It is sad, and unfortunate for me listening to news on the radio. Get ready to hear some major changes coming soon to KLIV, according to Robert S. Klive, the owner of Empire Broadcasting which owns KLIV and KRTY. Klive announced on-air that all-news may be coming to an end soon for the Silicon Valley. But to my take, it may not be in the same direction as KGO radio, though leaving KCBS as the only option for Bay Area news.
Klive announced to listeners like me that while news may not be "all news, all the time" format any more soon, he noted that in 2015, advertising revenue is at an all-time low and declining, leading to speculation that music and other programming are likely going to replace the news. However, special segments and other news programs will likely remain on the air in lieu of news, such as produce reports, history segments, and sports programming like the San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose State Spartans football and basketball programs.
But even then, KGO has ended both news and traffic/weather segments all together, while the status of KCBS radio is unclear. I have heard all those speculations both online and on social media. KGO's decision to end programming on news and traffic/weather segments have gathered many angry listeners, although long-time personality Ronn Owens moved to the afternoon time slot.
Unlike KGO, however, KLIV will not end traffic and weather segments, which will continue despite the upcoming changes, as the morning and afternoon commutes continued to increase for the Silicon Valley, as noted in a 37 percent increase mentioned by KLIV personality John McLeod in the San Jose Mercury News.
The status for KCBS radio is also unknown, as I heard the radio division for CBS and CBS News may likely change due to the exploration of a possible sale, but that is not official as of yet. I now wonder this question - will all-news radio come to an end very soon in the Bay Area? I will soon know as a listener.
But to me, it is sad and unfortunate that I will definitely miss many of the KLIV personalities that I enjoy listening to for local news - but for me, I'm lucky to still listen to traffic/weather reports and many other segments that make the station very unique.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
NOTE: This article may not be re-used for any commercial purposes without the permission of the blogger. The blogger is independent and not affiliated with any other person or organization. The views of the blogger is is his own.
CORRECTION: Blog corrected to reflect actual name of owner.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Chak's Take - Strawberry, as in the DJ, not the Fruit! The Opening of Capriotti's in Santa Clara County
I certainly have a good spring break, capped with a few small trips such as The Wharf in Santa Cruz, but the first Saturday in April did cap my Spring Break with a surprise, and that is where the freeway continues.
THE JOURNEY FROM SAN MARTIN
From my San Martin* nest, I started in the early morning hours from Morgan Hill on U.S. 101, taking advantage of the GasBuddy app to stop at a Shell near Bernal and Monterey Road to top up my fuel tank to maximum, then continued on 101 to get some morning breakfast at 7-Eleven on Alum Rock, lasting only 15 minutes. The final segment on 101 only lasted two miles before switching to I-880 north, although that segment was a short, three-mile trip before the Google Maps app forced me off the freeway at Tasman Drive (Great Mall Parkway). I continued on Tasman for the remainder of the trip and eventually arrived just before 7:30 AM, although I only saw fewer than 10 people ahead of me.
I did park inside the shopping garage due to fears that a "No Parking" sign might be posted by the City of San Jose. I was simply there to see what Capriotti's looked like. Despite that Capriotti's was started in Deleware since 1976, the current headquarters is in Las Vegas, with at least 2 stores along The Strip (Las Vegas Blvd). The San Jose (North) location is only the second store in the Bay Area (after Concord). (My last Las Vegas trip, by the way, was during the final days of 2015 of which I drove the entire trip!)
Just over three hours later, the door opened... And yeah, my first time ever eaten at Capriotti's.
THE MENU ORDER ITSELF
As for the sandwich, I ordered a simple menu that includes a nine-inch signature Bobbie sandwich, small kettle chips, and large soda (my choice is usually a no-calorie soda when possible). Using my app that I downloaded before the opening, I did not have to pay over ten dollars. The app is very straightforward despite a little confusion at first. I won't disclose the ingredients for that signature sandwich (the Bobbie, that is) other than the listed ingredients on the menu.
