BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18889523 SEQUENCE:19067979 CREATED:20261020T050000Z DESCRIPTION:The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, a San Francisco landmark since 1915, continues its monthly speaker series, Making History Fun Again, with “San Francisco’s Media Evolution,” a conversation with journalists and media leaders who have helped tell the city’s stories across generations and platforms.\n\nOn Thursday, November 19, Heather Knight, San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times, will moderate a panel featuring Will Hearst, editor and publisher of Alta Journal; award-winning television journalist Wendy Tokuda; political reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez of The San Francisco Standard; and radio host and political commentator John F. Rothmann.\n\nFrom newspaper dispatches to television broadcasts, radio conversations and news delivered through smartphones, San Francisco’s media have chronicled a city defined by reinvention. Earthquakes, local politics, cultural movements, housing challenges and unforgettable personalities have provided generations of journalists with stories that resonate far beyond the Bay Area.\n\nBringing together perspectives from print, television, digital news and radio, the evening will explore how the city’s stories reach audiences, how journalism has changed and what endures as new technologies reshape the media landscape. Guests will hear from people who have brought Bay Area news into homes, onto doorsteps, over the airwaves and into the palm of a hand.\n\nThe complimentary event begins with non-hosted cocktails at 5:00 p.m., followed by the program from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in The Clift’s historic Redwood Room. Advance reservations are required.\n\nEvent Details\n\nWhat: Making History Fun Again — San Francisco’s Media Evolution\nModerator: Heather Knight, The New York Times\nPanelists: Will Hearst, Wendy Tokuda, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez and John F. Rothmann\nWhen: Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. non-hosted cocktails | 6:00–7:30 p.m. program\nWhere: The Redwood Room @ The Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, San Francisco\nAdmission: Complimentary with RSVP\nRSVP: Making History Fun Again Speaker Series at The Clift — Eventbrite\n\nAbout the Moderator and Panelists\n\nHeather Knight is the San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times, covering the city and the Bay Area. Previously a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, she has reported on subjects ranging from San Francisco’s coyotes to the region’s technology leaders and changing neighborhoods.\n\nWill Hearst is the editor and publisher of Alta Journal, which he founded in 2017, and board chair of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. He is a grandson of company founder William Randolph Hearst.\n\nWendy Tokuda spent nearly 40 years as a television news anchor and reporter, primarily at KPIX in San Francisco, and was the first Asian American to anchor weekday news in the Bay Area. Her honors include seven regional Emmys, a Peabody Award and a national Emmy for “Students Rising Above,” a reporting series that grew into a nonprofit supporting low-income, first-generation students.\n\nJoe Fitzgerald Rodriguez is a politics reporter for The San Francisco Standard. Raised in San Francisco, he previously reported for KQED’s politics team and wrote a local political column for the San Francisco Examiner. He began reporting at age 12, interviewing then-Mayor Willie Brown for his middle school newspaper.\n\nJohn F. Rothmann is a radio talk show host, lecturer and political and foreign policy consultant. A frequent speaker on American politics and the presidency, he has served on the faculty of the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco since 2004 and co-authored books on history and politics.\n\nAbout The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel and Redwood Room\nLocated at 495 Geary Street, The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel blends contemporary design with timeless character and has been a cultural fixture of San Francisco since 1915. Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, the hotel offers 372 stylish guest rooms and suites and state-of-the-art event space. Its legendary Redwood Room pairs an iconic Art Deco setting with cocktails, dining and an expanding calendar of live music, cultural conversations and special events, welcoming hotel guests and locals alike. Together, the hotel and Redwood Room celebrate San Francisco’s rich history while creating new reasons to gather. Learn more at sonesta.com or call (415) 775-4700.\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2026/10/19/18889523.php SUMMARY:The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel Continues Its Speaker Series: Making History Fun Again LOCATION:The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, 495 Geary Street, San Francisco CA 94102\n URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2026/10/19/18889523.php DTSTART:20261120T010000Z DTEND:20261120T033000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR