Recalling the massive quakes that changed the face of Bakersfield

Here's a nice bit of video storytelling from The Californian's Louis Amestoy that's part of a two-day Californian series marking the 60th anniversary of the massive earthquakes that forever changed Bakersfield and Tehachapi. 

I'm sharing the video here to highlight some of the increasing video we're doing, but recommend you read Day 1 of reporter Steven Mayer's series. 

I've always thought Bakersfield had a cool downtown before the quakes hit in 1952. Sadly, the interesting architecture damaged in the quake was replaced by visual blight, saddling the city with a lack of character at its core.

The city's downtown is undergoing a nice transformation as nice restaurants, galleries and botiques spread downtown but watching this video makes you wonder what coulda been. 

Be a star on bakersfield.com

Click to open PDF version of our adWe're expanding our multimedia focus on The Bakersfield.com Network and are recruiting for a multimedia intern to help shoot and produce video, direct and produce webcasts, appear on camera and otherwise create content for the web. 

As we note in our advertising for this position, we're planning a number of new digital products in the coming months, including expanding our video initiatives on bakersfield.com, bakersfieldcalifornian.com and Bakotube, our YouTube channel. 

One of those initiatives will be adding more webcasts on high-interest topics but we'll also be producing more multimedia content using a variety of tools and platforms. 

Details to come as we fill in the blanks. But it's safe to say I'm excited about what's around the corner. 

If you're interested in this job or know someone who is, feel free to contact me or apply directly (include "Multimedia Intern" in the subject line). 

Pinch-hitting on Sound Off

I've returned to my roots this past week in The Californian newsroom, playing daily editor in backstopping the vacationing John Arthur. 

With that editor role comes the privilege of publicly responding to reader complaints, compliments and other feedback in our Sunday Sound Off column. I used to write Sound Off regularly when I was The Californian's managing editor, but these days it's a gig that comes around just a few times a year. 

This edition of Sound Off is typical, responding to two readers' completely different takes on our recent series on foreign doctors, questions about our priorities in sports, and suggestions on our sourcing on healthcare coverage.