ONLY ON KYLE - Chak's Editorial: The Valley That Was In This Blog - KRTY Radio Personality Passed Away

If there was a Kris Rowberry producing "The Valley That Was" in 2022, this would be the episode. And speaking of which, I dedicate my blog almost in the format of his voice, but consisting of my own take on local country music on the radio.

Randy Jones was certainly a guy that loves Silicon Valley and the national country music scene ever since he joined local country music radio station KRTY in 1999 at their former building on Story Road, in the present-day Little Saigon neighborhood of San Jose. At the time, Empire Broadcasting was (and still is) one of the very few local independent small broadcasting companies around headed by Bob Kieve, who he passed away the year before. Back in the days, when Silicon Valley news was available on the radio as KLIV, there were numerous news personalities like Kim Vestal (now at KCBS radio doing traffic), Kris Rowberry, George Sampson, and many others helming local news. On the country music end, there is Gary Scott Thomas (Alabama native residing in South San Jose), Tony Michaels, "Indiana Al" Breiten, Michael Moore, and others. The news that Randy Jones passed away on November 29, 2021 was a surprise to the local broadcast industry that knew him at community events around Santa Clara County. Randy's bio on KRTY's website reminds all of us who listens to his show that he thanks all of his listeners for tuning in to his show on KRTY in between the morning and afternoon commutes. 

While country music is not necessarily in my blood, I find those acceptable to many people living in rural areas of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San Martin. There are many characteristics of the southern part of Silicon Valley that is definitely ripe for tuning in to country music on the radio, and KRTY is certainly the dial. No known call letters have existed of what KRTY stands for, but could those call letters mean "Radio CounTrY"? That's only my guess, but I'll let the guys at KRTY say that. There is one thing for sure: Randy does know our communities in Santa Clara County from Gilroy to Los Altos, and from Los Gatos to Milpitas. I may not have met Randy before in person, but I did hear him on the radio dials from time to time when on the road. I do often have a hard time tuning in on my home's radio if I want to hear Randy's voice (and others), but online listening on the mobile website is my next best thing, given the technology many like myself have today. 

Kris Rowberry certainly knew Randy when I read his social media post, and often would chat during breaks just a couple of doors between within the former KRTY and KLIV studios on Story Road. I wish that I would love to hear Kris talk about KRTY's announcement of Randy's passing on the same dial, which his past stories are available on YouTube. Those days, however, social media have a lot of reach potential since the beginnings, and thus are reflected in an individual feed's viewing. 

Randy Jones will be best remembered for lending his own local country voice on the radio, although not as extensive as Gary Scott Thomas on the morning show. He certainly made announcements on local events where he plans to be around the local community, and that too will be miss. Until next time, Randy Jones, may you rest in peace. 

And until next time, I'll see you on social media, whether on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Just look for me on those below. 

Kyle Chak

Email: chak595301@gmail.com

On Social Media: @KyleSChak

Chak's Editorial: KCRA Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan Coming Up on 30 Years of California Weather

"TODAY'S RAIN WAS JUST AN APPETIZER; THE MAIN MENU YET TO COME." - Shelly Monahan, KCRA alum from 1995

KCRA president and general manager Ariel Roblin may not be new to California in the past, but the station itself is new to editorials. In my last blog, I told my readers of how KCRA has yet to explain why it took more than 20 years since Hearst Television took over operations from the Kelly Brothers in 1999, who trademarked the slogan, "Where the News Comes First" back in 1980. Remember that fellow Hearst station KSBW started editorials not long after Hearst took over the operations by their former president and general manager, Joesph W. Heston in 1999. Since Heston's retirement, KSBW has yet to resume editorials under current president and general manager, Laura Williamson (also a former KCRA personality as general sales manager) - I personally would love to see what Williamson is saying about the editorials sooner than later now that KCRA president and general manager Ariel Roblin started editorials just recently. I would keep in mind that Ariel Roblin's mission of the editorial, according to Heston, should state that "editorials are not part of the news, but they are part of our commitment to serve the public." 

While I'm still waiting to see KSBW resume their editorials as a regular viewer myself residing in San Martin, California, I would like to take the time in advance to say cheers to KCRA chief meteorologist Mark Finan, who this November will be his 30th year of telling viewers about the California weather since his first weather forecast on November 11, 1991. Although Finan may be from New Hampshire, he may have established a huge fan base for viewers from all over the state of California to ask him informative questions about the weather or to cheer him up in hard times via Facebook (soon to be "Meta"). The rise in accessibility to access local or regional news in the past decade may come from out-of-market stations that is now viewable anywhere a person goes no matter the location. I can best describe Mark Finan as the Sacramento variation of KSBW's former lead weather forecaster named Jim Vanderswaan, who he retired from the station in 2015. KSBW's current weather team is helmed by their chief meteorologist Lee Solomon with AMS-sealed meteorologist Gina De Vecchio in the mornings. There are too many clips on YouTube that feature KCRA's old newscasts or a portion of an old video featuring Finan before even YouTube was invented, which was uploaded by various users that remembered watching a newscast. 

