Video highlights of 2023's first News Geezers program

are now online: The news directors panel!

Saturday, February, 2023

In-Person Lunch

Spotlighting

The News Directors Panel

Click to View Part 1

0:00 Bob Tarlau introduction
8:00 Intro Jeff Wald, Warren
Cereghino, Steve Cohen
10:10 Pursuits
18:35 Rodney King beating tape
25:00 O.J. Simpson trial
29:30 Other topics
52:15 End Part One

Click to View Part 2
0:00 Intro Nancy Valenta,

& Kris Knutsen
1:40 1992 L.A. Riots
9:45 The Night Stalker
17:20 Other topics
36:35 Audience Q&A
49:45 Bob Tarlau on upcoming programs
51:05 End Part Two

In case you just wandered onto this web page, we are the News Geezers - an informal, friendly group of veteran Southern California TV, radio, print, web and PR journalists. We hold lunches three or four times a year.

Our mailing list is about 450 strong.

Credit for the name "News Geezers" goes to the late, great Bob Long. Learn about the background of our group by clicking on the "About" tab above (or at the top of any page). The names of all those on the mailing list can be found at the "RSVP/Roster" tab of this site.
If you have questions or would like to join the mailing list - and perhaps attend one of our lunches - please contact Bob Tarlau through the form you will find by clicking on the "Contact" tab.

Thanks and cheers!

Please Support the
8 Ball Emergency Fund
for Journalists...
(previously known as the
8 Ball Welfare Foundation)
providing temporary
financial help
to journalists in need
for more than 65 years.
Please make your
tax-deductible donations
and suggest recipients at:
8BallJournalists.org

Next:

a salute to

KNX News

Sat Jul 8!

About the

News Geezers!

News Geezers

You can watch it now: The first News Geezers program of 2023.

Held on Sat Feb 11, we had a strong turnout of 65 see and hear our excellent panel of past Los Angeles TV news directors.

Thanks to the quick turnaround editing of Steve Skootsky... you will find the video links in the column to the right. Thanks also to our tech volunteers: Vince Mack and Robert Penfold on the video cameras... with Bill Dawson and Bruce Kerr running video and audio.

The lunch program was held at our usual venue, Victorios in North Hollywood, where we covered local news: Its successes, the tough times, breaking news including pursuits and civil unrest and how local TV news has changed for better or worse.

Also some fascinating insights into the personal challenges news directors face... especially women.
The panel featured:
+ Steve Cohen (KCBS, KCOP, KUSI San Diego - current)
+ Warren Cereghino (KTLA)
+ Kris Knutsen (KTTV)
+ Nancy Valenta (KNBC)
+ Jeff Wald (KTLA, KCOP)
Thanks to all five for an informative and entertaining program. Stills of the lunch are to the left. Those and others are available at the link at the top of that column.

Video highlights from programs going back to 2019 can be found on the Video tab of this website.
Our next program will be a salute to KNX News... as the station has ticked over the century mark and continues (with the demise of KFWB) as Southern California's only all-news radio station.

News director Alex Silverman and on-air personalities, past and present will be with us for that program on Sat Jul 8, also at Victorios. I'll start taking RSVPs in early June.

On Sat Oct 14, we are planning a salute to L.A.'s TV weather journalists... past and present.

Fritz Coleman, Mark Thompson and Kelly Lange plan to take part.

I look forward to seeing you at Victorios for our KNX salute in July... and the program with TV weathercasters in October.

Bob Tarlau