Local couple wins award for faith-based television
broadcasts
A Christian country musician once described Bonnie Stoeberl as a
squirrel on crack
– and she took it as a compliment.
”
They call me BBB, bouncing, bubbly Bonnie,
”
said Bonnie, a San Juan Bautista resident.
Local couple wins award for faith-based television broadcasts
A Christian country musician once described Bonnie Stoeberl as a squirrel on crack – and she took it as a compliment.
“They call me BBB, bouncing, bubbly Bonnie,” said Bonnie, a San Juan Bautista resident.
Bonnie and her husband, Al Stoeberl, produce a Christian country music show called “His Country Music.” The show airs three times weekly on Community Media Access Partnership, Charter Cable channel 20.
It is a 30-min. program hosted by Bonnie, and produced and directed by Al.
Al is a small man. At 66 years old, he is a partner at a computer company in Salinas. When he is not wearing a business suit for work, he seems like the the dairy farmer’s son he is.
He is the kind of guy who will ask someone how they are doing and actually listen to the answer, said Karinn Orr, a San Juan resident who has known the Stoeberls for two and a half years.
Bonnie is a self-described cowgirl. She has short hair dyed a fiery red-orange and favors rhinestones.
Accolades for program
She starts each episode by introducing a Christian country musician. After the artist plays a few songs, they sit down for an interview with Bonnie. The show wraps up after the musician plays a few more songs.
On Oct. 26 the couple won a Western Access Video Excellence award for one segment of their show. The awards ceremony featured shows by amateur video makers from six Western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada and New Mexico.
As first-time producers, the Stoeberls did not expect to win.
“It felt, I don’t know how you explain it,” Bonnie said. “I could not believe it.”
When the winning entry was announced, Al jumped out of his seat and ran to the stage, she said. “I was particularly excited that Al won because he is a new producer,” said Suzanne St. John Crane, the executive director of CMAP. “They came in here brand new, hadn’t ever worked in television before.”
“His Country Music” is taped in the CMAP studio at Gavilan College.
The show happened very quickly, Bonnie said. They watched a video of a similar show in San Jose with friends who had appeared on the show. The tape was so bad that Al said that he could do better. He was taking a class at Gavilan College at the time.
“Within 30 days, I think, we had a show,” Al said.
If it did not happen so quickly, Bonnie might have backed out.
“If I would have had more time to think about it,” she said, “I would have argued with the Lord about all the reasons I couldn’t do it.”
Cowboy Church
In addition to the show, the Stoeberls run the Salinas Valley Cowboy Church. It is held on the first Tuesday of every month at the Salinas rodeo grounds, Bonnie said.
Orr has been attending Cowboy Church for two and a half years.
Of the show, she said, “I think God has an appointment for everybody. It’s just a local channel, so it doesn’t reach a lot of people, but if you’re supposed to see it, you’ll see it.”
Chunky Nelms was the star of their award-winning segment. Nelms is a pastor and musician who played country music in honky tonk bars before he found the Lord.
“That’s the only reason why we won the award,” she said, “because our talent is so good. We bring in the best.”
Their daughter, Wendy Sans, is a columnist for the Pinnacle Newspaper. She agrees about the talent of her parents’ guests.
“They bring out very important, very important people for their shows,” she said.
Sans is proud of her parents.
“They’re very well known in the Christian country music circle,” she said.
Her children are also proud.
“The grandkids love telling their friends that their grandparents produce a TV show,” Sans said. “They think that’s pretty cool.”
Most of the musicians who perform on their show are from Nashville, Tenn., or Texas, Bonnie said. The Stoeberls pay for their airfare and expenses.
There is an extra room in their house where the musicians always stay. They also take the star out to eat for every meal.It costs between $1,000 and $1,200 every month.
Some of the money that the Stoeberls spend on airfare and expenses is recouped from the offerings that are collected at church. The Stoeberls usually collect about $800 at church, but the star gets half the offering.
The musicians perform at church on Tuesday and tape the show on Wednesday. The purpose of the church is, “to reach those people who are working on Sunday morning roping cattle,” Al said.
“It’s where the cowboy wrangler feels comfortable,” Bonnie said, “because the pastor is one of them, just a good old boy.” Some of the performers travel the country full time, performing for different ministries, Al said. The offering is their only source of income.
“My first paycheck at IBM, with five kids, was $80,” he said. “I can make that in an hour now. If you have it, you should share it.”
They are blessed with the ability to spend that kind of money every month, Al said. They consider the expense a tithe.
“We believe in the principle that the first 10 percent is the Lord’s money anyway,” he said.
Humble beginnings
The Stoeberls own a house in a gated community in the foothills of San Juan.
A long way from their start
With its high ceilings and airy feel, the house represents an upper middle class family. Decorated in a country western theme, with pictures and sculptures of horses everywhere, the house is as down to earth as its owners.
It is a long way from where they started. Al was raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. The town had 300 people. The military was Al’s chance to receive more education and a different future.
Instead of waiting to be drafted, he entered the Air Force at 18.
“If you didn’t have a college degree, and you didn’t have your military obligation out of the way, you weren’t going to get a job,” Al said.
Bonnie was raised in a rural town in Missouri. Her parents owned a restaurant/gas station. Her family lived above the restaurant.
When she was in high school her family moved to Denver. The town she grew up in had 1,500 people. Her new high school had as many students, she said.
It was 1962 when Al met Bonnie. They were both working at a pizza shop in Denver.
She was waitressing at night in the shop. He was a cook.
“I was infatuated by her,” Al said. “She was just beautiful.”
When he asked her out, Bonnie told him that she had four children. They were 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the time.
“I didn’t ask you how many kids you had,” he said. “I asked you for a date.”
At the time, she was separated from her husband.
He was unemployed and did not want to work, Bonnie said, so she kicked him out.
“We are a perfect example of who is welcome at Cowboy Church,” Bonnie said.
Of Al, she said, “He was 22 and married me with four kids.”
On the move
Al adopted her children after they married. He also got a job at IBM.
The job was an adjustment for him. He was used to working long hours on the farm.
IBM stands for, “I’ve been moved,” Bonnie said.
They moved between Colorado and California every three or four years for 20 years. He switched from IBM to his current company in Salinas more than 20 years ago.
They have been living in San Juan for four and a half years.
Of their life, Bonnie said, “We have a nice home, and we think we’re doing some good. Our health is good.”
“He’s 66,” Bonnie said. “He said he’d retire at 65.”
Al plans to keep busy with his job and hobby. In addition to producing and directing the show, he wants to learn more editing. He also would like to learn how to use green screens.
“This TV program has been such a fun time,” Bonnie said. “We’re like kids with a fun game.”
Al agrees.
“This is a new challenge for me that’s really exciting,” he said.
Bonnie used to work as a banker. She quit in 1998 to help care for her son, who had cancer. After he died, she did not go back to work.
“I work for the Lord now,” Bonnie said. “That’s my job. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had.”
Bonnie owes her success to God, she said.
“There’s no way that I could do anything before I became born again,” Bonnie said. “All I could do is be a mother.”
Bonnie became born again more than 20 years ago.
“I got born again at a rodeo by the bucking chutes,” she said.
A professional rodeo clown and his wife introduced her to God, she said. It took another seven months before she developed a personal relationship with the Lord.
“I’ve never felt such joy, such love for the Lord,” she said. “My life has never been the same. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a born again Christian,” Bonnie said.
“His Country Music” can be seen on Charter Cable channel 20. It airs on Sunday at 8 p.m., Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m., or visit www.cchm.org and click on the TV shows link.
