Unpacked will return! In the meantime check out episode one of Christopher Beale's new podcast Stereotypes - Straight Talk from Queer Voices. Listen and subscribe! - Everyone’s coming out is different. Some folks can’t come out, and for many — when we finally do — we discover that there are more questions on the other side. Meet Rae, a gender non-binary person who has learned to treat coming out as a process the length of a lifetime. Plus, Chris shares how he got caught in the act and forced out of the closet in high school. - You can contact Christopher Beale on Twitter, and connect with the show at StereotypesPodcast.org.

Unpacked

Presenting: Stereotypes - Straight Talk from Queer Voices

   Last weekend - San Francisco’s LGBTQIA community gathered to mourn with the Asian community, to speak and - in San Francisco’s long tradition of activism...to march. "Enough is Enough!" - Michael Nguyen (GAPA) - To see photos from the event, and read the written version in Outword Magazine, click here. To read the print version in 3 minutes on Medium, click here. To support my work with a monthly gift, and pick up cool bonuses from this and our sister podcast Theme Park Pulse: The Game, click here! RESOURCES GAPAAsian Pacific FundSan Francisco LGBTQ Community CenterSacramento Asian ResourcesSacramento LGBTQ Community Center

San Francisco’s LGBTQIA Community Marches To Stop Asian Hate

   If there is one piece of good news about the COVID-19 Pandemic its that more people recover from COVID-19 than die from it. In the state of California, so far, 40,000 people have died from COVID-19. But that’s out of more than 3 million diagnosed cases. Those people who recover, and quarantine...eventually return to work. That got me thinking - what kind of reception are they receiving in the workplace? The DeLeons have both experienced COVID-19 and both returned to work. That is where the similarities end.   Special thanks to Angel & Ray DeLeon from Palmdale, CA for their story. Check out Angel's crafts here. - - - More information on my work at ChristopherJBeale.com. To support me with a monthly gift, check out the No Midnight Media Patreon.   

Returning to work after COVID-19

   How does coffee go from the field - to your cup? Is coffee addictive, and how can YOU positively impact the people who grow it? What's the difference between 'local' coffee and Starbucks?   On this episode, Josh Taylor on how to navigate the complicated world of coffee. - - - For more information on Christopher's work head to ChristopherJBeale.com, for more podcast content from No Midnight Media head to NoMidnightMedia.com. - - -   

The Complicated World of Coffee

   The Glass Fire - which as of writing this has burned more than 60,000 acres near California’s wine country - is displacing entire communities. Whole families forced out of their homes with no idea when they’ll be able to return - or if they’ll have a home to return to. This is the story of one such family waiting for answers. - LINKS Napa Valley Register Cal Fire Support our work on Patreon. Theme Park Pulse: The Game 

Glass Fire: Napa 'Refugees' Wait For Answers

I visited Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World in the days following the Governor’s announcement to see for myself what visiting a Florida park looks like during a pandemic — now that Florida’s state government has decided it’s over. This is the narration of my first article for Medium.  - To support our work on Patreon with a monthly gift, click here.  

Visiting Florida's Parks in Phase 3

From Lake Berryessa in California to Big Fish Lake in Minnesota - two big fish stories, 3 acts, 30 minutes. Click here for a written transcript of the episode. Act 1 - The First Attempt   An educational but completely empty-handed fishing trip to Lake Berryessa. "I think I'd like to lose a finger." - Tom Act 2 - Grandpa Hal    Mark recounts the final fishing trip he shared with his beloved grandfather. "80 Fish!" - Mark Act 3 - Best Day Ever A bolt of electricity! Tom and I finally catch a kokanee! "My legs are a little wobbly." - Chris - Connect with Christopher on Twitter at @RealChrisJBeale, and support his work on Patreon with a monthly gift. - It's like that popular NPR quiz show...except, for theme park fans! Check out Theme Park Pulse: The Game - every other week.

