Home » News » Editorials » EDITORIAL: A Response To John Zaring
Louie - Editorial - Santa Clarita News

EDITORIAL: A Response To John Zaring

By Carl Goldman, KHTS Co-Owner

Earlier this week I wrote an editorial defending our role to disseminate our local news in an unbiased fashion. My comments included the defense of our president and the unfair bias by most of the national media, from CNN to Fox. You can read my original editorial here.


Sponsored Articles


Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

That editorial provoked a lot of controversy throughout Santa Clarita. I heard from childhood friends who suggested we both live on different planets. One of the more pointed responses came from Santa Clarita resident John Zaring, whom I respect because we can agree to disagree on political issues, which is what is currently missing in today’s hate-filled climate. John wrote a rebuttal to my editorial, which was posted as a comment on the KHTS website beneath my editorial. You can scroll down below the previous editorial to read his original response.

I wrote a private response to John, who suggested I publish it to share openly and to hold us accountable for our commitment to remain fair and balanced with our local news. Here’s my email to John:

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com.

Hi John,

I am writing this as a personal email rather than an open post. I too, like and respect you. I know our political leanings are on different sides of the spectrum, although I believe we would be surprised at how many issues we are in agreement on, and I am clear we both support what is best for the Santa Clarita Valley.

While I don’t agree with all of Trump’s policies and I certainly do not approve of his Twitter impulses, I support much of his agenda.

But supporting Trump and leaning Republican does not mean we can’t disseminate our local Santa Clarita news in an unbiased fashion. Every one of our reporters is a Democrat. My wife Jeri and I act as a good check and balance to make certain we are covering a story down the middle, covering both sides. We also do not avoid stories or parts of a story that aren’t in sync with our political leanings.

That doesn’t mean we won’t express our political views, as was apparent in my editorial. But our political views are kept to editorials, or with some of our talk show hosts. None are part of our news team nor do we post any of their political comments as news. Our news is handled very differently than our editorials or talk shows.

As we get closer to the election we will be balanced with every candidate, giving them equal time and a fair shake with our interviews and stories. We have already done so in the primary and with our reporting over the last 29 years we’ve owned the radio station. We are committed to continuing to do so with the general election.

We have been trying to put a local weekly liberal show on the air to add more balance to our on-air talk shows. My wife, Jeri, has met with several local Democrats about doing a weekly show, and they are not following through on creating one. We have been looking for a show for the past two years and cannot find anyone who is able to do this on a consistent basis.

So, we can agree to disagree on the bias of the news. However, I want to assure you we are making every effort to be fair, balanced and allow both sides to express their view. I invite you to keep an open dialogue with us and share any stories we post that you feel are unbalanced or relay stories you feel we are leaving out of our local news. We will make every effort to correct a story that is not fair and balanced.

We are also open to publishing editorials you may want to write covering the local issues in our valley. Our goal is to have a healthy dialogue about local issues that impact all of us.

I appreciate you taking the time to write a response to my editorial and hope we can continue positive communication to make sure that all Santa Clarita media, whether owned by Republicans or Democrats, give our residents the fairness they deserve.

Ed. Note: Goldman’s views reflect his own opinion. The KHTS newsroom encompasses a wide variety of political and social beliefs. Every member of the KHTS news staff is dedicated to covering Santa Clarita news in an unbiased and nonpartisan way.

 

Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

EDITORIAL: A Response To John Zaring

2 comments

  1. My friend Carl,

    Thank you — and genuinely, for those who might question my sincerity — for always comporting yourself with dignity and class in our communication. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate and respect this about you.

    And thank you as well for taking my advice, and posting your email to me …

    With every Santa Clarita-based media outlet under Republican ownership, the proof will be in the proverbial pudding. I’m hopeful your words will indeed lead to a more inclusive editorial perspective, especially when it comes to what gets covered and how it is framed. Here of late, there have been significant newsworthy events that have gone either under or unreported, and that has to change.

    The demographic composition of this place we all love is evolving, and while that might frighten some, others will embrace it. Frankly, with houses being built again that means there will be even more Democrats moving north from Los Angeles, and ignoring that fact would be unwise (since you simply can’t cater to a shrinking slice of the populace if you hope to survive as a business).

    We can’t change the madness unfolding in national politics — that ball will likely end-up in Congress’ court — but every Santa Claritan should be striving to make things better on a local level. That includes KHTS, The Signal, Gazette and SCTV. If ‘Fair and balanced’ truly is the goal, we’ll be here to hold you to account.

    Now, let’s get some Democrats on air sooner than later …

    • Very refreshing to read civil disagreement. We should all be provoked by this. I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I appreciate this dialogue. Thank you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Carl Goldman

Carl Goldman, along with his wife, Jeri repurchased KHTS AM-1220, Santa Clarita’s hometown station on October 24, 2003. They owned it from 1990-1998, and then sold it to Clear Channel Communication in 1998, buying it back from Clear Channel in 2003. Since then, they have rebuilt KHTS as a critical voice of the Valley. In 2015 the radio station moved to its new headquarters on Main Street in Old Town Newhall, in the original Newhall Hardware building. In 2018 an FM was added, 98.1, with its signal being simulcast with AM-1220. In January 2020, Carl and Jeri cruised on the Diamond Princess. Carl was one of the first Americans to come down with Covid-19. Months earlier he was impacted by Guillain Barre Syndrome as a result of a Shingles vaccine in September 2019. He is still in recovery from the vaccine.