By Rick Griffin
February is the first of this year’s four “sweeps months” for local TV stations, and KGTV is highlighting one of its own to boost audience share.
A year ago, while surveying storm damage in Mira Mesa, 10News reporter Marie Coronel and photographer Mike Gold were injured when a eucalyptus tree fell on them without warning. The accident on Maya Linda Road happened just one day after a woman was killed in Pacific Beach by a falling tree.
Gold suffered a compound left leg fracture and three broken ribs, but he returned to work in a few months. Coronel was in worse shape with multiple and severe breaks to her arm, spine and neck, as well as a concussion. Her recovery has included multiple surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, the station said.
A recent 10News story on Coronel revealed she was pregnant at the time of the accident, but the baby did not survive. Coronel said, “You have the surgery and then you go to an appointment and you see the baby’s heartbeat, it gave you hope. But in your next appointment, the baby’s gone. It was like another kick to the stomach.”
A date for Coronel’s return to work has not been announced. The 10News video about her recovery is online.
KGTV hopes the coverage will boost its viewership numbers, which are oh-so attractive to advertisers. Other stations in the market will likely heavily promote investigative news stories, including reports on wasteful tax dollars spent and health trends, along with kids and pets.
Sweeps months are a key part of the local TV business. Ratings company A.C. Nielsen Co. will measure local quarter-hour TV viewing in 210 U.S. markets during the sweeps. Audience viewership measurements from sweeps are typically used by TV stations to set advertising prices for the next quarter.
Sam Bass Transitioning to Weekends at KyXy-FM
Soon to start his 40th year on the air at CBS Radio’s KyXy 96.5-FM, Sam Bass has stepped away from his weekday midday show and is now hosting on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It was entirely my decision on my terms, and I like it that way,” said Bass, who holds the longevity record in the San Diego market for continuous work at the same radio station. “I’m not retiring, I’m just transitioning. Now, Mondays through Fridays, I am discovering new things, like movies, hiking, volunteering, writing and thinking about being with our adorable audience every weekend. I am living my radio dream in San Diego. 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.”
Bass relocated from Providence, RI, to join KyXy on March 24, 1978, the first day for the station’s format switch from “beautiful music” to “soft rock.”
“Sam is the consummate professional and a great human being,” said Chris Patyk, program director. “There is no KyXy without Sam Bass so we are thrilled he’s still part of the KyXy family.”
CBS Radio operates two stations in San Diego, including KyXy-FM 96.5 and KEGY-FM Energy 103.7. Taking over Bass’ weekday-midday shift on KyXy-FM is Joe Rosati, previously heard midday weekdays on Energy, while Alexia Gloria has moved from weekday nights on Energy to midday weekdays.
San Diego AMA Chapter Wins Awards
San Diego’s American Marketing Association chapter was recently recognized with awards from AMA International for its efforts in 2016 in membership growth, programming and leadership.
For the fifth consecutive time, the 297-member San Diego chapter won first place among similar-sized chapters in the Fall Membership Acquisition Campaign after signing up 29 members between Sept. 12 and Nov. 4. The San Diego chapter’s growth also was the third best among all 74 AMA chapters in the U.S., said Mike Matamala, AMA board member.
In addition, the San Diego chapter received Special Merit awards in the programming and leadership categories. AMA International said the San Diego chapter hosted innovative events featuring meaningful, relationship-building, high-value educational content with high-profile brands and speakers. Also, the San Diego chapter was noted for outstanding leadership that included accountability, volunteer engagement and organizational efficiencies.
“Our volunteers are passionate about creating career-advancing opportunities for our members and these results reflect their successful efforts toward that goal,” said David Palmer, San Diego AMA president. “Whether it’s staging premier educational and networking events or supporting a supportive, inclusive community of powerhouse San Diego marketers, we can’t thank our volunteers enough for embracing the challenge and giving so freely of their time and creativity.”
For more information about the San Diego AMA chapter, visit www.sdama.org.
Direct Marketers Retool with Marketing Research
SD Direct, the new name for the San Diego Direct Marketing Association, will host “Retool Your Marketing Research for Better Aim,” a program on research tools beyond focus groups, mail intercepts and telephone surveys, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, at UCSD Extension, Room 317, 6256 Greenwich Dr. in San Diego.
Topics will include do-it-yourself marketing research options for direct-response marketers, including intuitive segmentation of a customer base for sending relevant messages to each segment. The speaker will be Kirsty Nunez, president, chief research strategist, Q2 Insights, Inc. Nunez has two master’s degrees, in research psychology from San Diego State University and in biostatistics from Tulane University.
Cost to attend is $20 for members, $40 for guests and $12 for students. Lunch is included. To RSVP, visit www.sddma.org/events.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
