2010 Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival July 9 - 11 Dedicated to and in Honor of ELLA FITZGERALD with Tributes featuring Herb Jeffries, Freda Payne, Arthur Rand and the Legendary Ink Spots, Ray Brown Jr., Dick Berk, PONCHO SANCHEZ, Trini Lopez, David Arkenstone, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Coryell Auger Sample Trio, Patricia Talem from Brazil, and more....

Hal Eisner - (TV personality/FOX 11, MY13 News Reporter) is Grand Marshall for the Main St. "Tribute to New Orleans" Parade, Sat. July 12, 3pm on Main St. at the Bridge in Old Town Temecula.

Hal Eisner, a reporter for FOX's KCOP & KTTV, has been reporting news for Los Angeles television stations for 24 years. When you add in his years of radio before that his experience spans 39 years!

Before joining the staff of KCOP as a general assignment reporter and long before the station was purchased by FOX to create one of the city's several duopolies, Eisner worked for such broadcast outlets as KTTV, KTLA and CNN. He also served as the West Coast Bureau Chief for Tribune Broadcasting's syndicated newscast, USA TONIGHT.

During his almost quarter century on Los Angeles television, Eisner has interviewed covered such major stories as the trial of Michael Jackson, the Robert Blake case, the Los Angeles riots, the devastating Northridge earthquake, the Simpson-Goldman murders, the murders at Columbine High School in Colorado, and the 2000 Democratic National Convention.

Hal's Projects & Involvement

Besides his day job, Eisner is very involved in local television industry organizations. He is currently the President of the Associated Press Television Radio Association of California and Nevada, has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Radio and Television News Association, is on the Executive Committee of the LA Area Peer Group of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was a three term Goveernor of the TV Academy and served as the Executive Producer of the LA Emmys for 7 consecutive years.

Hal is particularly proud of the workshops and seminars he's designed to help college students and aspiring young reporters build their careers and programs he's helped develop for TV and radio news veterans. For those looking to get into the business, he founded APTRA Academy described in "The Communicator", published by the Radio and Television News Director's Association, as "the hottest workshop in the country." It's designed to help the aspiring make resume tapes by giving them a fake story to cover with the help of actors, public information officers from LA fire and law enforcement agencies and scores of reporters, anchors, photographers, editors, producers, news directors, real Hollywood actors and others who serve as mentors. For professionals, he's started such programs as APTRAPrep Las Vegas -- an annual tape critique workshop. He also started the industry related website HalEisner.com.

Hal's Achievements

Eisner has earned three Emmys for his work on KCOP specials and has received numerous Emmy nominations for his efforts in news, as well. He has been honored with journalism awards by The Society for Professional Journalists, The Diabetes Association, The L.A. Press Club and others for such things as "Best Spot News Reporting" and "Best Reporting on Media." Eisner has also received "Best of the West" and Associated Press awards.