Incredibly, the Bobbie is probably the only turkey sandwich that I'll order as the other guys probably don't make the sandwich as good as Capriotti's! Here's why - normally, I would dislike any ordinary turkey sandwich, but the Bobbie has a special taste to my buds. The cranberry sauce and the stuffing is what balances the turkey taste, which even I was more than satisfied with the sandwich and the service that the guys and the owner would want customers.
My verdict: I'm coming back for more soon, although my order will generally have my sandwiches to be in the nine-inch size (small). When my rewards do indicate a free item of any size, I will usually get a large sandwich, but I generally pair it with chips and medium soda, except in certain circumstances (e.g. as in a discount, which I will switch to large soda). When I do any refills, I generally try to put a zero-calorie soda in my drink.
WHO IS "STRAWBERRY?"
The menu was not the only thing that was exciting. There was a sneaky addition to the lineup of which I was nearly unaware until I saw the confirmation. Then I went on Twitter and confirmed that a DJ was going to be on the scene, including to properly pronounce my last name "Chak."
And so after my lunch, it was time to meet "Strawberry."
Apparently, when it comes to the word "Strawberry," people tend to think of the red fruit that is very juicy and tasty, which is perfect for making juices, purees, jams, and so on. But I'm not talking about the fruit - I'm referring to Strawberry the DJ! It is unknown what his real name is, but let me tell my bloggers about him - he's a Silicon Valley native that grew up on music, and is mainly a DJ for a popular radio station named 99.7 NOW. (Note that same station (not including Strawberry) was spotted by me as I was on my night walk outside San Jose State University's Event Center the week before on a Friday night.)
The question is, how do I know about 99.7 NOW? The correct answer is one personality that I've seen before - Amy Robbins (Amy Robbins Mohler). In fact, when I asked DJ Strawberry about Amy Robbins, he told me that he only sees her twice a week (late in the week, to be specific) at 99.7 NOW. So if I do happen to spot any other personalities other than Amy at any time during events, I might only ask about Amy - it is meant to send a message to her that I sadly miss her in person.
DJ Strawberry is a very energetic and respected DJ that I would love listening to, especially as a listener that normally would turn to local Silicon Valley news to often report hot spots and pinpoint the exact location. I'll only be surprised if DJ Strawberry or Amy Robbins spots my social media posts (e.g. FB, Twitter, Instagram). My message to any high profiled personality is simple - please do accept my apologies if I do say too much.
If I happen to get any additional followers on my Twitter or Instagram (both are of the same handle, see end of blog) as a result of my posts, I'll be surprised - who knows when I might get a response... For now, I look forward to listening to the guy that knows Amy Robbins - DJ Strawberry! While I'll see Strawberry on the radio, I hope to see him at another event soon, so I hope I'll see him again.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
NOTE: * San Martin - pronounced as SAN MAR-TEEN
Bonus photos below. All of them in this blog are taken exclusively with my GoPro HERO4 Black camera, and are of the property of the original owner. If you do plan to use any of them, please ensure that you credit me for the pictures!
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Chak's Review - "Kris Rowberry, the KLIV Radio Guy"
You might think that the blog title for this entry is a Pokémon-styled title, much like how I saw in a typical Pokémon episode. Although my major is English, and the title to me represents what I like to say exactly, this blog is nothing related to Pokémon - instead, it's my short review on a KLIV radio guy that surprisingly made the top reason for me listening to that radio station. That "radio guy" that I'm referring to is Kris Rowberry. I've been listening to KLIV for about a month - and this is my test of my thoughts.
During this review, while my review primarily focuses on Rowberry, there are other personalities that I'm also a fan of at any time I ring them up to report major traffic accidents anywhere within Silicon Valley - those are also mentioned in this blog.
To give my readers who he is, I took some time to do a bit of knowing about him. According to a source, Rowberry is a San Jose native - specifically the Evergreen district, although he is a Redwood City resident. Theme parks and the history of the Silicon Valley is his great emphasis, as he tends to let listeners of KLIV radio know what Silicon Valley was in the past. Rowberry is a radio personality at KLIV - he is on the air weekdays from 1 to 3PM, sandwiched between Kim Vestal and John Kelly.
So here are some short things below that defines my take...
