Category Archives: King Harris

Celebrating the Point San Luis Lighthouse

king_harris cover bubbleBy King Harris

Pacific Gas & Electric meteorologist, John Lindsey, frequently calls it “The most beautiful place on the Central Coast,” and I’m inclined to agree with him.
If you’ve never been out to the Point San Luis Lighthouse, you owe it to yourself to engage in the experience. A perfect time would be Aug. 14, when the lighthouse is celebrating its 125 anniversary with an event called, “Light the Night.”
Tickets for the gala can be purchased at the website: SanLuisLighthouse.org. The historic lighthouse is located on the coastline south of Diablo Canyon and just north of Avila Bay, on 30 acres owned by the Port san Luis Harbor District and surrounded by property owned by PG&E. Continue reading Celebrating the Point San Luis Lighthouse

Debby Davidson – A Real Pro and A Class Act

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By King Harris

It was May of 1990. At the time, I was the news director and anchor at KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara and I was looking for a co-anchor to replace Paula Lopez, who had left for Hollywood, when the phone rang.
“Hello, this is King,” I said.
“Mr. Harris, this is Deborah Davidson calling from Tuscon. I understand you have an opening for an anchor?”
“We sure do,” I replied. “Send me a tape and resumé and I’ll get back to you.”
“Will do. Thanks, bye.”
It took me less than a minute before I realized who it was that called me. Holy smokes! I had just talked with Debby Davidson, whom I had seen over the years as an anchor at KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles.
Could I acquire a major market TV news personality for small-market KEYT? Continue reading Debby Davidson – A Real Pro and A Class Act

‘Eve of Destruction’ Relevant Today

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By King Harris

Some 50-years ago today, the crème-de-la-crème of all Top 40 protest songs was recorded and released, much to the consternation of radio programmers from Coast to Coast, many of whom refused to play it on their airwaves.
I was at the time working for such a man, Ernie Minor, who owned KKIS, a small Top-40 radio station in Pittsburg, Calif. Ernie, who knew I was a teenage rock ‘n’ roller, sought out my opinion, and I told him I thought he should keep it on the play list, despite pressure from advertisers.
The song in question was, “Eve of Destruction,” recorded by former New Christy Minstrel member and gravelly voiced, Barry McGuire. What’s interesting to note are the lyrics, which are just as relevant today as they were then. Continue reading ‘Eve of Destruction’ Relevant Today

That’s The Way it Was

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By King Harris

For 20 years of my life, I was a local television news anchor, and for more than half that time, a news director as well, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that I’ve been following with great interest the salacious saga of former NBC news anchor Brian Williams, who was suspended earlier this year then demoted last week for embellishing several news accounts that he was involved in.
I blame NBC for letting the situation get out of hand as it did, but as far as I’m concerned William’s first big mistake is that he let it get away from him.
It’s easy to do when you are suddenly thrust into the spotlight and become the celebrity that everyone else thinks you are.
It’s an ego trip just waiting to happen when your real purpose for being there was to present in the most effective way you could, news reports and features that would have some value to your viewers. Credibility here was the key, and that’s not something you build in just one day. Continue reading That’s The Way it Was

‘Carnival of the Animals’ Narrating a Great Honor

king_harris cover bubbleGood to be King
By King Harris

Some surprising things come your way when you are a news director and anchorman for television news, as it did for me in my waning years at KEYT in Santa Barbara.
In 1993, to my enchantment and for reasons that are still a bit fuzzy, I was chosen by Bach Camarata to be narrator for the Ogden Nash version of French composer, Camille Saint-Saens’s classic composition “Carnival of the Animals.”
Adrian Spence, a flutist from Ireland and leader of the small chamber orchestra called at the time “Bach Camarata,” now known as “Camarata Pacifica,” invited me to narrate the piece for showings in Ventura at City Hall; in Santa Barbara at the Music Academy of the West; and at the Santa Barbara City Zoo for two concerts on Mother’s Day in 1994 and ’95. Continue reading ‘Carnival of the Animals’ Narrating a Great Honor