Kovacik began his career at 23 years of age when he became the youngest anchor in New York City for NIGHTWORLD at
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) primary member station,
WNET. In 1994, he relocated to Los Angeles to become an anchor and reporter for
KCOP-TV. Kovacik left KCOP in 2001, and was named the West Coast correspondent, anchor, and bureau chief for the newly formed
National Geographic Channel and its nightly news show,
National Geographic Today. Kovacik joined
KNBC-TV in 2004. In 2006, a murder suspect chose to surrender to him live on-air., for which Kovacik received a
Golden Mike Award and an
Edward R. Murrow Award. In 2007 he was on location and struck by a police squad car carrying
Paris Hilton. In 2008 he again made international headlines after an angry confrontation between then
Los Angeles Police Department Police Chief
William Bratton and LA City Councilman
Dennis Zine while Kovacik was reporting for
Today in LA. His exclusive examination into the
Los Angeles Fire Department's 911 response times prompted the Mayor to call for an audit of the LAFD. His reporting on the investigation surrounding
President Clinton's impeachment was included in the
Kenneth Starr Report (
Starr Report), and his groundbreaking expose into overcrowded LA animal shelters helped force the city to change its laws. ==Awards and honors==