ROWBERRY AND THE HISTORY OF SILICON VALLEY
Rowberry does have a unique voice that I think is unmatched, particularly his voice on the history of Silicon Valley's specific landmarks. I would dub him as "The Voice of History in the Silicon Valley."
Here's why: One specific example is the history of the SAP Center in downtown San Jose that Rowberry was referring to - also known as the San Jose Arena, or locally as the "Shark Tank." He was right to the point of which the arena was constructed in the 1980s, as well as the only arena to have "rain out" whenever severe weather took San Jose in 1995.
ROWBERRY AND THE RADIO
I'm personally a big fan of Rowberry's voice during the time he is on the air. When Rowberry is on the radio from 1 to 3PM in the afternoon, I have made every effort to tune in, listening to his unique voice while on the road or online. To my take, Rowberry's signature voice is medium to medium-slow in pace except during stock updates, traffic, and weather - his signature voice is what I don't find on other stations. I like the way that he announces community events in that signature voice because he also gives radio listeners like me a peek of what is happening in Santa Clara County.
THE FAVORITE PART ABOUT ROWBERRY?
There are simply too many things that are considered my favorite part about listening to Rowberry on the radio! After a month of listening to Rowberry on the radio, my topmost favorite part was a hard decision, but it's his tagline - "We appreciate the calls from our KLIV traffic spotters." So why that simple tagline? His signature voice, along with the tagline, is perhaps surprising to some listeners, but familiar to most listeners who tune in to Rowberry on KLIV.
The tagline is similar to those of what Derrick Villa always said at the end of his traffic reports - "If you got any traffic tips, call us on the KLIV listener line."
That is the catchphrase I usually hear each day I go between my San Martin nest and San Jose State University via Ohlone-Chynoweth light rail stations, except weekends. I usually do call in any time I spot traffic troubles, which the help of an app that spots any slow traffic or accidents along a particular route (e.g. Waze), as is my eyes on the road.
The bottom line is that I do like his catchphrase so much that I do enjoy listening to Kris Rowberry. So if he happens to spot this blog, who knows when he'll read it...
My message to Rowberry? "Thank you for letting me listen to KLIV radio, allowing me to report traffic hot spots, and listening to you, Josh Daugherty, John McLeod, George Sampson, and Derrick Villa, among others."
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
During this review, while my review primarily focuses on Rowberry, there are other personalities that I'm also a fan of at any time I ring them up to report major traffic accidents anywhere within Silicon Valley - those are also mentioned in this blog.
To give my readers who he is, I took some time to do a bit of knowing about him. According to a source, Rowberry is a San Jose native - specifically the Evergreen district, although he is a Redwood City resident. Theme parks and the history of the Silicon Valley is his great emphasis, as he tends to let listeners of KLIV radio know what Silicon Valley was in the past. Rowberry is a radio personality at KLIV - he is on the air weekdays from 1 to 3PM, sandwiched between Kim Vestal and John Kelly.
So here are some short things below that defines my take...
ROWBERRY AND THE HISTORY OF SILICON VALLEY
Rowberry does have a unique voice that I think is unmatched, particularly his voice on the history of Silicon Valley's specific landmarks. I would dub him as "The Voice of History in the Silicon Valley."
Here's why: One specific example is the history of the SAP Center in downtown San Jose that Rowberry was referring to - also known as the San Jose Arena, or locally as the "Shark Tank." He was right to the point of which the arena was constructed in the 1980s, as well as the only arena to have "rain out" whenever severe weather took San Jose in 1995.
ROWBERRY AND THE RADIO
I'm personally a big fan of Rowberry's voice during the time he is on the air. When Rowberry is on the radio from 1 to 3PM in the afternoon, I have made every effort to tune in, listening to his unique voice while on the road or online. To my take, Rowberry's signature voice is medium to medium-slow in pace except during stock updates, traffic, and weather - his signature voice is what I don't find on other stations. I like the way that he announces community events in that signature voice because he also gives radio listeners like me a peek of what is happening in Santa Clara County.
THE FAVORITE PART ABOUT ROWBERRY?