Over the years, Finan had seen a lot of meteorologists come and go, including 2 of NBC Bay Area's current weather team consisting of their chief meteorologist Jeff Ranieri and meteorologist Rob Mayeda (both of them are AMS-sealed). I'm just hoping that there will be a time that both Rob and Jeff will come together and say a message to Finan on his 30 years of California weather around California's capital city of Sacramento. This to me have already given a taste of watching KCRA's online newscasts from any mobile and tablet devices even outside their media market, even though I watch both Jeff Ranieri and Rob Mayeda regularly on social media & on TV as a viewer. I feel that both Raineri and Mayeda often mimic each other's messages to viewers in times of severe weather in the Bay Area despite not being on social media often to interact with viewers, with an added bonus of their own mobile live doppler radar (on wheels, that is), something that neither KCRA (despite their own live radar at Walnut Grove) or KSBW have. While weather graphics under Finan's command have changed over the years, Finan noted that his commitment to his weather coverage that presently included fellow meteorologists Dirk Verdoorn, Elleen Javora, and morning meteorologist Tamera Berg remains unchanged. 

Until meteorologists Lee Solomon, Gina De Vecchio, Rob Mayeda, and Jeff Ranieri offers Facebook live chats on a regular basis, I will sadly be tuning in to Mark Finan's live weather chats on Facebook most Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 8pm (Pacific Time). I'll be very surprised if both Rob Mayeda and Jeff Raineri will be typing his words to congratulate Finan on 30 years of California live on Finan's Facebook page on November 11, 2021. 

My message to Mark Finan: See you on the Facebook chats and congrats on your 30 years of California weather in California's capital city. Until then, I'll leave you with this quote below...

"William Randolph Hearst founded our news and information company way back in 1887. One thing you quickly learn about working for Hearst: you don't get to be a successful 133-year-old company without managing and embracing change." - former KSBW president and general manager, Joesph W. Heston, in an editorial in 2020

Kyle Chak

Email: chak595301@gmail.com

Social Media: @KyleSChak 

Chak's Editorial: KCRA's Editorial by President and General Manager Ariel Roblin is a Recent Addition?!

I can certainly recall watching editorials as a kid, and it's their voice of the communities they serve. KSBW, a Hearst Television station on the Central Coast covering Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties on California's Central Coast, certainly started their editorials back in 1999. The first editorials were offered by then-president and general manager Joseph W. Heston, who he mentioned from the beginning: "Editorials are not part of the news, but they are part of our commitment to serve the public." The editorials on KSBW were offered after Friday's 6pm and weekend newscasts, except for special events like "Share Your Holiday," a KSBW tradition for more than 30 years held each December. When Heston announced his retirement in an editorial, he mentioned this quote at the time:

"William Randolph Hearst founded our news and information company way back in 1887. One thing you quickly learn about working for Hearst: you don’t get to be a successful 133-year-old company without managing and embracing change."

But for KCRA? Like KSBW, KCRA is a Sacramento station is also owned by Hearst Television. However, I personally have never seen an editorial covering issues affecting the Sacramento or the San Joaquin Valleys of both Stockton and Modesto until the recent into on KCRA's editorial that started around August 29, 2021 with current president and general manager Ariel Roblin. That's more than 20 years since being owned by Hearst back in 1999, the same year that KSBW started their editorials. This makes me ask: What took KCRA so long to broadcast their editorials until now? I've been watching both KCRA and KSBW's newscasts on demand many times on the go, but I did notice a striking difference. By the time KSBW ended their editorials with Heston's retirement, KSBW has already recorded 1086 episodes of short editorials while KCRA has still never offered editorials at that time. 

I hope that Ariel Roblin will address to viewers why it took more than 20 years after Hearst took over ownership of KCRA to offer editorials, as well as learning from KSBW's past editorials. I also hope that KSBW will have editorials from their current president and general manager, Laura Willamson, sometime in the future. 

Until then, thank you for letting me and the general public watch editorials. I do look forward to them wherever I watch them, from the comfort of the TV to smartphones and tablets. 

Kyle Chak

E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com 

On Social Media: @KyleSChak