Speaker Series: Making History Fun Again At The Clift Royal Sonesta – Nov. 19

The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, a San Francisco landmark since 1915, continues its monthly speaker series, Making History Fun Again, with “San Francisco’s Media Evolution,” a conversation with journalists and media leaders who have helped tell the city’s stories across generations and platforms.

On Thursday, November 19, Heather Knight, San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times, will moderate a panel featuring Will Hearst, editor and publisher of Alta Journal; award-winning television journalist Wendy Tokuda; political reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez of The San Francisco Standard; and radio host and political commentator John F. Rothmann.

From newspaper dispatches to television broadcasts, radio conversations and news delivered through smartphones, San Francisco’s media have chronicled a city defined by reinvention. Earthquakes, local politics, cultural movements, housing challenges and unforgettable personalities have provided generations of journalists with stories that resonate far beyond the Bay Area.

Bringing together perspectives from print, television, digital news and radio, the evening will explore how the city’s stories reach audiences, how journalism has changed and what endures as new technologies reshape the media landscape. Guests will hear from people who have brought Bay Area news into homes, onto doorsteps, over the airwaves and into the palm of a hand.

The complimentary event begins with non-hosted cocktails at 5:00 p.m., followed by the program from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in The Clift’s historic Redwood Room. Advance reservations are required.

Event Details

What: Making History Fun Again — San Francisco’s Media Evolution

Moderator: Heather Knight, The New York Times

Panelists: Will Hearst, Wendy Tokuda, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez and John F. Rothmann

When: Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. non-hosted cocktails | 6:00–7:30 p.m. program

Where: The Redwood Room @ The Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, San Francisco

Admission: Complimentary with RSVP

RSVP: Making History Fun Again Speaker Series at The Clift — Eventbrite

About the Moderator and Panelists

Heather Knight is the San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times, covering the city and the Bay Area. Previously a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, she has reported on subjects ranging from San Francisco’s coyotes to the region’s technology leaders and changing neighborhoods.

Will Hearst is the editor and publisher of Alta Journal, which he founded in 2017, and board chair of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. He is a grandson of company founder William Randolph Hearst.

Wendy Tokuda spent nearly 40 years as a television news anchor and reporter, primarily at KPIX in San Francisco, and was the first Asian American to anchor weekday news in the Bay Area. Her honors include seven regional Emmys, a Peabody Award and a national Emmy for “Students Rising Above,” a reporting series that grew into a nonprofit supporting low-income, first-generation students.

Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez is a politics reporter for The San Francisco Standard. Raised in San Francisco, he previously reported for KQED’s politics team and wrote a local political column for the San Francisco Examiner. He began reporting at age 12, interviewing then-Mayor Willie Brown for his middle school newspaper.

John F. Rothmann is a radio talk show host, lecturer and political and foreign policy consultant. A frequent speaker on American politics and the presidency, he has served on the faculty of the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco since 2004 and co-authored books on history and politics.

About The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel and Redwood Room

Located at 495 Geary Street, The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel blends contemporary design with timeless character and has been a cultural fixture of San Francisco since 1915. Learn more at sonesta.com or call (415) 775-4700.