On a Friday afternoon earlier this month, when the Artemis II capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, San Diego’s NewsRadio 600 KOGO could have focused its news-talk programming on the Eric Swalwell controversy, or rising gasoline prices, or warnings to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, or NATO’s alarm over Ukraine, or a variety of other weekend events.
Instead, the station’s talk-show hosts and reporters fanned out across the city to cover from multiple angles the historic culmination of humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century.
“The story was huge for San Diego and our job is to bring the big story to listeners by covering it as it happens,” Cliff Albert, KOGO news director, told Times of San Diego.
Barrett Media, a highly respected news trade publication, took notice of KOGO’s efforts and recently touted the station as an example to follow for other U.S. radio stations with a news-talk format.
“To borrow a phrase that fits perfectly here, they chose to go to the moon not because it was easy, but because it was hard,” wrote Garrett Searight, Barrett Media’s news editor, in a recent column. “There’s a lesson in that for every news-talk programming, host and producer in America.”
“The first lesson is simple. When everyone in your market is buzzing about a story, cover that story. Play the hits. There’s a persistent temptation in talk radio, especially among hosts, to shape the conversation rather than join it,” he wrote. “That instinct isn’t wrong. Shaping the discussion is valuable. But so is facilitating it. There’s a meaningful distinction between the two, and great hosts understand when each approach serves the audience better. The audience didn’t need to be led somewhere. They already knew where they wanted to go. The smart move was meeting them there.”
The second reason, Searight argued, cut a little deeper.
“There’s a massive world of stories outside of politics, and talk radio has largely forgotten about it. Some stations are unambiguously conservative talk, that’s a defined format with a defined audience, and it works,” he wrote. “But news-talk radio carries a broader mandate. People love spoken-word audio. They’ve always loved it. Give them a reason to engage with your brand beyond the daily political churn.”
As reported by Chris Jennewein of Times of San Diego, the Orion Capsule’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere began at 4:53 p.m., Friday, April 10, with friction raising the temperature to around 3,000 degrees and cutting radio communication for six minutes until just after 5:01 p.m.
Following splashdown at roughly 5:07 p.m., the divers moved in to assist the astronauts onto an inflatable raft, and then up to MH-60S SeaHawk helicopters to fly to the nearby USS John P. Murtha, an amphibious transport dock ship from Naval Base San Diego. After safety checks, the first astronaut, Koch, emerged from the capsule at 6:33 p.m. Four minutes later, all four were out.
Aboard the Murtha, the astronauts were checked by doctors in the warship’s medical bay. The four were then to be flown to North Island, where awaiting aircraft would take them to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Associated Press wrote, “It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.”
Searight wrote in Barrett Media, “Space exploration resonates with people in a way that transcends party lines. The Artemis II mission touched something universal — adventure, human achievement, national pride. Those aren’t partisan themes. They’re American ones. 600 KOGO recognized that and responded accordingly.”
Searight applauded KOGO as a benchmark that should be duplicated by other U.S. news‑talk outlets.
“Let what 600 KOGO did serve as a reminder of what this format can be at its best,” he said. “News-talk radio doesn’t have to be a nonstop loop of political grievance. It can be urgent, local, alive, and connected to the moments that actually move people. San Diego had one of those moments. Their radio station showed up for it. That’s the standard worth chasing.”
Chemistry PR adds two new client partnerships
Chemistry PR, a San Diego-based boutique public relations agency, has announced the addition of two new clients, including Face Foundrie, a wellness facial bar in La Jolla, and Sono, a modern Italian restaurant in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.
Support from Chemistry PR will include media relations, social media, influencer relations and event planning, a statement said.
“Chemistry PR has always been drawn to brands with a strong point of view, and both Face Foundrie and Sono are no exception,” said Audrey Doherty, founder and CEO of Chemistry PR. “As our social media and influencer relations practices continue to grow, so does our ability to support brands at every stage of their journey.”
Face Foundrie, owned and operated by Monika Garratt, is on a mission to make professional skincare accessible, efficient and results driven, according to Chemistry PR.
Sono, named after the Italian word for “I am,” is operated by the husband-and-wife team of Ocean Mohamadi and Nino Cusimano, a Chemistry statement said.
Chemistry PR, named by Forbes as one of the best PR agencies in America, operates offices in San Diego and Los Angeles. It specializes in lifestyle, retail, real estate and hospitality brands across California and beyond.
Digital marketer iCatch wins Yelp award
iCatch Group, a San Diego-based digital marketing agency, reports it was recently presented with the Yelp Agency Ambassador Award at the Yelp Advertising Partner awards.
iCatch also said Yelp named it a finalist for awards in the categories of Best in Innovation and Best in Technology.
In his acceptance speech for the Ambassador Award, iCatch co-founder Tim Prüsener said, “I’m here because I love Yelp. It’s worked great for us. It’s a great lead generation tool, and many of you are here because you’re in the same situation or you’re already one of the big players in your market.”
iCatch said is a key driver behind its success is ySuites, iCatch’s advanced advertising management platform that provides enhanced optimization, transparent reporting and real lead attribution across Yelp advertising for both partner agencies and direct advertisers.
“Yelp sees the potential in agencies that are hustling and growing,” said Prüsener. “They want to equip you with the tools, the information and the support you need so you can actually succeed and have everything you need to grow your agency.”
The Yelp Advertising Partner awards event, presented in March in Miami, was attended by agencies from across the country to share strategies, celebrate partner achievements and explore the future of digital marketing partnerships, iCatch said.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly in Times of San Diego.
