Innovations in media: Kerr County Lead

Relentlessly creative is how I describe Louis Amestoy, my former compadre at The Bakersfield Californian. Louis is passionate about local media and is constantly unearthing new ways to serve readers and advertisers in new ways. 

Over the past two decades, he’s been a leader in leveraging live video of all kinds into other content streams. A recent example of this comes via the Kerr County Lead, the 5-year-old digital-first media company he founded and operates in Kerrville, Texas. 

Amestoy is a multimedia master who hosts an hour-long livestreamed video show on Facebook every weekday morning in addition to producing a wide variety of stories, photos and video for his robust community-news site. 

Of particular note for me was Amestoy’s production of a glossy 160-page, perfect-bound “2025 in Review” magazine featuring a variety of original content, but with a primary focus on the tragic flooding in Kerr County that killed 119 people on July 4. The issue — with the overarching cover headline “Our duty is simple: Remember” — is dominated by a hard-hitting analysis of the flood and its aftermath, and a celebration of those who lost their lives. But other content spotlights the many positive things that occurred in the market during 2025. Amid the tragedy,

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My stint on Bako Motorsports Power Hour

I appeared last week on the Bako Motorsports Power Hour for a short segment with host Louis Amestoy, who grilled me with "5 things that Logan Molen has to react to!" Thankfully, all were racing related, and I embarrassed myself only once. 

For better or worse, here's the clip. 

Post by Bako Motorsports Power Hour.

'BVarsity Live' adds new twist to local prep coverage

The Californian recently launched "B Varsity Live," a multi-platform approach to covering the hectic Kern County high school football scene. 

The Friday night show is hosted by Louis Amestoy and produced and directed by our multimedia intern, Christopher McCullah. Sportsriter Zach Ewing is also front and center, delivering expert analysis on the night's games and developments. 

The "BVarsity Live" show streams live via a Ustream player in various sections on BakersfieldCalifornian.com beginning at 11 p.m. Fridays. The plan is to stream for an hour, but this most recent show stretched about 10 minutes beyond that to include discussions and video of non-football sports and to take calls from viewers. 

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