Bay Area television crews along with their counterparts from around the state and across the country have turned the cities of Santa Clara and San Francisco into a media circus in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl 50 this Sunday.

       In Santa Clara, every Bay Area television station - KTVU, KRON, KPIX, KGO-TV and KNTV, along with Comcast Sports Net Bay Area - have descended on the area in and around Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and the much-hyped Super Bowl City venue at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco. There are TV crews from Fresno, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego, all of them, naturally, joining CBS, the network which will broadcast the big game on Sunday.

       In reality, it's the tale of two cities celebrating this once in a lifetime event - the 50th Super Bowl, being played in the Bay Area. San Francisco, the more famous and celebrated of the two, has pulled out all the stops to show its pride to the sports world in having the National Football League choose the San Francisco 49ers' new home, Levi's Stadium, as the prized venue for Super Bowl 50. It just happens to be located 49 miles (no joke) from downtown San Francisco, in Santa Clara, home to its own sprawling convention center, California's Great America theme park, and now, the new home of the 49ers. The little city that could. For more than 40 years, Santa Clara has just gotten things done, almost effortlessly.

      CBS Sports crews have been at Levi's Stadium for weeks leading up to this weekend, setting up their cameras and getting equipment in place, and building a studio set that promises to dazzle television viewers. Local and regional stations have been here, too, from doing regular live shots for morning shows and evening news broadcasts. The same applies to San Francisco, where the city has embraced the attention as well with the help of the Super Bowl City venue, which has been attracting throngs of Super Bowl fans from not just the Bay Area but for those who have traveled to the region from around the country.

      The Bay Area's CBS station, KPIX 5, has pulled out all the stops, of course, setting up shop at Levi's Stadium as well as in downtown San Francisco at Super Bowl City. They, of course, have signed Joe and Jennifer Montana to be on the air with the rest of the KPIX 5 news team.

      All of this media excitement, and the big game hasn't even arrived. Yet. Well, we're just hours away from the showdown between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Naturally, there is media excitement. After all, this is not just the Super Bowl. This is Super Bowl 50, and its home is the San Francisco Bay Area.

      KTVU Fox 2's Mark Ibanez is the longest-tenured sports director in the Bay Area. As he prepares to cover Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium, he recently chatted with me to share several of his fondest and funniest Super Bowl memories.

      In his own words:

      My first-ever Super Bowl was bittersweet because it was actually in our backyard when the 49ers played the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium in 1985. Game day was a dreary, cold day and it didn't feel like anything more than just another Stanford game, other than the fact the Niners were playing in it. The crazy thing was I almost didn't make it into the game due to a mix-up with my press credentials. 

     I had a pass for the post-game press conference, but not a sideline pass. So, acting with a "tough guy" face, I pretended to be one of the security guys, and carried a walkie talkie and clipboard the entire game with an IFB in my ear. They kept checking everyone's field passes, but not me. I fooled them - otherwise I would have been kicked out of my first Super Bowl!

    The 49ers ended up creaming the Dolphins and after capturing all of the elation in the winning locker room, my photog and I went to the Miami locker room, which had naturally cleared out in a hurry. Only one player remained, and it was now Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Of course, I asked Dan for an interview and it was the shortest interview I have ever conducted, consisting of just two words: "F#@! off!" 

    My second Super Bowl was in Miami in 1989 - yes, much better weather and a lot more fun as we actually got to travel and enjoy all of the hoopla leading up to the game. And the game was an all-time classic, culminating with the 49ers last-minute drive to go 90 yards, as Joe Montana hit John Taylor with just 34 seconds left for the game winning touchdown! I vividly recall the noise of the crowd and the pressure-packed atmosphere. As my cameraman and I followed the 49ers down the sideline on that historic drive, I mentioned to him that professional athletes in these situations deserve every penny they get - the pressure was enormous.

    Leading up to the game, I also got one of my first Super Bowl scoops. On the first day of practice in Miami, Jerry Rice hurt his back and the 49ers weren't sure he could play. It turned out that my chiropractor also happened to be Rice's chiropractor, and he called me to say he would be working with Jerry and invited me to the appointment to adjust Jerry's back. Among hundreds of TV crews, we secretly snuck into the hotel room and captured some incredible video, including nat sound where we could actually hear Rice's back cracking. Three national networks caught wind of our scoop and created a bidding war for the rights to our exclusive video, offering as much as $3,000.

    Fast forward to 1995 and we were back in Miami where Steve Young led the 49ers to an easy win over the San Diego Chargers. Leading up to the game, I had some fun producing a package and sarcastically saying what a tough assignment I had covering the Super Bowl in sunny Miami. As I was doing my stand-up to close my story - on the beach of course, I told my cameraman to keep rolling. He had me framed from the waist up as usual showing my sport coat attire, but I only had swim trunks on below. I then tossed my microphone on the ground, tore off my coat, and three beautiful bikini-clad women then came up and escorted me into the water. Yes, it was a rough life covering Super Bowl XXIX.

