In April 1949, while working as a news reporter for KTLA, he covered the story of three-year-old Kathy Fiscus' fall down a well in the Los Angeles suburb of San Marino, California and the subsequent unsuccessful rescue attempt. This broadcast, shared with legendary reporter Stan Chambers (1923-2015), lasted nearly 40 straight hours and was considered the first live television event. It became a national story and became a template for how live news events should be covered. It also compelled the purchase of thousands of television sets in the Los Angeles area.
