iHeartMedia San Diego has announced that AM-600 KOGO News Radio morning co-host LaDona Harvey has agreed to a contract extension. Station officials declined to discuss contact details, but Harvey told the Times of San Diego the extension is for three years through 2022.
“I’m delighted to be part of the New Radio 600 family,” said Harvey, who has been heard on the air in San Diego over the past two decades. “It has been an honor to be part of this team and the company since 1998.”
Harvey joined KSDO 1130-AM when that station aired news programming and was owned by Gannett Broadcasting. Today, KSDO is owned by Hi-Favor Broadcasting and has a Spanish-language Christian format. Over the years, owners for KOGO AM-600 have included Jacor Broadcasting, Clear Channel Communications and iHeart Media.
For the past five years, Harvey has been paired with Ted Garcia for KOGO’s “San Diego’s Morning News” from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays. The show features news, weather, traffic and information. Harvey hosted a weekday midday talk show on KOGO for several years prior to her move to mornings.
“When we re-launched Newsradio 600 KOGO, it was clear that LaDona had the versatility needed to shift from a popular local news-talk host to become a strong morning news personality without missing a beat,” said Brian Long, program director for KOGO and XTRA 1360. “LaDona and Ted Garcia together every morning share a chemistry that connects with San Diegans and serves to entertain and inform KOGO listeners every weekday morning.”
Telemundo 20 Names New Anchor
Rigo Villalobos has joined KUAN-TV, Telemundo 20, as a co-anchor with co-anchor Lizzet Lopez for the station’s Spanish-language weekday newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Telemundo 20, owned by NBCUniversal, shares studio space with KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego.
Villalobos has more than 10 years of TV experience at stations in Los Angeles, San Antonio and Las Vegas. He has been part of the Telemundo family of stations for the past four years. He joined KUAN in 2017 as part of Telmundo 20’s launch team.
“Rigo has proven to be an outstanding journalist in and out of the studio,” said Pedro Calderón Michel, news director, Telemundo 20. “He’s covered local stories that impact our community and has helped get national attention to immigration issues that are happening in our area. We are looking forward to this new era for Telemundo 20’s with Rigo and Lizzet at the anchor desk.”
“I am very excited about the opportunity to anchor Telemundo 20 and continue working side by side with my colleagues as we provide excellent news coverage to the Spanish population on both sides of the border,” said Villalobos. “I am eager to not only inform my community from the streets but also directly from the news desk.”
An Emmy Award winner, Villalobos earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University Northridge and became a U.S. citizen in 2019.
Marcia Arcega-Dunn is Co-Anchoring at Fox 5 San Diego
Marcia Arcega-Dunn has been named a co-anchor for the 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts at KSWB-TV/Fox 5 San Diego. Arcega-Dunn is succeeding Jenn Karlman, who is no longer with the station.
Arcega-Dunn, a broadcast journalist for nearly two decades, joined KSWB in 2014. Previously, she spent a year at KGTV-TV in San Diego after spending six years anchoring at the Fox affiliate in Seattle. She has worked internationally as a correspondent for CNN International, CTV Network in Canada, Global Canada, ABC, Fox News and other national and international news outlets.
Cox Charities Gives $120,000 to San Diego Nonprofits
Cox Charities, the employee-led foundation of Cox Communications, has granted $120,000 to its six annual partners, including Make-A-Wish San Diego, Junior Achievement of San Diego County, San Diego Habitat for Humanity, I Love A Clean San Diego, Shelter to Soldier and Ronald McDonald House San Diego.
“Each of these organizations makes a difference in our community and we want to thank them for the work they’re doing,” said Chanelle Hawken, VP of government and public affairs for Cox Communications in California.
It’s the 20th year of Cox Charities, which is funded by employee donations that are matched by the company. A volunteer employee advisory board reviews community funding requests and determines which programs to fund. Since 1999, Cox employees have contributed nearly $6 million through Cox Charities into local communities served by Cox in California, including San Diego, Orange County, Palos Verdes and Santa Barbara.
Cox Charities is currently accepting funding requests for its nonprofit grant program. Applications will be reviewed by the employee advisory board in September and recipients will be notified in October. The deadline to apply for a nonprofit grant is Aug. 31. To apply for a grant, visit www.coxcharitiesca.org.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.