    On a more serious note, covering Super Bowls is actually really hard work - especially in Eastern time zones, given the three-hour time difference and having to go live on the Ten O'clock News, which is about 2 a.m. local time. Everything gets blown out of proportion during Super Bowl week and everyone is expecting a big story. The reality is coaches have to coach, and the only time you can gain access to them is during 7 AM press conferences - so we average about four hours of sleep each night. By the time you are on the air - after 16 hour days - you are exhausted and your boss is still expecting you to break that great story. It all goes back to that word "super" - super pressure and super high expectations for the Super Bowl.

    Finally, everyone has their favorite Media Day silly story. I credit my long-time producer Pete Lupetti for this one, when he suggested to have one of the 49ers players go in disguised as a reporter. At Super Bowl XXIX in Miami, 49ers offensive lineman Derrick Deese was up for the ploy. He dressed in street clothes, we gave him a Channel 2 mic, and away he went - actually interviewing several San Diego Chargers' players!  CBS network news caught wind of the story and followed him around and ended up showing our Channel 2 mic flag on CBS. My news director loved that!  And Deese ended up catching the broadcasting bug as he is now a talk show host in Los Angeles.

I look forward to sharing more crazy stories from Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium next month. 

      

       Inducted into the Silver Circle of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1990 for his more than 25 years of contributions to the Bay Area and northern California television industry, Post was perhaps best known in the last years of his life for his work as the political editor at KRON in San Francisco.

       Post was certainly in his element throughout his career. He lived and breathed politics.

       Born in New York City in 1930, Post's father was a New York state assemblyman, and his mother was a fashion model and civic volunteer. Talk about being destined for a career in journalism: Post was named for his grandfather, Rollin Kirby, who won the first Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.

       The family eventually moved from New York to southern California. That is where Post attended high school in Claremont. After high school, he made it to the Bay Area to attend San Francisco State College for a year before entering the Army. After, he attended UC Berkeley, graduating from there in 1952 with a degree in political science.

      With his sights now set on launching a career, Post became a copy boy for CBS Radio in Los Angeles. That is where he met Diane Opley, who became his wife in 1954.

Three years later, he joined KTTV in Los Angeles, where he worked as the writer and producer of The Paul Coates Report, a syndicated interview show.

      Moving back to the Bay Area in 1961, he joined KPIX as a morning producer and assignment editor. In 1962, he became a reporter for the station.

Post went on to work for KQED, where he was a commentator on the evening news roundtable broadcast, Newsroom. In later years, he co-hosted A Closer Look, with Belva Davis (SC '89, GC '13).

      Post and Davis worked together for more than 30 years, including 18 years as co-hosts of California This Week on KRON.

      Post died in October 2011 at the age of 81 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He will always be remembered for his nearly 30 years in the Bay Area as an interviewer, commentator and reporter. He grilled politicians of any stature and scope during his lengthy career. He was a force to be reckoned with.

Kevin Wing (SC '13) is a San Francisco-based producer for ABC News' "Good Morning America" and is principal/executive producer of his production company, Kevin Wing Media Communications. He is editor of "Off Camera" and serves as San Francisco vice president on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco/Northern California Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Inducted into the Chapter's Silver Circle in 2013, he has been penning "Gold & Silver Circle Profiles" since 2007.

      After 15 years of being one of the most loved and respected journalists in the Central Valley, Christine Park left KFSN ABC30 this month.

      She is moving with her family to San Diego, where she has accepted a public information officer role with a local school district. 

      Saying farewell to Fresno and television news wasn't easy. 

      "It was touching, the genuine sadness they expressed, when I announced my departure," Park says about her loyal viewers. "They were always so kind and complimentary. They felt a real connection to me." Park says she felt honored to earn their trust and respect while on the air. 

Christine Park

       She served many roles while at Channel 30, including weekend assignment editor, special projects producer, South Valley Bureau reporter, morning show reporter, and most recently, consumer reporter and anchor of the midday and 4 p.m. newscasts.  

      Park, a five-time Emmy® recipient, has covered almost everything, from flying with the Blue Angels and being on board a Navy aircraft carrier to exposing the exclusive Disneyland Club 33, and working the front lines of southern California wildfires.                     

      She enjoyed sharing stories that took viewers outside of their day-to-day lives. "The ones that gave them a window into something they might never see or experience, without our help," says Park. 

       Park taught broadcast journalism at Fresno State for several semesters after receiving her Master's Degree there in 2006. She says she has always loved education, and knew it is where she would ultimately end up.  

      "Sometimes, we have to make decisions not based on our own desires, but what's best for our families," Park says. "In this case, a series of events and opportunities came up that allowed us to pursue our dream of living in San Diego." 

      Asked what Park will miss most about working at ABC30, she said she will miss the camaraderie and building friendships "under deadlines, crappy schedules, and stressful situations." 

     The stress should be minimal moving forward. Park's new home in San Diego is just a few minutes away from the beach.

       I fell in love with Dave while wearing Depends. 

