WABC Recovers From Fire
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/29/2007 7:39:00 AM MT
Live With Regis and Kelly is airing from a different studio in WABC’s New York complex after a fire at the Manhattan station Sunday night .
The blaze began at the ABC flagship on the first floor just before the 11 p.m. news A witness says the blaze started after a curtain caught fire from a malfunctioning outlet behind the set. The station was knocked off the air, viewers seeing a black screen or color bars for two hours. Some 50 staffers were evacuated.
"I looked at the back of the set, there must have been 10 to 15-foot flames flying up to the ceiling," said cameraman Lou Torellas.
WABC was back on the air for its 5 a.m. news Monday. The station is shooting newscasts from a makeshift desk in the newsroom, not the damaged studio. Luckily for the station, most of the production equipment is located on a different floor than the one where the fire struck.
News Director Ken Plotnick said Regis and Kelly would continue to shoot in its temporary home at least through the week.
WABC's newscasts will air from the newsroom at least through the week as well as station executives assess the damage. "The back portion of the (news) set is destroyed and the lights don't work, but the desk itself appears to be OK," said Plotnick. "We have to test the electrical parts."
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