[mhking]

Agree, coverage is abysmal on this major catastrophe..following closely from East Coast...

CNN, MSNBC, FNC -- they've all gone limp-wristed in terms of their coverage.

I've got DirecTV with LA locals for affiliate coverage, and they're far, far better than the nationals have been.

I would have expected FNC to take advantage of their LA & SD O&O stations, but they've been so wrapped up in Kobe and everything else that they've all but forgotten the scope of this disaster.

[Merovingian]

I've got DirecTV with LA locals for affiliate coverage, and they're far, far better than the nationals have been.

I have Direct TV, have a couple locals for around here, can you get locals from other areas?

[socal_parrot]

Combined fire stats-

Total acres burned- 500,000 plus

Homes destroyed- 1,500

Lives lost- 15

From today's OC Register to put that in context...

Past wildfires in California

Some of the worst wildfires in California in the past century:
• October 1999: Jones fire, near Redding. One firefighter killed, 176 homes and hundreds of other buildings destroyed, 26,200 acres burned. Believed to be accidental.
• October and November 1993: Over a two-week period, more than 20 fires raced through Southern California, killing four and burning more than 1,000 homes and 193,814 acres. The largest: the Topanga fire around Malibu, three deaths; 323 homes; 18,000 acres. The Laguna Beach fire on Oct. 27, an arson blaze, burned 16,682 acres and destroyed 389 homes.
• August 1992: Fountain fire, Shasta County. 636 buildings; 63,960 acres. Arson.
• October 1991: Tunnel fire in the Oakland hills, 25 dead; 3,276 homes destroyed, 193 damaged; 1,520 acres.
• June 1990: Painted Cave fire, Santa Barbara County. One death; 641 homes and structures; 4,900 acres. Arson.
• November 1980: Panorama fire, San Bernardino foothills. Four dead; 325 homes; 23,600 acres. Arson.x
• September 1970: Laguna fire, San Diego County mountains. Six deaths; 382 structures; 175,425 acres. Power lines.
• November 1966: Loop fire, near Angeles National Forest. 12 firefighters killed; 2,028 acres. Power line.
• November 1961: Bel Air-Brentwood fire. 484 homes, 21 other buildings. Believed accidental.
• July 1953: Rattlesnake fire in Mendocino National Forest. 15 firefighters killed; 1,300 acres. Arson.
• October 1933: Griffith Park fire. 29 workers clearing brush killed. Cause undetermined.
• September 1923: Berkeley fire. 584 buildings. Power lines.
Sources: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, local fire agencies, newspaper articles, official and scholarly reports

[Merovingian]

What strikes me about this (lack of) coverage is that it is universal, ALL the major channels have obviously made a DECISION, certainly giving credence to the claims of controlled media..otherwise, you would see maybe ONE channel which DOES cover it full time.

[PhiKapMom]

I would have expected FNC to take advantage of their LA & SD O&O stations, but they've been so wrapped up in Kobe and everything else that they've all but forgotten the scope of this disaster.

You and me both -- if I didn't have satellite, I would be going nuts!

[Merovingian]

per Geraldo:

"San Diego fire was one that was NOT arson"

Police now looking for:
White or gray van with 2 white males with long hair seen throwing items from the van...

of course this is not news to us, as nicmarlo's CHP postings showed this info yesterday..