City Desk

If a D.C. manhole explodes at 7:20 a.m., just how long does it stay in the news? On some local TV stations, footage of sirens, smoke, and past manhole disasters make it worthy of live remotes at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. WTTG-TV (Channel 5) had its reporter out at 31st and P Streets NW to add some urgency to its 10 p.m. package on Tuesday’s manhole explosion, which included yet another look at the station’s vintage footage of a manhole exploding from February 2000. WUSA-TV (Channel 9) also had a live remote on its 11 p.m. newscast, while WRC-TV (Channel 4) made do with a studio crew and footage of flames licking skyward from the depths of the city. —Richard Byrne