R.I.P. LA Fox 11 Producer Martin Burns

Martin Burns, an LA-area TV veteran who was an investigative producer and writer at Fox-owned KTTV, died August 25 in an apparent hiking accident. He was 56. Another hiker found his body in a ravine below the steep trail leading to Inspiration Point in Angeles National Forest near Altadena, according to MyFoxLA.com. Preliminary reports indicate Martin died from injuries sustained when he fell off the trail. Burns previously worked at then-PBS station KCET Los Angeles. During the 1990s, he was senior producer of the popular series Life & Times, which won numerous Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards including four in 1994 alone. He also was nominated for LA Emmys several other times, most recently for a 2010 news report titled “Cartel Crimewave”. “Whenever he stopped by to share a story, I saw the deep passion and dedication in his work,” said Kingsley Smith, VP and news director at Fox 11. “He never complained and always worked with grace and dignity. He is on the short list of people that no one ever complained about, ever.” Said Fox 11 investigative reporter Gina Silva: “He was passionate about his work, always putting in extra hours and even investigating stories on his time off. His mission was simple: get some kind of justice for people who were scammed or hurt by a corrupt system.”