       It was graceless, truly.  I walked out of my bathroom, and in an attempt at humor, self-consciously did a little dance to show off my adult diapers.  And he replied,

"SEXY!"

       That was it. 

       Dave and I had been dating eight months when I went into the hospital for the first time. This incident happened the afternoon I was released from that first visit.  The following week, I went back into the hospital for emergency surgery - where a tumor the size of an orange was removed from my bowel. 

       No sh&^. Literally.  That's what put me in the ER in the first place.  And my stubborn-streak would've kept me out of the hospital at all, but for Dave.  He insisted that I go.

       That same stubborn streak severely hampered his plans for our engagement as well.  Unbeknownst to me, he wanted to propose at a restaurant.  The problem? He wanted to do so the night before we were leaving for Thanksgiving vacation.  And I still had to pack. So here we are: I'm lining suitcases, pillows, boxes of games and food in the entryway - turn around, and what is Dave doing? Sitting on my couch watching TV. 

      That was it. 

      I was gonna wring his neck.  Then he tells me to sit down on the ottoman, and starts playing a video he made: Reasons Why Sarah Should Say "Yes." Dave had all of our closest family and friends give reasons to say "yes," with one exception.  His co-anchor Amanda yelled, "Nooooooo!" He provided a priceless gift for the engagement that means more than any expensive restaurant dinner could.

So, how do we make it work? He anchors Good Morning Reno and Midday.  He goes to bed at 6 p.m. I anchor the 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. shows.  

      By the time I get home, his snores fill the hall.

      Easy. When you find a man who thinks you look sexy in adult diapers: YOU KEEP HIM.

      When you find a man who knows the right time to push against or go with stubbornness: YOU KEEP HIM.

 

KOLO 8 News Now anchors Dave Lawrence and Sarah Johns got engaged Nov. 24, 2015. They announced it on the final day of the November book to their viewers. The competition still thinks it was a ratings stunt. 

Special to Off Camera

In January, we asked you for the name of the host of  Dance Party

. We also asked you for the name of the guest, and the station on which this show aired for many years.

OFFICERS

President:  Keith Sanders,  San Jose  State University

Vice President- San Francisco:  Kevin Wing*, ABC-TV Good Morning America

Vice President-Sacramento:  Cynthia Zeiden*,  Zeiden  Media   

Vice President- Fresno:  Kim Stephens*,  KMPH Fox 26 

Vice President- Reno:  Terri Russell,  KOLO 8  

Past President:  Javier Valencia*,  Consultant

 

NATIONAL TRUSTEES

Linda Giannecchini*,  KQED 9  (National Awards Chair)

Alison Gibson,  Media Cool  (National 2nd Vice Chairperson)

John Odell*,  CCSF Emeritus

Steve Shlisky*,  KTVU Fox 2  

Alternate: Kevin Wing*,  ABC-TV Good Morning America

 

GOVERNORS

Kent Beichley,  KRON 4

Wayne Freedman* ,  KGO-TV ABC7 

Luis Godinez,  KDTV Univision 14

Richard Harmelink,  KFSN ABC30   (Nominating Chair) 

Pablo Icub,  KUVS Univision 19

Brian Johnson,  KFSN ABC30

Sean Karlin, Independent

George Lang*,  The Big Picture

Da Lin,  KPIX 5

Terry Lowry*,  LaCosse Productions   (Gold & Silver Circle Chair) 

Melissa Mapes,  KITV 4

Joyce Mitchell*,  4 U Productions

Michael Moya, fotografx

David Paredes,  KNTV NBC Bay Area

Pat Patton,  Consultant

Ross Perich,  ProMotion Studios

Manny Ramos*,  Manny Ramos Communications

Erik Rosales,  KMPH FOX 26

Brenda Salgado,  KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now 

Don Sanchez*,  KGO-TV ABC7 (Retired) 

Matt Skryja,  CSAA  

Karen Sutton,  Independent  (Emmy Gala Chair)

Melanie Woodrow,  KGO-TV ABC7

Noemi Zeigler Sanchez, Laney College

 

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Activities/Programs:  Cynthia Zeiden*,  Zeiden Media 

Archives/Museum:  John Catchings*,  Catchings & Associates

                            Linda Giannecchini*,  KQED 9  

Awards:  Julie Watts,  KPIX 5

Education:  Steve Shlisky*,  KTVU Fox 2 

Finance:  Alison Gibson,  Media Cool  

Legal/Bylaws:  Mark Pearson,  ARC Law Group 

Membership:  (Vacant)

Marketing:  Patty Zubov,  Platonic TV

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Darryl R. Compton*,  NATAS

* Member of the Silver Circle 

Contact Information:

National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
San Francisco/Northern California Chapter
Darryl Compton, Executive Director
4317 Camden Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403-5007
Phone: 650 341-7786 or 415 777-0212
Fax: 650 372-0279
[email protected]

 

The name "Emmy®" and the graphic image of the statuette, are registered trademarks of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.