LOS ANGELES, Calif.— KTTV FOX 11 will broadcast a news special chronicling the Armenian-American experience as part of its month-long celebration of Armenian history. The special will air on Sunday, April 30 at 9:30 a.m. PDT, and it will be streamed and available worldwide through the station’s site.
FOX LA morning news anchor Araksya Karapetyan became the first broadcast journalist in 2012 to break into the extremely competitive and second-largest US media market, which serves more than 18 million viewers in several Southern California counties. In addition to covering breaking news, local, regional and national politics, Karapetyan’s serious yet charming personality helps millions of Los Angeles residents start their day with the latest news, weather and traffic reports during the five-hour “Good Day LA” broadcasts.
While Karapetyan had occasionally reported about the Armenian-American community in Southern California, her focus on her people and her homeland intensified during the 2020 Artsakh War. After performing her daily assignments in the field and on the anchor desk, Karapetyan would continue working during her off-hours to interview newsmakers and find stories to keep viewers updated about the war on a daily basis. She not only summarized the headlines out of Armenia and Artsakh, but featured the local community’s involvement in humanitarian relief efforts and interviewed southern California residents who journeyed to their ancestral homeland to help in hospital emergency rooms, in soup kitchens and on the frontlines.
Prior to Karapetyan’s regular reports and specials about Armenia, the only Los Angeles TV station that used an entire newscast to report about Armenia and the Armenian experience was more than 30 years ago when Channel 2 sent journalist Bree Walker to report about the 1988 Spitak Earthquake — which Karapetyan experienced as a six-year-old and remembers vividly. A few years later, her family would leave Gyumri as the Soviet Union collapsed and Armenia went to war with Azerbaijan over the autonomy of the Republic of Artsakh.
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“As an American-Armenian, born in Gyumri and who grew up in Palos Verdes, I’m humbled to have the opportunity to serve the Armenian-American community, to represent my people on the airwaves of Southern California,” says Karapetyan. “Not only is it a blessing, but I’m inspired by the people from our community we profile on a regular basis, be it innovators bringing state-of-the-art medicine to heal the world or rock stars and influencers promoting justice from their platforms.
Karapetyan has been a prominent figure in the Southern California Armenian community, regularly hosting special events including the Armenia Fund International Thanksgiving Day Telethon and fundraisers for the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF). This week, her work was recognized with a special honor from Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian. Karapetyan was the mistress of ceremonies at several Genocide commemorations events this past week and has also appeared on online community forums and panels to talk about her accomplishments and encourage young Armenians to pursue their dreams and never give up.
Karapetyan began her first job in Idaho Falls, a TV market so small that she had to shoot and edit her own stories and set up her own lights and live shots. Her hard work in the sleet and snow of Idaho paid off when she was offered to work in the 25th largest TV market in the US in Portland, Oregon. When colleagues and supervisors would suggest she change her name, she would courageously decline the advice.
When the opportunity came for her to decide whether she would move to New York and work in international news or return home to be with her immediate and extended family, Karapetyan chose home. “Having my grandparents be able to turn on the TV set in the mornings and watch me is what inspired me to return home,” she says.
