Ronnie Paul will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his "Flying Home" show with a six-hour, live broadcast on Dec. 13. Photo via "Flying Home with Ronnie Paul" Facebook page

A Central Valley television broadcast that began as a Saturday night radio show in Oakhurst is marking a major milestone later this month.

“Flying Home with Ronnie Paul,” which debuted as a television program on Dec. 17, 2005 after Madera County’s KAAT Radio was sold, is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Dec. 13 with a live, six-hour broadcast. The show regularly airs on Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Cocola Broadcasting Channel 43.8, Comcast Channel 378 and online at cocolatv.com.

The program’s transition in 2005 came after Ronnie Paul approached Fresno broadcaster Gary Cocola about finding a new home for his radio show focused on big band music. Cocola suggested a show instead focused on television classics — “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Mannix” and “I Love Lucy,” as well as vintage cartoons such as “The Flintstones,” “Bugs Bunny” and “The Jetsons.”

Paul embraced the concept, launching a format built on his extensive personal archive of old TV programs — a collection described as “unmatched in the industry.”

Since then, thousands of viewers from across the Valley have tuned in weekly, often calling in live to share memories tied to the golden age of television.

The anniversary comes as Cocola continues expanding his own broadcast footprint; in 2022, he launched “Monterey on Tonight with Gary Morris,” a three-hour entertainment and community program on KMBY Channel 27.10 in Monterey. The show features interviews with local business owners, nonprofits and residents alongside select music videos.

“Monterey on Tonight” has grown into a 24/7 streaming presence in Monterey and Fresno, airing on Channel 2710 and Channel 16.1 It also became available as a standalone app in March.

The program also airs Saturdays on Comcast Channel 11 from 3 to 6 p.m., featuring rebroadcasts of the previous week’s episode.