B+C Station Awards 2023: KABC’s David Ono Stands Up for True Journalism

David Ono, co-anchor for KABC Los Angeles Eyewitness News at 4 and 6 p.m., stepped past his anchor desk this year, touring his own multimedia production about the Japanese-American Nisei soldiers during World War II. Defining Courage: Celebrate the Legacy of True American Heroes, which has sold out more than a dozen shows, features live music (with lyrics by Ono), historic film footage and eyewitness interviews.

“It’s still journalism because the details and accuracy are important, but the story is so dynamic this way,” Ono said. 

Profits go toward building an educational curriculum and Ono, B+C’s 2023 pick for News Anchor of the Year, hopes to expand his repertoire. “This is a beta test for telling other stories that are really dynamic, especially to high schoolers and middle schoolers,” he said. 

Ono went even further afield while on vacation with his family this year in Hawaii. “We saw a plume of smoke and lost our electricity,” he recalled of the horrific Lahaina fire. “So I loaded my daughter’s backpack with water and other supplies and started hiking toward the fire.”

Ono spent seven hours and covered 14 miles hiking and then recording, navigating downed power lines and other hazards. Afterward he “smelled of soot and was black from smoke,” he said. But he had provided some of the earliest news footage and reporting of the tragedy.

Cheryl Fair, KABC’s president and general manager, said Ono’s work behind the desk is equally vital, especially when handling breaking news. “David carries us through untested waters,” she said. “David puts things in context, explaining them in a way that we can feel like we’re part of what’s happening and that we understand what’s going on.”