Big Fish Stories

After two nights of demonstrations against police brutality that ended in riots and looting - Oakland protesters took to the streets Sunday to take back the narrative, Black Lives Matter. Special thanks to Youth Radio Media and their volunteers, to my neighbor for the up-close video of the looting, and to the demonstrators on Sunday for allowing me access and making me feel welcome. SOURCES: NBC Bay Area My neighbor on Twitter. David DeBolt on Twitter. Washington Post Berkeleyside

Oakland Takes Back The Narrative

The story of a San Francisco man recovering from a confirmed case of COVID-19. "My heart starts beating so fast Wednesday night. Really, Really, Really fast. I get this numbness all over my body. My legs are falling numb. I have a hard time getting up. And I'm like, Oh my God. This is it. I’m gonna die." - Armando Zambrana To get tested for COVID-19, click here. To support my work on Patreon, click here. SOURCES: Johns Hopkins University San Francisco Department of Public HealthUC Davis   

Activity Found | a COVID-19 story

 The Zayner family’s house is one of those spaces where people are always coming and going on the weekends. Come as you are...B.Y.O.B and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. With a pool in the backyard for epic summer’s out under the sun, this place is my little slice of paradise outside the city. It’s ground-zero for family hangs. COVID-19 has moved this large family indoors for school and work - how are Bridget and Zach handling the pandemic-induced stress? How about the kids? To support our work on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, click here. The song at the end of the episode is "We're Gonna Be Okay" by Cody Francis. Available on Spotify. 

Zone Defense & Drive-By Kisses

This morning was so unusual I had to share it with you. I witnessed a crime here in Oakland and it shook me. "I just witnessed my first crime in Oakland, like right in front of me, I saw it. I tried to help." - Christopher J. Beale Have you ever witnessed a crime? Share it with me at (213) 935-0513. If you have helpful information about the crime featured in this story, call Oakland Police at (510) 777-3333. - Support my work for as little as $1 a month on Patreon. 

Short Story: A Violent Shove

 Meet Adam Green, an Oakland High School teacher who, thanks to coronavirus, has a unique problem. How do you teach music to 140 students...from home? SOURCES: NBC Bay Area San Francisco Chronicle Special thanks to the Oakland Public Library and Skyline High School. - Support the work of Unpacked, and Theme Park Pulse on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, and receive cool benefits as well as early access to our shows! Details here. - Unpacked is recorded, written, researched and sound designed by Christopher Beale for No Midnight Media in Oakland, California.   

