‘TERRIBLY SORRY’

Emmy-Winning NBC Physician Sentenced for Asking 9-Year-Old Girl for Nudes

Dr. Bruce Hensel, a 30-year fixture as medical correspondent at KNBC Los Angeles, repeatedly texted a girl asking for “sexy and private” photos.

An Emmy-winning physician who spent three decades as chief on-air medical correspondent for KNBC Los Angeles has been sentenced to two years’ probation after pleading no contest to soliciting nude pictures from a child. Dr. Bruce Hensel, 74, sent repeated text messages to a 9-year-old girl asking her for “sexy and private” photos. Hensel won 11 Emmys and two Golden Mike awards for his TV work and his LinkedIn profile says he is “considered by many to be the pre-eminent health journalist in America.” The Los Angeles Times said Hensel turned to address his victim’s father in court—telling him: “I’m terribly sorry for what happened. I’ve done everything I can to understand this isolated thing”—before the two men exchanged a courtroom hug. Hensel, who will also have to register as a sex offender, was first arrested in 2019 but the trial was delayed while his attorney negotiated a plea bargain.