2008 S.T.I.N.G Conference Speaker:
Chris Blatchford - KTTV Fox 11, Investigative Reporter: Topic TBA
It is no wonder Chris Blatchford was once described in Daily Variety as the “highly lauded” investigative
reporter from KTTV Fox 11.
He is the only Los Angeles television reporter in history to win a coveted Peabody Award for
investigative journalism. Many consider the Peabody the Pulltizer Prize of broadcast journalism.
During his 20-years in Los Angeles, Blatchford has received 9 Emmy awards, 48 Emmy nominations, 10
Golden Mikes, 2 Edward R. Murrow Awards, 7 Regional Associated Press awards, 10 Los Angeles Press
Club awards, and numerous other honors.
Although, he is best known for his work in the investigative area, he is arguably the only L.A. TV
reporter to receive Emmys and Golden Mikes in all major categories of reporting, including: best
investigative, best writing, best feature reporting, best documentary, best hard news reporting, and
best news series.
His work has received special commendations for excellence in reporting from the L.A. City Attorney’s
Office (“Revolving Door Justice”), the L.A. County Rapid Transit Authority (“Tagger Wars”), L.A.
Archdiocese Obscenity & Pornography Commission (L.A., the Mafia, and Pornography”)
the California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association (“Prison Gangs”), and the International Outlaw
Motorcycle Investigator's Association Media Award (Mongols Vs. the Mafia).
Blatchford’s Peabody was won for his investigation into Mafia infiltration of MCA/Universal’s music and
home video divisions. He has also uncovered multi-million dollar contract abuses in the aerospace
industry, and exposed food stamp and welfare fraud.
But he is most widely known for his work exposing the destruction and sorrow left behind by street
gangs, prison gangs, and organized crime. His exposes on 18th Street, the Mexican Mafia, Aryan
Brotherhood, Nazi Lowriders, Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs,
Russian and Asian organized crime -- just to mention some -- are being used nationwide as educational
and training tools by schools, correctional institutions, law enforcement, and community groups.
He has been the “keynote” speaker at the National Major Gang Task Force Annual Conference, California
Gang Task Force Annual Conference, Central Coast Gang Investigators Annual Conference, International
Outlaw Motorcycle Investigators Association Annual Conference, Know Gangs Annual Conference, and the
California Youth Authority Training Academy.
He is a frequent panelist on gang issues, including several sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice.
He is also the author of an L.A Times Bestseller entitled: Three Dog Nightmare, a painful look at the
realities of drug addiction.
Blatchford has worked at Fox 11 since 1992. He came to Los Angeles in 1985 as weekend/subsitute
anchor at KCBS-TV where he also served as an investigative/general assignment reporter. Prior to Los
Angeles, he worked at WTVJ, then the CBS affiliate in Miami, Fla., from 1980-85, as weeknight anchor
and reporter. He also worked at WDAF, the NBC affiliate in Kansas City, Kan., as weekend anchor and
reporter from 1975-80, and before that, Blatchford was at WRAU, the ABC affiliate in Peoria, Ill., for
nearly three years as an anchor and reporter.
Blatchford, a native of Winnetka, Ill., graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in radio and television.