By Rick Griffin
KNSD-TV/NBC 7 San Diego aired its first newscast Sunday from its new studios in Kearny Mesa at 9680 Granite Ridge Drive. Sales and administrative personnel have been at the new location off Aero Drive near Interstate 15 since Feb. 29, but the news department didn’t relocate until the end of March.
The station began broadcasting in 1965 from Kearny Mesa. In 2001, the station moved downtown to 225 Broadway. In 2015, NBC 7 purchased the two-story, 52,347-square-foot building, previously occupied by a technical school, for $9.64 million, according to Colliers International. The new venue has more than 300 TVs on the premises.
Channel 6 Announces News Director
XETV-TV/CW6 San Diego has announced that Jon Brady will join CW6News as news director starting April 25. The announcement was made by Chuck Dunning, VP and GM of Bay City Television, parent company of CW6. “Jon will bring not only a solid understanding of the current opportunities in local news, but the ability to utilize social and digital media to make it accessible wherever and whenever San Diegans want it,” said Dunning.
Brady succeeds Don Shafer, who arrived in San Diego from WAOE-TV in Peoria, Ill., in 2013. Shafer recently relocated to Colorado.
Brady is leaving Seattle as executive producer for the KING-TV/Channel 5 Morning News. From 2010 to 2014, he was news director and director of content and news programming at KCPQ-TV, the FOX affiliate in Seattle. Prior to that, Brady worked for the Fox News Channel in Los Angeles from 1996 to 2010, starting as a field producer and rising to deputy bureau chief from 1999 to 2003 and then bureau chief from 2003 to 2010. He also has worked at WSVN-TV, the Fox affiliate in Miami, and WTTG-TV, the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C.
XETV’s local news operation, now in its 17th year, airs 41 hours of news programming weekly. Also, Channel 6 is the only CW affiliate outside of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. producing its own newscasts. Channel 6 has been serving San Diego since 1953, and was the second station on the air (after KFMB-TV and prior to KGTV-TV).
Sam Bass now in his 39th year at KyXy
Sam Bass is now in his 39th year on the air at KyXy 96.5-FM, operated by CBS Radio. Bass currently holds the longevity record in the San Diego market for continuous work at the same radio station.
After relocating from Providence, Rhode Island, Bass’ first show at KyXy was on March 24, 1978, the first day for the station’s format switch from “beautiful music” to “soft rock.”
“I am living my radio dream in San Diego,” said Bass. “I treat every time I’m on the air as if it’s the last time because some day it will be. My credo is to be humble and grateful and generous with your time. I owe the market and the listeners who have supported this station. Sometimes in broadcasting, luck is more important than talent and I consider myself a very lucky man.”
Listeners Enjoyed Z-90 ‘Epic 48 Hours’ Promotion
Local Media San Diego’s XHRM-FM Z-90 recently held its “Epic 48 Hours” promotion over Easter weekend, March 25 -27. The station said thousands of listeners entered the contest at the Z-90 website. The winner had to be willing to leave at a moment’s notice and be ready to go anywhere and do anything.
Melissa Hill’s name was drawn. The Santee resident took her friend Jamie Hanawalt of Pacific Beach.
“The weekend was so jam-packed with so many incredible experiences, it’s nothing I will ever forget,” said Hill, 26. “It was non-stop insane, a crazy adventure. My phone has been blowing up for days with calls from my friends. I would have never had the chance to do any of it without Z-90.”
“It was an adventure of a lifetime that neither of us will ever forget,” said Hanawalt, 27. “The word `epic’ doesn’t begin to describe the amazing things that happened. We were treated like VIPs the entire time. There was always someone there to carry our bags and cameras everywhere. We hung out with many celebrities and never waited in line with one exclusive entry after another.”
Their “Epic 48 Hours” began with a visit to Disneyland to experience the new Star Wars Space Mountain ride, courtside seats at a Los Angeles Lakers game, embroidered team jerseys personally delivered by Nick Jonas, admission to the Chairman’s Room before the game, VIP table at the Ohm Nightclub in Hollywood and a suite at the Hollywood Roosevelt. It continued with a private plane trip from Burbank to Las Vegas, watching a recording session with DJ Mustard, $1,000 shopping spree at the Miracle Mile Shops, soundcheck with X Ambassadors at The Foundry, ride on the High Roller at the LinQ Ferris wheel, dinner at Bally’s BLT Steakhouse, floor tickets to Pitbull’s performance at Planet Hollywood’s AXIS Theater, a $1,000 chip to play roulette that was given to them by Pitbull before the rapper’s show (“He said, ‘Bet it on black, like my suit,’” said Jamie), admission to OMNIA Nightclub at Caesars Palace, hotel room at the Planet Hollywood, Sunday morning full-body massage and return to San Diego.
Melissa and Jamie shared their experience on Monday, March 28, with co-hosts Edina Macic and Rick Morton on the “Morton in the Morning” show. Randy Williams, Z-90 program director, said, “In my 23 years in radio, I have never been part of a promotion this massive. A huge thank you is due to every department at the station, our record label partners and valued clients. Wait ‘till you’ll see the next one.”
Here is a 19-second video about the girls’ trip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms6JhxkHHj8.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.