MarketInk: Camping solo across U.S. is ‘beautiful’ lifestyle for retired videographer

In the months following his August 2025 retirement, after 41 years at KFMB-TV CBS 8 working as a news photographer, Scott Hall didn’t know for sure where he would spend Thanksgiving Day.

And that’s exactly the way he wanted it.

“It was a great career in a beautiful city, but it was also crazy busy and high stress,” Hall, 66, told Times of San Diego. “It’s been a slower, change of pace the past few months.”

After his last day at Channel 8, Hall spent a couple of weeks touring Italy and England. Then, he loaded up his 20-year-old Ford Expedition and started driving, sightseeing and camping under the stars in a tent.

He first headed north through Oregon and Washington, then turned east.

A couple of months ago, Times of San Diego caught-up with Hall somewhere in Colorado.

“Let me look on a map to make sure I know which town I’m in,” he said. “Isn’t this great? I’m not even sure what time it is.”

Not long after that, Hall told Times of San Diego he was camping on Cape Breton Island along the Cabot Trail in northern Nova Scotia in Canada.

“I thought San Diego was scenic, but it’s beautiful here,” Hall said. “It’s now the peak of the fall colors with stunning views along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic Ocean. Inspiringly beautiful. And I experienced my first sunrise over the Atlantic. So good.”

In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Hall said, “Such beauty every day, and camping in it was beyond words. I’m now on my way to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and then on to Pensacola, Florida, to share Thanksgiving with my sister Lynne and her husband Cliff.

“I’m checking out campgrounds all the way down to Key West. I was concerned about bears in the New England forests, but I wonder now if bear spray works on Florida alligators and crocodiles. I hope I don’t have to find out.”

When Hall retired, Channel 8 called him “legendary.”

He spent his last six years paired with reporter Jeff Zevely for “Zevely Zone” newscast features.

“I have tears in my eyes,” Zevely posted on social media while discussing Hall’s retirement. “Scott leaves a legacy marked by bravery and impactful San Diego journalism. He had an incredible career.”

A KFMB-TV website story said, “Hall joined CBS 8 in 1984, and quickly established himself as a fearless and dedicated journalist. Throughout his career, he covered major events ranging from intense brush fires to presidential campaigns, often putting himself in harm’s way to get the story.”

Hall won an Emmy award in 2003 for his breaking news coverage of the Cedar Fire that scorched 273,246 acres, destroyed 2,232 homes, and killed 15 people, including 14 civilians and one firefighter. It was the largest wildfire in California history at the time.

“I found myself in the middle of the night, in the middle of a firestorm on Wildcat Canyon Road,” recalled Hall. “I wasn’t sure I would survive.”

Another time, he was shoved from behind while covering a street riot. “Hall’s coverage in the face of danger became a hallmark of his career,” the station said in a statement.

“It’s a good day when you’re covering a story of love and compassion, like featuring a mother who’s caring for her challenged daughter,” Hall said.

“But it’s a tougher day when a crime has been committed and my job is to get reactions from devastated family members and crime victims.

“A news camera is not the first thing people want to see in their time of grief and stress.”

After graduating from the University of Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Hall worked for a couple of TV stations in the Pacific Northwest, including as a fledging reporter and anchor at KVAL-TV in Eugene, Oregon before relocating to San Diego.

“My Oregon news director was a nice guy who said to me in a kind way, `You might do better as a cameraman,’” said Hall. “That day changed my life. I’ve always been thankful for what he said to me.”

Hall got his dream job in the spring of 1984 when he was hired by Jim Holtzman, who served as KFMB-TV news director in the 1970s and 1980s. Under his leadership, KFMB’s “News 8” became a dominant force in San Diego local news, known for its strong anchors and distinctive style.

In July 1984, after only a few months on the job, Hall was sent to San Ysidro to a McDonald’s restaurant where gunman James Huberty opened fire for 77 minutes, killing 21 people, including children as young as 8 months old, and injuring 19 other before being shot by police.

“After all these years, that story still hauntingly lives with me,” said Hall. “He was still shooting when I arrived on the scene. It was quite a way to start my career in San Diego.”

Six years ago, Hall’s 30-year marriage ended in divorce. “The news business takes a toll on family time,” he said.

“In hindsight, I could have done a lot more for Nancy and my son Monty… Journalism is rich in both personal and community reward, but it rarely pads the bank account.

“If you’re considering getting into the news business, you should think seriously about that.”

Nowadays, as a solo road-tripping traveler, Scott says friends and family members stay in touch with him along the way.

“This new experience of retirement is really enjoyable,” said Hall. “I’ve driven over 10,000 miles now through 25 states and Canada. I feel like I’m just getting started. The more I see, the bigger and more beautiful this country gets.”

Hall said this Thanksgiving will be special because of his recent visit to Plymouth Rock.

“Seeing Plymouth Rock for the first time, right before Thanksgiving, has been a very humbling experience,” he said. “The pilgrims’ impossible challenges make mine seem trivial, and make me grateful for the comfort of my own family today.”

C3 Communications marks 25th anniversary with new website 

San Diego public relations firm c3 Communications, Inc. is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the launch of a redesigned, multimedia-driven website that reflects the agency’s evolution and long-standing role in public relations, media relations and event promotions, said Joice Truban Curry, c3 president and chief executive officer.

Created by Monkey Works Creative, the website, www.c3publicrelations.com, features a clean, modern layout with intuitive navigation, vibrant visuals, video segments and real campaign highlights drawn from more than two decades of award-winning work, said Curry.

Built with a fully mobile-friendly structure, the site allows visitors to easily explore c3’s services, case studies, community partnerships, and media coverage and showcases c3’s commitment to strong storytelling and meaningful results, a statement said.

“It was fun to put together the montage of great PR moments throughout our 25- year history,” said Curry. “There were many great projects, shows and people and it was a joy and a blessing to recount and see them.

“Now, we are onto the next decade of fun PR adventures.”

3.6 million podcasts, but how many are ‘active’?

Plenty of people believe there are too many podcasts. But, how many podcasts are actually active and producing new content?

According to Listen Notes, a San Francisco-based consulting firm that specializes in podcast data and a podcast search engine, there were 605,122 active podcasts as of September 2025.

The term “active” means the podcasts have released at least one new episode since the beginning of 2025.

September’s total of active podcasts surpasses the previous record of 595,514 active programs, which was set in 2020. Also, September’s number represents an episode increase of 15,000 compared to the prior month, as reported by Barrett Media, a consulting firm for media outlets and trade publication covering music, news and sports media industries.

Additionally, Listen Notes said it has reclassified more than 18,000 shows to the “dead” category, which is a dramatic decrease compared to previous years. In comparison, between 2020 and 2021, 157,000 podcasts were considered “dead.”

Also, Listen Notes said 3.6 million podcasts have been created worldwide, representing a combined 185 million episodes.

Of the 3.6 million shows created since around 2004, when the word “podcast” was coined and the technology first took off, 67% have been launched from the U.S., while Brazil has been the next largest podcast creator, with just over 200,000 shows launched from that country.