There are simply too many things that are considered my favorite part about listening to Rowberry on the radio! After a month of listening to Rowberry on the radio, my topmost favorite part was a hard decision, but it's his tagline - "We appreciate the calls from our KLIV traffic spotters." So why that simple tagline? His signature voice, along with the tagline, is perhaps surprising to some listeners, but familiar to most listeners who tune in to Rowberry on KLIV.
The tagline is similar to those of what Derrick Villa always said at the end of his traffic reports - "If you got any traffic tips, call us on the KLIV listener line."
That is the catchphrase I usually hear each day I go between my San Martin nest and San Jose State University via Ohlone-Chynoweth light rail stations, except weekends. I usually do call in any time I spot traffic troubles, which the help of an app that spots any slow traffic or accidents along a particular route (e.g. Waze), as is my eyes on the road.
The bottom line is that I do like his catchphrase so much that I do enjoy listening to Kris Rowberry. So if he happens to spot this blog, who knows when he'll read it...
My message to Rowberry? "Thank you for letting me listen to KLIV radio, allowing me to report traffic hot spots, and listening to you, Josh Daugherty, John McLeod, George Sampson, and Derrick Villa, among others."
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Short Take - Chak to BART: A Failure to Publish a Separate Fare Table for Seniors/Disabled
Several years later after many blog posts about accurate fare information, I am still unhappy about the booklets that Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has produced, particularly why the transit agency has failed to publish a fare table via paper for seniors and disabled.
The only time that I am excited is just riding, enjoying the view, thanking operators and station agents, and getting new trains - that part deserves an "A" grade. But the problem is centered on BART itself, especially on the fare table for seniors and disabled using both a series of paper booklets.
I decided to conduct a comprehensive test. The test consisted of every available guide booklet, the online resource, and in particular, the ability to calculate fares for both senior/disabled. Specifically, fare information that is on the desktop MUST be available on the mobile site, as well as reflected in a separate fare table - much like how other Bay Area transit agencies are structured.
THE SPECIFICS ARE EXPLICIT. Fare information in any of BART's booklets MUST also have a separate fare table for seniors/disabled. In both paper AND online, the information that I am specifically looking for is ONLY the fare table for seniors/disabled, not information about Clipper card use AND BART red/green tickets. While BART's 62.5% discount is great information for seniors/disabled, that discount MUST be reflected in ALL platforms - online, on the go, AND on paper booklets that ACTUALLY shows PROOF of a fare table.
THE RESULT:
Online, I found out that BART only showed a discounted fare on just the desktop/laptop - not on mobile.
And among the booklets that I reviewed, none of the books had shown a separate fare table for seniors/disabled, just showing information about the Senior/RTC Clipper card, a $9 purchase for a single $24 ticket (red or green) that is obtainable at certain stations for seniors/disabled, which is NOT the thing that I was looking for despite that the information is as close as I can get.
Therefore, for the two portions mentioned in this blog, BART receives an "F" grade. And until these specifics are corrected, I will continue to write up blogs on BART, as well as make any inquiries both in person and via e-mail until then.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
The only time that I am excited is just riding, enjoying the view, thanking operators and station agents, and getting new trains - that part deserves an "A" grade. But the problem is centered on BART itself, especially on the fare table for seniors and disabled using both a series of paper booklets.
I decided to conduct a comprehensive test. The test consisted of every available guide booklet, the online resource, and in particular, the ability to calculate fares for both senior/disabled. Specifically, fare information that is on the desktop MUST be available on the mobile site, as well as reflected in a separate fare table - much like how other Bay Area transit agencies are structured.
THE SPECIFICS ARE EXPLICIT. Fare information in any of BART's booklets MUST also have a separate fare table for seniors/disabled. In both paper AND online, the information that I am specifically looking for is ONLY the fare table for seniors/disabled, not information about Clipper card use AND BART red/green tickets. While BART's 62.5% discount is great information for seniors/disabled, that discount MUST be reflected in ALL platforms - online, on the go, AND on paper booklets that ACTUALLY shows PROOF of a fare table.
THE RESULT:
Online, I found out that BART only showed a discounted fare on just the desktop/laptop - not on mobile.
