As KTVZ turns 38, employee since Day 1 is moving on

In 1977, NewsChannel 21 went on the air, with the help of our most veteran employee, Stan Hiromoto, who has been our master control operator for the past 38 years.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s been 38 years,” Hiromoto said recently. “Looking back, a lot has changed with technology, from the first on-air board to now with satellite dishes. It’s amazing.”

Hiromoto was fresh out of college, and Bend had a grand total of 16,000 residents when they flipped the switch for the brand-new TV station.

“I thought I would have a few years of experience here, go back to California, where my family is, and work at another TV station,” he said. “But I fell in love with Bend and the outdoors, and I’ve been here for 38 years.”

Former NewsChannel 21 reporter Rebecca Meade remembers Hiromoto fondly.

“Stan was always our totally consistent die-hard, always there, always ready to help out in whatever way,” she said. “Because sometimes we were really close to not making it, and he would be queuing up our tapes for us and running around. And you couldn’t ask for a better person to have your back when you were doing the news.”

To see others weigh in on KTVZ’s impact and take a look back at NewsChannel 21 throughout the years, view the video above this article.