Adam & Mr. Green | Teaching during Coronavirus

   Coronavirus is changing everything here in California. Our jobs. Our commutes. Our religious and social practices. Social isolation will probably be the phrase that defines 2020, and we’re only 3 months in. As people begin to practice social distancing and adjust to this new normal...I am feeling a pull to do something. I know I need to help, I want to help. But how can I best do that? As I’ve been meditating on this over the last few weeks, it finally came to me. In one form or another I have pursued some kind of journalism for years now, and Unpacked now stands in a unique position to be a vehicle for that kind of work. But, in order to do that, I need to catch you up on what is going on in my world. Over the last year I have reached a sort of a crossroads in my life. A lot has changed, and a lot more change is coming.  For almost 20 years now I have pursued my childhood dream of being a radio personality. Beginning in Orlando when I was a wee lad, I’ve been on the radio in Miami, Key West, New Haven, Boston, Colorado Springs, Gainesville (FL), Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Sacramento.  Admittedly - I’ve had a lot of success. But in that time, I have essentially moved where the job was. Every place I have lived, I have arrived completely alone with no reason to be there other than a radio job. At most of these stops along the way, I have departed with memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. But - I haven’t, up until recently, had the opportunity to pick a place to live, simply because I want to be there. My boyfriend and I picked the San Francisco Bay Area and this past November, we moved to Oakland. We love it here. The dogs are happy we love the little church lawn across the street.  I’ve continued to commute to Sacramento on weekdays since mid-November but I must admit, it is exhausting, and it gets more challenging each day. For about 12 hours a day I am almost constantly in motion, and that would wear on just about anyone.  When I first got into radio, in 2000, my job was to do a single live radio show each day, and maybe some light production work.  Now, in an average week I host 45 hours of radio content on two radio stations, conceptualize, write, shoot and produce 5-10 minutes of original video content with varying locations, write a couple of blogs, record between 5 and 20 commercials and I may have a public appearance in a Sacramento suburb over the weekend. It’s a busy lifestyle. Combine that with 4 hours of commuting each day and I arrive home most nights completely mentally fried. That’s why Unpacked has been so quiet these last few months. It’s unsustainable. I have reached that point where it’s time to make a few changes. Stepping Down First, I am stepping down from my role at Mix 96 and Now 100.5 at the end of June 2020. It’s been 5 years, and I am grateful to every single person who listened to anything I put on the radio in Sacramento and allowed me to thrive in this beautiful city. I am beyond grateful for the opportunities afforded me by the team at Bonneville Sacramento, and CBS Radio before that. Through a merger, 4 cities and 2 companies I have been continuously employed for close to 11 years now, and in radio that is beyond rare. I am humbled, and will never forget the love and growth I experienced in Sacramento. Thankfully, I am not living that far away.  My last day on the air at Mix 96 and Now 100.5 will be Friday, June 26, 2020. More on that as it gets closer. I do not, as of writing this, have another full-time job lined up. I am open to discussing just about anything interesting including home voicetracking, production, reporting and editing. I would ultimately prefer to stay in the bay area. My email address is radiokory@gmail.com.-- So, what now? For the next stage of my life and career, I want to do a wider variety of work. Learn some new skills, and challenge myself. If you’ve been listening to our family of podcasts over the last 3 years, you have seen the infancy of this experimentation. I have found a love for telling stories, through audio and video. My real passion being radio, audio journalism and radio stories are natural next steps. Listen to my docu-series Unpacked presents Bret, Mickey & Walt if you want to hear my best (up to now) example, it’s here in this feed. That passion and experimentation have opened some new doors for me here in the bay area. More on that in the coming weeks. Yes, you’ll hear me on the radio in the San Francisco bay area soon. Christopher Early in my career, at Y100 in Miami more specifically, I was asked to take on a stage name. More specifically, a two-syllable name. Something about a study of the perception of listeners...whatever. I was a kid, I did what I was told. I picked Kory. with a K. Shortly thereafter my career began to take me to new and exciting places, and the name stuck. I kept the stage name, for almost 20 years. I mean, Kory is verified on Facebook and Twitter! But! Kory, is not really a public radio name.  Thankfully for me...Christopher Beale, is. That’s my real name, and It’s truly an honor for me to bring my real last name to the front. My grandfather, Ray Beale, was a radio personality himself in the 50s and 60s. The name, has emotional weight for me. It’s still weird to say Christopher Beale into a microphone but I am adjusting. Moving forward, I will be using my real name on Unpacked, and for my journalism work. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @RealChrisJBeale. I’ll still have the name Kory for any commercial radio work I do of course, and it will for the time being, be the name I will use to host Theme Park Pulse on Fridays. - The Net To recap. I am living will be leaving my full-time position in Sacramento at the end of June, and though doors are opening for me, I do not currently have a reliable source of full-time income lined up. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I do know I have a great support system around me here in the bay area. This next step is...a little scary, and I know it will not be without it’s challenges. But I am ready for the ride. Opportunity is out there, and I intend to find it. Jason Mraz has this great song called ‘Make It Mine,’ it’s been a sort of a mantra for me these last few months and I love this simple line. “Leap, and the net will appear.” -- Now that you know where I stand. I am proud to announce that Unpacked is returning. With coronavirus changing everything, people need to connect more than ever, and if one story can help make this dark time of social isolation a little brighter...then that’s what I intend to do. I am already recording interviews for an all-new season where I want to explore how this pandemic is affecting the day-to-day lives of every day people.  Unpacked is back...in 1 week!

Leap, and the net will appear.

Would you move across the state for something you really wanted, and really believed in? What if if came with a 3 hour commute...each way? Plus - a brief history of migration and gentrification, from a reluctant gentrifier in Oakland. I hope you enjoy this bonus episode of Unpacked, and I'll talk to you in 2020! - Kory SOURCES/MENTIONS: Mix 96 & Now 100.5 SF Gate "Sound Reporting" by Jonathan Kern If you would like to support the work of Unpacked, and hear our episodes before they are released, join our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! Oh, and would you please share this episode, rate & review Unpacked on Apple Podcasts!? Thanks in advance! Twitter | Instagram | Facebook (Page/Group) - This bonus episode is written, recorded, and sound designed by Christopher "Kory" Beale. ©No Midnight Media, All rights reserved. Music licensed by Epidemic Sound. -  

Open to Outrage & Joy

Radio stories by Kory and his friends, reflecting real-life and fantasy through storytelling.

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Unpacked

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