The man behind the local TV van

Have you ever wondered who engineers the local TV news vans you often see throughout the region?

Meet Dennis (Denny) Yoder, technical engineer behind the Channel 10 News van for 12 years. Throughout his career he was at the forefront of exciting news stories both locally and nationally.

Dennis and wife Betty started their lives in Indiana; he in the northern section, she in Upland in the central section. When a teen his family moved to Upland where he met Betty in high school.

After high school graduation, Dennis joined the Army. Betty and Dennis were married in 1957 and went to France where he was stationed. Betty said it was wonderful. Stationed in Paris, they were able to see much of Europe. They had three children, two boys and a girl.

Dennis displayed an aptitude in radio technology so was placed in the Radio Free Europe section. There he gained his experience in radio technology which he eventually transferred to TV.

When the family returned to Indiana he worked at a small radio station. He and a friend decided to put another station on the air — WIFF. They worked out the details and one night were able to put it on the air. Then they drove around the town square to hear it. When the station came on they stopped and yelled, “We really did it!”

Arrival in Sacramento came through a telephone interview for a TV job. Channel 40 felt Dennis had the experience they needed because they hired him with only that interview. Dennis and Betty packed up family for a new adventure.

During his time at Channel 40, Dennis obtained his AA degree in electronics from Sacramento City College, a technical degree which could advance him to other jobs. He worked at five of the TV stations during the ensuing years because the only way to get ahead in the business is by moving around to gain differing experiences

He was teaching at National Broadcasting School when it folded. Although in his 50s, he wanted to keep working, so he applied at Channel 10. They were familiar with his work through technicians who worked with him and immediately hired him. He worked outside in the Satellite “Big Red” truck, the helicopter, and the live TV van. He mainly was in the van, taking it home because he lived in Herald, where they moved in 1992. Therefore, he could go to any story breaking anywhere north or south.

(One of their sons has worked as a technician at Channel 3 for 25 years. He started at Channel 40 as an intern.)

Now the stories and memories because Dennis covered a variety of news events.

• He remembers deeply the 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Lodi. The police had found where she was — in a shack on the outskirts. Everyone thought she was dead and Dennis said it was such a relief to see the policeman come out carrying her.

• He spent two days in Nevada at a rural spot where people were killing mustangs for sport. He said as he watched the arrests it was “very touching.”

• When he was in the helicopter covering a fire, he and the pilot looked down and saw that another fire had erupted. They reported it immediately, and found out they were the only channel who spotted it.

• When in Big Red, as they called the satellite truck, they followed a police chase from South Lake Tahoe to Williams. They were on the road eight to nine hours before the chase ended.

• Dennis covered the Rodney King riots in Southern California during the ’90s and the death of John Denver in California.

• A big deal for Dennis (which turned out to be hot and tiring) was when he covered the Academy Awards. He had to wear a tuxedo the entire time which obviously contributed to the “hot.”

• And then there is Blue Canyon. You always see it as the focal point during snow season. That’s because it is the most convenient spot for TV coverage. All the TV vans gather there resulting in much camaraderie among station personnel.

• One year Dennis and Betty spent Christmas in Southern California when the Kings played the Lakers. Betty enjoyed staying in the hotel, going to the games and the exciting atmosphere.

• Finally, what about the man who followed Dennis home? Dennis was driving the Channel 10 van. When he stopped at his house the man ran from his car. “Where’s the story? What’s going on?” he yelled. Dennis laughed. “I’ve just come home!”

Yes, the technical engineer in the TV channel van has many stories and quite a life. And Dennis told only a few of his experiences!.