While I respect the late Hal Fishman’s longevity and career and realize he was an “institution” here in LA, one has to look at what he devoted his on-air time to.
How many police chases did he cover? How many hours of time were spent following a criminal’s car as it drove along a freeway in Southern California? The car always ran out of gas, or crashed, and then the story was over. And Mr. Fishman was right there to cover the “important” event.
The daily struggles of people who endure living in a city with poisonous air, failing schools, gangs, and luxury health care for the few….that didn’t get the air time of a Paris Hilton, O.J. Simpson, or the opening of “Spiderman3”. In all fairness, Mr. F was an employee of a conglomerate that long ago dropped any pretense of covering the news with in-depth news stories.
This is what newsertainment has become and El Hombre Pescado was the promoter, public face and recipient of this degraded format that abuses the public airwaves so that corporations can sell more crap. He peddled honesty and integrity like a blanket that covers a bed full of lice.
Here is an excerpt from one of his distinguished broadcasts:
“And where is the car now? Isn’t that the Highland off-ramp?”
“Yes, Hal. He is going about 50 MPH and this all started about 40 minutes ago in Burbank when police tried to pull over a speeding car”
“You say the car was speeding?”
“Yes, Hal. The car was speeding. Oh, now I see he is making a left on Franklin…”
“Oh Franklin. That isn’t good. There are a lot of people who live there. I hope he drives carefully.”
Here in Van Nuys 
that’s unduly harsh, pal. if one wants genuine news, obviously they don’t flip on broadcast channels.
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Dr. Fishman was no worse than anyone else reading the “news” on TV. I had more faith in him than anyone else because he would comment if he smelled something wrong with the copy.
He complained about covering car chases, just before collecting his check, but there it is.
I valued his well-informed opinions and observations and at the same time I was amused by his old fart sensibilities.
I miss him and I do not hold him personally responsible for what his profession does now.
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Given the immense pressures on local newscasts, I think he did a fair enough job trying to keep his metaphoric finger in the dyke. Could he have done more? Who knows? The answer lies now with him.
To call up one negative example (or many) doesn’t do him justice. I’m sure that there are just as many (if not more) examples of quality broadcast journalism (not necessarily an oxymoron).
If nothing else, Fishman continued to broadcast commentaries locally long after most if all other local stations stopped.
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