ABC’s Miller up for job as Bratton’s spokesman

John Miller, the ABC correspondent who landed an interview in 1998 with a little-known Afghanistan-based terrorist named Osama bin Laden, has informed the network he is in talks to become the chief spokesman for Los Angeles Police Department’s new chief, William J. Bratton.

The men worked together in the mid-’90s when Miller was deputy police commissioner of the NYPD public affairs office during Bratton’s tenure as chief. Miller was a trusted ally of Bratton’s during the chief’s well-publicized feuds with New York’s mayor at the time, Rudolph Giuliani.

ABC executives on Tuesday said Miller, 44, told them several weeks ago of his discussions with the LAPD, which are said to be in their final stages. If he becomes the LAPD spokesman, Miller would be walking into another high-visibility media position, this time in the nation’s second-largest city, which now is struggling with a rising homicide rate.

Miller’s high-profile professional standing would make him a departure from other LAPD spokesmen, who traditionally have been identified by their association with the department and the chief.

Miller, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, joined ABC News in October 1997, covering legal news stories. In January, he was named co-anchor of “20/20” along with Barbara Walters. But the show’s ratings have slipped by about 8% from last season, with an average viewing audience of 8.9 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research.

“We know that Bratton and Miller have a long-standing relationship and that they talk regularly,” said LAPD Cmdr. Gary Brennan. He declined to confirm any personnel decisions by Bratton, who was out of town and unreachable for comment.

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Staff writer Brian Lowry contributed to this report.