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Sata Cruz Media Exec Panders to his fanincial Interests in Editorial

by Gordon Soderberg
Sata Cruz Media Pumps up the failed national relief organizations and minimizes the grassroots relief work in Santa Cruz. Can you say, "Conflict of Interest"?
On September, 1st 2006 I got a link to this editorial called "Katrina Reflections". By Joseph W. Heston, President and General Manager of KSWB 8 in Santa Cruz, California. After I read it, I thought, this was a clear example of how the "commercial media" is pandering to the governments advertizing budgets.

I believe he needed to address all the flack that his pandering partners at the United Way, Red Cross and Salvation Army were getting in during the anniversary week of Katrina.

Who knowsm maybe he got a call from the advertizing firm hired by the United Way, Red Cross or Salvation Army. One that might have said to get something good on T.V. Maybe the call was due to the fact that donations were dropping faster than the bombs in Iraq? Or maybe he didn't need a call since Heston is a member of the Board of the United Way of Monterey County (created in July 2000 with the "historic merger" of the United Way of the Salinas Valley and the United Way of the Monterey Peninsula). for more information abou tmr. Heston read his FCC bio.


The reason the His "United Partners" were getting such a bad wrap from the independent media is because of the consolidations he and his "historic megers" of both United Way and local media assests. And now he is fighting for control over the internet media as well as traditional forms of communications. Since he sits on the board of the United Way and it is buying advertizing from his company he needs to give a renewed endorsment of support while making a distinction between his "local chapters" from the acts of the national organization they represent.

I do do give him some credit for recognizing the grassroots relief effort. That might have something to do with giving his media monopoly a "localized feel".

Too bad he could not actually talk about the fact that most of the volunteers from Santa Cruz did not go to the Gulf Coast as United Way, Red Cross or Salvation Army. He knew he could not claim otherwize because of independent media sources like (http://www.indybay.org/santacruz/) documented the efforts of the people of Santa Cruz very well.

I believe the majority of Santa Cruz volunteers went as independent volunteers and did an incredable amount of local fundraizing to support those that could go. This includes the independent media that came from Santa Cruz to cover the story first hand.

What we don't know is; what was the ratio was between Red Cross and Salvation Army volunteers to Independents or what impacts each group made.

He only gives praise and ingratiates himself further to the failed organizations that he not only represents as a board member but also get advertizing dollars from as a business. That is why he can still afford to give the individual efforts a pat on the head.

Read his editorial and fcc bio form yourself... Then tell me what you think. (gordon [at] neworleansvfp.org)

Editorial: "Katrina Reflections". By Joseph W. Heston, President and General Manager of KSWB 8 in Santa Cruz, California.

"The television and the newspapers have all been filled this past week with stories about the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While it may be easy to get caught up in the dramatic pictures of suffering, or in laying blame for the disappointing relief efforts, we must not forget how this hurricane brought out the best in so many people, both across the country and here on our Central Coast."

"So many people from our slice of paradise put their own lives on hold and volunteered in relief efforts on the Gulf Coast, supporting those suffering and grieving their losses. Red Cross volunteers, Salvation Army volunteers, and even individuals acting on their own. Central Coast families took people in and even gave them jobs. Area animal shelters like the Monterey and Santa Cruz County SPCAs, had incredible success finding the owners of displaced pets… and finding new homes for so many others."

"It would be so easy to wallow in the suffering caused by Katrina. That suffering should not be forgotten… but neither should the celebration of the human spirit it's generated in its wake. We've tried to capture that spirit in our newscasts and in special programming over the past year, as local newspapers have as well. To those displaced by the storm who now call the Central Coast home, we welcome you. To those who made any contribution to the relief effort -- your time or a donation -- we salute you. And for all of us who witnessed this tragedy -- either first hand or through our televisions -- we should try to carry one thing with us in our own lives: that no matter how dark things may appear, no matter how arduous our challenges may seem, we need only reflect on Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in our country's history… likely, the burdens we carry won't seem quite as heavy."

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
BROADCAST LOCALISM HEARING
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
JULY 21, 2004
JOSEPH W. HESTON
KSBW-TV, PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER

Joseph W. Heston has been the President and General Manager of KSBW television since January 1999, and has been with Hearst-Argyle Television (and The Hearst Corporation) since September 1984. He may be familiar to Central Coast viewers due to his weekly on-camera appearances, presenting the position of the KSBW Editorial Board.

Heston came to KSBW from its sister station, Hearst-owned WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he was Vice President and Station Manager since 1994. Before that, Heston served in the same capacity for Hearst’s Baltimore station, WBAL-TV from 1989 to 1994. For ten years prior to that, Heston worked in program management positions for Hearst stations in both Pittsburgh and Boston. Before joining the Hearst Corporation, he worked with Westinghouse Broadcasting for nine years holding various production positions at WBZ-TV in Boston, KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, and WJZ-TV in Baltimore, where he began his broadcasting career in 1975.

During his tenure at KSBW-TV, Heston has supervised the construction of a new $5 million analog broadcast transmitter on Fremont Peak in 2000 to improve reception on the Central Coast. In fall 2002, a $3 million HDTV transmitter was also installed on Fremont Peak and KSBW became the only television station to simulcast a new high definition signal (KSBW-DT can be seen on channel 10). In February 2003, KSBW became the first Central Coast TV station to be distributed by satellite on DishNet. During Heston’s stewardship of KSBW, the station has increased ratings in all time periods. Typically, KSBW now enjoys a 8 to 1 advantage over all competitors during local newscasts. The station’s website, the http://www.KSBWchannel.com, was launched in June 2001 and is now the most viewed local website on the Central Coast, now averaging over 650,000 page views a month with over 90,000 unique users (double the reported users for any of our region’s three daily newspapers).

During his television career, Heston has helped stations garner numerous awards, including sixteen Emmys, four Irises, three Gabriels, and various other honors and nominations. In addition, Heston was chosen by the American government as the sole U.S. representative to the Arab States Broadcast Union Conference in Tunis, Tunisia in October 1987. Two years later, he was also selected by the National Association of Television Program Executives as one of four U.S. broadcasters to participate in an international exchange in London, England.

Heston is a member of the Board of the United Way of Monterey County (created in July 2000 with the historic merger of the United Way of the Salinas Valley and the United Way of the Monterey Peninsula). Most recently, he has overseen KSBW’s launch of the early childhood initiative, Success By 6, in conjunction with the United Way of Santa Cruz County and Monterey County. Heston is a member of the Board of Trustees of The York School. He also serves on the Board of the Monterey Regional Health Development Group. Heston is a member of St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in Carmel Valley. He is a former Senior Warden there and currently serves as a lay minister and as the Acolyte Master.

Heston, a summa cum laude graduate of Ohio University, is married to the former Elizabeth Ann Hansen. Both are originally from Baltimore, Maryland. They have one son, Joseph J.W. Heston. They reside in Bay Ridge, outside Monterey.
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