under each teacher's photo was his or her answer. Some endorsed busing and integration. Two expressed their disagreement with the process, saying it would create more racial tension. Several others were quoted, "No comment/ No response." Brown commented on how he felt as a returning student with this knowledge.

"I was not surprised," he said. "I knew even back then that integration was certainly a hot topic. It was the kind of subject that no matter how you answered, you were going to offend somebody. These people were teachers. They go to school, they go to work everyday. They are not about politics. They are not supposed to be about politics. It's kind of a political question. Even then, I knew a lot of them didn't want to pick a side. Even though I think there is a right and wrong answer to that question, they are not necessarily there for their courage or their convictions. They are there to teach."

Brown was there to be a student. His senior year, he became the school's announcer. Brown always showed an interest in journalism and telling stories. It was during that year at Narbonne that Brown became interested in television news. "I applied to USC and was accepted," he explained. "I was still in high school at the time. One of my jobs was to announce the Senior Prom Court on the mike. After I did that, people were coming up to me saying, 'You've got a pretty good voice, man. You should do radio or TV.'"

Upon enrolling at USC, Brown chose to major in journalism. Like many universities, USC requires its journalism majors to choose a sequence of the field to concentrate on--print, broadcasting, advertising. Instead of trying print journalism, Brown chose to focus on broadcasting. "It seems to have worked out," he joked.

Brown did have some doubt, however, after starting school at the Trojan campus. He felt the need to really reapply himself and focus. That was because many of the students he encountered had superior preparation for college because they had superior resources from kindergarten through high school. Though he ultimately earned his degree in broadcast journalism from USC, Brown indicated he overcame strong apprehension.

"USC was strange," Brown observed. "Because then you really did see class differences, obviously. You know the reputation of USC (private, rich school, upper crust America). I thought I had a pretty good education going into the University. For a kid from L.A. city public schools, I probably got one of the best educations you could get. I had advanced placement and honors classes all through high school. I got to SC, there were students miles ahead of me. Kids who had been to prep schools, private schools. All these private, expensive schools. That was an eye-opener for me and a little intimidating."

Overcoming his fears after leaving USC, Brown got his first television broadcasting job in 1984 at KIEM-TV in Eureka, Calif. Other television jobs reporting and anchoring followed at KOLO in Reno, Nev., KNTV in San Jose, Calif., and KFMB in San Diego. Ultimately, Brown returned to Los Angeles and joined the "Eyewitness News" team in March of 1989 as a reporter. In the coming years, he steadily produced quality work while providing stories to viewers.

Through quality work and persistence, Brown was able to work his way up to the position of weeknight anchor. With that position comes responsibility as Brown, along with his co-anchor Michelle Tuzee, represents the face of KABC-7's news organization. At the same time, the position gives Brown the greater opportunity and flexibility to present stories to viewers that he may not have as a reporter. One such instance was his trip and report on Nigeria in 2005. He calls it the highlight of his career to this point.

"Mainly, because of what it meant and what it symbolized," he said. "African Ancestry (a family research business) swabbed the inside of my cheek and they did a DNA test. With 85 percent accuracy, they will find information about one of your ancestors out of 2,000 ancestors we have going back to the 1600s, 1700s. And they found out my people are from Northern Nigeria.

"So I went there in 2005 and did some stories about that," he continued. "And I saw people that strongly resembled members of my family here in the U.S. And the knowledge that these Nigerians are my relatives! Distant cousins but relatives all the same. It was a trip. It was amazing. To this day, I look back and think from that trip, 'I walked on the ground that somebody in my ancestry walked.'"

Quality projects such as this have brought critical acclaim to Brown. He has won four Emmys, a Golden Mike, and many other honors. Additionally, Brown is active in the community and working with Southland youth. He has served as host to many community events and is a regular guest speaker at various schools across Los Angeles. Currently, he sits on the USC Board of Counselors for the Annenberg School of Communications. His counseling focus is on minority recruitment and retention.

The recruitment and retention of Marc Brown was a beneficial move for KABC-7 and for Brown. He showed an understanding of the unusual position he has achieved. "I was aware of the history and I knew it was extremely rare," he observed regarding blacks as weeknight anchors in Los Angeles. "When I was anchoring weekends, I never thought I would get off weekends. Then I got a weeknight job doing the 6 o'clock news. When I got the weeknight job I thought, 'Well, this is as far as I'm going to go.' Then, I got the 4 p.m. slot and I was thinking, 'Okay, 4 and 6 . . . this is pretty amazing!' Then I got the 11 p.m. spot.

"I always just kept on steppin'. Doing the work that would hopefully lead to a promotion. Also, just doing good work. Doing good work in and of itself is the point of this profession, anyway. And if you do good work and if the people who are in charge who see this are fair, then you will move up.

"Now that's not always the case and hasn't always been the case in this market, obviously. I know there have been many Blacks, who were talented and did great work, who were not promoted like I was. I am fully aware of that and I am grateful. Over 50 years of L.A. TV and only Ken Jones and me? Hopefully, my work can get some others to join us."

Click a name to read more:

Carlos Amezcua, Marc Brown, Christine Devine, Laura Diaz,
Rick Garcia, Pat Harvey, Sylvia Lopez, Michaela Pereira