And among the booklets that I reviewed, none of the books had shown a separate fare table for seniors/disabled, just showing information about the Senior/RTC Clipper card, a $9 purchase for a single $24 ticket (red or green) that is obtainable at certain stations for seniors/disabled, which is NOT the thing that I was looking for despite that the information is as close as I can get.
Therefore, for the two portions mentioned in this blog, BART receives an "F" grade. And until these specifics are corrected, I will continue to write up blogs on BART, as well as make any inquiries both in person and via e-mail until then.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Chak's Short Take: Morgan Hill's Expansion Plan Denied by Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
If you think that Gilroy is the only city in Santa Clara County looking to expand land, think this over - the city of Morgan Hill is also trying to get in the action as well. One of my previous blogs addressed the controversy surrounding the city of Gilroy's annexation plans - including the possible impacts on traffic in Morgan Hill and San Martin.
The city of Morgan Hill is looking to expand their boundaries on the southeast side of the city, bordering near the intersection of Tennant and Murphy Avenue. The number of acres that Morgan Hill is looking to annex is only 229 as opposed to 721 in Gilroy's plan, but that is very similar to the one that Gilroy was trying to annex.
But the result: Denied. Much like the city of Gilroy, there were a slew of opposition, according to an article that I read that included "environmental groups and growth watchdogs."
I've been watching all the development between both Gilroy and Morgan Hill from the time that I was notified about the proposed annexation through various articles and social media. But unlike the Gilroy proposal, the city of Morgan Hill did allow time for members of the public to address their concern related to the annexation. Gilroy, on the other hand, never allowed the members of the public to address their concerns, which sparked outrage over a wide area. Out of the eight members who were watching Morgan Hill's development, six of them, including Ken Yeager, opposed the plan for possible environmental reasons.
Come to think of it, this is not far from where I reside, as Murphy Avenue is part of the city of Morgan Hill's expansion plan north of Middle Avenue - the avenue separating the two sides of Murphy Avenue due to 101 bypassing under Middle Avenue between San Martin and Tennant Avenue exits. But for Morgan Hill's proposed annexation of land, this is nothing new to me.
In fact, I repeatedly found land that the city of Morgan Hill could use, particularly in the business district along Butterfield Blvd near Sutter, and along Cochrane Road east of a shopping center that also houses Target. The city of Morgan Hill could use those empty lands to transform them for retail and housing use, although the city has not yet decided if they want to do so.
I previously inquired with the city of Morgan Hill and Gilroy regarding their annexation plans, with no response.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
The city of Morgan Hill is looking to expand their boundaries on the southeast side of the city, bordering near the intersection of Tennant and Murphy Avenue. The number of acres that Morgan Hill is looking to annex is only 229 as opposed to 721 in Gilroy's plan, but that is very similar to the one that Gilroy was trying to annex.
But the result: Denied. Much like the city of Gilroy, there were a slew of opposition, according to an article that I read that included "environmental groups and growth watchdogs."
I've been watching all the development between both Gilroy and Morgan Hill from the time that I was notified about the proposed annexation through various articles and social media. But unlike the Gilroy proposal, the city of Morgan Hill did allow time for members of the public to address their concern related to the annexation. Gilroy, on the other hand, never allowed the members of the public to address their concerns, which sparked outrage over a wide area. Out of the eight members who were watching Morgan Hill's development, six of them, including Ken Yeager, opposed the plan for possible environmental reasons.
Come to think of it, this is not far from where I reside, as Murphy Avenue is part of the city of Morgan Hill's expansion plan north of Middle Avenue - the avenue separating the two sides of Murphy Avenue due to 101 bypassing under Middle Avenue between San Martin and Tennant Avenue exits. But for Morgan Hill's proposed annexation of land, this is nothing new to me.
In fact, I repeatedly found land that the city of Morgan Hill could use, particularly in the business district along Butterfield Blvd near Sutter, and along Cochrane Road east of a shopping center that also houses Target. The city of Morgan Hill could use those empty lands to transform them for retail and housing use, although the city has not yet decided if they want to do so.
I previously inquired with the city of Morgan Hill and Gilroy regarding their annexation plans, with no response.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
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