When Terry Williams retired in 2023, after serving for 20 years as executive director of the San Diego Press Club, there were doubts among board members if the club’s next leader could rival Williams’ passion and dedication.
Under Williams, who routinely worked at least twice as many hours as her compensation covered, the Press Club had grown to become one of the nation’s largest professional groups in the news communication industry with more than 400 members. Its annual journalism competition typically draws about 1,100 entries, which is one of the largest in the country by far.
Now, the Press Club has turned inward for its new executive director. Albert Fulcher is a longtime insider, a previous Press Club president (2019-2020) and former board member who was named a board member emeritus when he was termed-out on the board in 2023.
“The Press Club has been part of my life since I became a member in 2008 as a new journalism student at Southwestern College,” Fulcher told Times of San Diego. “The club has helped me in my journalism career professional development. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to give back.”
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Fulcher came to San Diego in 1988, after serving as a member of the U.S. Navy for 10 years. He worked in various corporate management positions before enrolling in college.
During his journalism career, he has worked as a freelancer for Newsweek, Huffington Post and San Diego Patch. He has served as editor of the East County Californian newspaper (2013-2018), editor of the LGBTQ San Diego News and San Diego Downtown News (2018-2020) and as managing editor of the East County Californian, the Chula Vista Star-News, and the Alpine Sun newspapers (2019-2025).
“I’m passionate about the critical role of community newspapers to keep local residents informed,” Fulcher said. “I’m also a big believer in the First Amendment and supporting the next generation of reporters with education and training, as well as the ethical pursuit of truth that upholds democracy in our ever-changing news media landscape.
“As my grandmother told me, find something that you’re passionate about and then pursue it with your whole heart.”
At age 66, Fulcher regards his role with the Press Club as his “retirement job.”
“I consider myself retired, but I still have plenty of energy to give to the Press Club in terms of expertise and historical knowledge,” Fulcher said. “This is my retirement job. After being a full-time reporter for three newspapers, this Press Club gig allows me more time to spend with my family.”
Fulcher said he has big plans for the nonprofit.
“I want to create innovative professional development events that will bolster the skills and talents of our members as we face the changing needs of the global communications profession,” he said.
“I want our members to be known as dogged local journalists and impactful leaders in producing timely, comprehensive news about San Diego County. Most importantly, the Press Club needs to be a vigorous advocate of press freedom. This will be a lot of hard work, but also lots of fun.”
Padres games airing on CBS 8 or CW San Diego
Ten San Diego Padres baseball games played on Saturdays will air on KFMB-TV CBS 8 Channel 8 or CW San Diego Channel 6, the ballclub has announced. The first over-the-air broadcast is scheduled for Saturday, April 26.
“This is a unique opportunity and we’re proud to be the over-the-air broadcast home of Padres baseball and are excited to share these games with our city,” Alberto Mier y Teran, KFMB president and general manager, said in a statement.
“We are pleased to make our exciting Padres team and games available over the air to more households than ever before through our partnership with Tegna’s KFMB,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner. “As Padres fans continue to evolve in how they consume live sports content, this partnership allows us to make our game broadcasts accessible to even more Padres fans.”
The schedule for Saturday games airing on CBS 8 or CW San Diego includes:
- April 26: Padres vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 5:15 p.m. on CBS 8;
- May 10: Padres at Colorado Rockies, 5 p.m. on CBS 8;
- May 17: Padres vs. Seattle Mariners, 5:15 p.m. on CBS 8;
- May 31: Padres vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 6:15 p.m. on CW;
- July 19: Padres at Washington Nationals, 3:30 p.m. on CBS 8;
- July 26: Padres at St. Louis Cardinals, 4 p.m. on CBS 8;
- Aug. 2: Padres vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 6:45 p.m. on CW;
- Aug. 9: Padres vs. Boston Red Sox, 5:15 p.m. on CBS 8;
- Aug. 16: Padres at LA Dodgers, 6 p.m. on CW;
- Sept. 27: Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 5:15 p.m. on CBS 8.
The broadcasts will include pre- and post-game programming. A statement said that if one of the designated games is selected for a national broadcast, the Padres and KFMB will replace the simulcast with another Saturday game that will air on either CBS 8 or CW San Diego.
Anaheim Ducks parody ads sell opponents’ teeth as souvenirs
The National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks team’s recent advertising campaign featured hilarious, parody toy commercials in which the Ducks claimed to be selling opponents’ teeth as collectibles.
The 60-second spots spoofs ‘80s toy ads with kids enthusiastically singing along to footage of Ducks players engaged in slugfests with opponents. “Fight teeth,” the announcer says, are “swept up from the Honda Center ice after every Anaheim Ducks home game, straight from our opponents’ mouths and into your collection.”
A catchy kid-sung jingle declared, “Punch ‘em in, punch ‘em out, knock ‘em lose, make ‘em, shout!” proclaiming Fight Teeth as the perfect gift for fans of all ages.
The campaign was part of a rebranding themed “You’re Entering Orange Country,” that was developed by creative agency Battery, based in Hollywood.
Other assets in the campaign included a 30-second “Quackback” spot that challenged critics who say Orange County is soulless.
“With the ‘You’re Entering Orange Country’ campaign, we embraced the opportunity to world-build, asking ourselves, ‘If Orange Country had its own story, culture, and identity, what would it look and sound like?’” Michelle Nam-Fischer, group creative director at Battery, told industry trade publication Advertising Age.
Merit Tully, chief marketing officer of the Anaheim Ducks, told Ad Age that “You’re Entering Orange County” is “a rallying cry that is resonating deeply with our fans and will continue to embody the grit and pride of Orange County.”
Unfortunately, the rebranding didn’t translate to success on the ice. The team concluded last week the recent regular NHL season with a 35-37-10 record and their seventh consecutive non-playoff season, the longest drought in franchise history. The Ducks have the NHL’s third-longest active playoff drought, trailing only Buffalo and Detroit. Head coach Greg Cronin was fired last week after two losing seasons.
The Ducks team, founded in 1993, is one of the few professional teams named after a brand, specifically the “Mighty Ducks” movie franchise created by former team owner The Walt Disney Company.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
