Before he spent six years as a radio news writer, field reporter, producer and anchor at San Diego news-talk radio station KOGO 600-AM, Joshua Lipton worked as a sous chief, hotel doorman, valet manager and limousine service business owner.
He also worked as a production assistant with Fox Sports San Diego and a news writer at KUSI-TV.
“Before radio, all my jobs outside of news had a certain element of deadlines and on-the-go, fast-paced work environment,” Lipton told Times of San Diego. “However, the news radio business takes stress and craziness to a whole other level. It’s an exciting job if you can deal with being consumed by it 24/7. For me, it was time to make a change.”
To the surprise of his boss, KOGO news director Cliff Albert, Lipton gave notice earlier this year as executive producer of the station’s four-hour morning news show. The 41-year-old left KOGO to recently begin a new career as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier with routes through several Encinitas neighborhoods.
“I like being outside, not confined to a desk,” said Lipton. “I also was attracted to the postal job by its stability. It’s not like the post office will disappear soon. So, the switch from news delivery to mail delivery is going well.”
According to Albert, “I told Joshua that if he produces for the postal service as well as he produced for us, he should become postmaster general in a short time. Instead of delivering the news on the radio, he’s now delivering news in person, at least into people’s mailboxes.”
Lipton said he’s grateful for his experience with KOGO morning news co-hosts Ladona Harvey and Ted Garcia.
“Ted and Ladona are fantastic people who are experienced, professional and very patient,” Lipton said. “They taught me how to tease a story, write concisely and grab the listener’s attention.”
One thing Lipton said he won’t miss will be his KOGO work schedules, including overnights from 7 p.m. to a.m. or mornings from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.
So will wife Brenda, Lipton said.
“It’s been nice to work daytime business hours and be at home at night with my wife,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, news is a terrific business and I enjoyed my time in it. I just decided I did not want to be consumed by it anymore.”
3CS, an Experiential Marketing Agency, Announces its Opening
Chelsea Wilson, with 15 years of experience in experiential marketing and the creative services industry, has opened her own San Diego-based, production-focused experiential marketing agency called 3CS. The agency, planning to focus on automotive, entertainment, hospitality, lifestyle and retail industries, began doing business in November 2020, but its launch was recently announced.
A 3CS statement said experiential marketing refers to live promotional experiences for brands, including launch events, mobile tours, influencer activations, concerts and pop-ups. A 3CS spokesperson told Times of San Diego that experiential marketing immerses consumers into a brand to form emotional connections through creative and unforgettable experiences.
The spokesperson also said the 3CS name refers to Chelsea and her daughter Caylee and son Cody. The name also refers to agency’s process, including communication, collaboration and customized client experiences.
“I’ve always been such an advocate of balance and want to build a company where community and culture are priority,” said Wilson, who was most recently head of the West Coast office and managing director at Relevent, a bicoastal creative experiences agency. “I believe community is the future in business. COVID opened my eyes to the necessity of it and how much people want to band together. My vision is to create a team mentality for the better. Authentic happiness and good health shouldn’t be a luxury in the workplace.”
The agency said it provided services to Netflix, Lincoln and Google last year.
To highlight the launch of the Google Chromecast streaming media adapter, 3CS sent to news media and influencers the Queen’s famous red box, containing items inspired by “The Crown” TV show. For Netflix’s “The Christmas Chronicles 2” movie, 3CS gave 22,000 holiday kits to consumers in Los Angeles and Dallas two weeks prior to Christmas. For Lincoln, 3CS erected a Christmas tree decorated with Lincoln emblems at New York City’s Pier 17.
Ex-Padres Play-by-Play Announcer Now Lead Voice for Angels
Baseball TV play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian has been named the new lead voice for Los Angeles Angels’ game broadcasts for the 2021 season on Fox Sports West (soon to be renamed as Bally Sports West).
Vasgersian, a 30-year broadcasting veteran, was the San Diego Padres’ play-by-play voice from 2002 to 2008 after serving in that same role for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1997 to 2001.
In addition to his new role with the Angels in Anaheim, Vasgersian, 53, will continue as play-by-play voice of ESPN’s national “Sunday Night Baseball” telecasts and host of multiple studio shows for MLB Network. He plans to initially call Angels games remotely while balancing his other roles.
Vasgersian is replacing Victor Rojas in the Angels play-by-play seat after Rojas become the president and general manager of the minor-league Frisco RoughRiders in Texas this winter.
San Diego AMA Webinar Focuses on Creating a Purpose-Driven Brand
The American Marketing Association’s San Diego chapter will host a free webinar on “Creating a Purpose-Driven Brand” starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 18, over Zoom. For more event information, including registration, visit https://sdama.org.
Topics will include how to create and build a brand’s purpose, as well as how to maintain the purpose while growing your audience of advocates and making meaningful connections.
Presenters will be two staff members of Visceral, a San Diego creative agency, including Matthew Billingsley, creative director and co-founder, and Natalia Tamburini, project manager. Visceral specializes in branding, digital design and identity development.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.