Despite breaking news in their backyard, local stations in Los Angeles pivoted away from coverage of the Christopher Dorner manhunt to broadcast President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.
CBS O&O KCBS, NBC O&O KNBC, ABC O&O KABC and Fox O&O KTTV all switched from wall-to-wall Dorner coverage to State of the Union coverage provided by their respective affiliated networks around 6pmPT. Dorner and police engaged in a shootout in Big Bear shortly after 4pmPT Tuesday afternoon. The cabin he the ex-L.A. cop was believed to be hiding in went up in flames later in the evening.
- Related, TVNewser: Dorner Cornered, California Manhunt Pushes Up Against State of the Union Coverage
CW affiliate KTLA and independent station KCAL were the only stations to stay in coverage of the Dorner search. Dorner is believed to be dead inside the cabin.