Rome is redundantly covered by LA anchors and reporters*

Los Angeles TV stations generally won't do Sacramento news, but most sent their own people to Rome to cover the selection of the new pope — even though it is already one of the world's most adequately covered news events. For the most part, everybody has pretty much the same non-news to report. You didn't see a lot of original news coming out of the days leading up to the papal conclave in Vatican City. I suspect it will be the same with the election of a new pope, as early as Tuesday. The smoke will drift up, the new leader of the church will appear on the balcony, the more ambitious media outlets will quickly pull together profiles, then everybody will come home.

So far I've seen Paul Magers there for Channel 2 and Sylvia Lopez for sister station KCAL 9; Robert Kovacik for NBC 4; Lynette Romero and Chip Yost for KTLA Channel 5; and David Ono for ABC 7. It's definitely possible that I missed some. It looks as if Fox 11 has been using Fox News Jerusalem correspondent Leland Vittert. KMEX 34 is covering the conclave intensely but far as I can tell did not send anyone from here.

* Noted: ABC 7 is the exception that still maintains a Sacramento bureau. Bureau chief Nannette Miranda feeds to Channel 7 as well as the other ABC-owned stations in California.