KSWB’s New GM Settles in, Eyes Competition
Radio-TV Collaboration Results in In-Studio, Performance Series
Media & Marketing
by Tanya Rodrigues, Staff Writer
Coming from Chicago, new KSWB Channel 5 general manager Robert Ramsey found several familiar faces in the market , including KUSI weather forecaster John Coleman, who had been a legend in Chicago media for many years.
The new market seems to suit Ramsey well.
Of San Diego, he said, “I’m impressed with the quality of the broadcasters here.”
He’s familiar with the work of Ed Trimble, general manager of KFMB-TV Channel 8, from when both of them were in the Dallas market.
The same was true for him with KNSD’s GM Phyllis Schwartz, who came to San Diego from a 20-year stint in Chicago.
Not surprisingly, Ramsey has also looked at his other competitors, including Fox affiliate XETV Channel 6. He said the station “has a good reputation as the station that started ‘Fox-ification.’ ”
About the overall market, he added, “The commitment to the community here is impressive. It’s just a good group of people.”
He said he’s excited about his new duties at KSWB, where his titles also include station vice president.
It’s the first station Ramsey’s completely run. Previously, he was station manager at WGN, the Chicago station owned by KSWB owner Tribune Co. He was responsible for the TV side of the station, but had become involved in every part of the station because he was on the general manager track.
Ramsey calls KSWB “a station on the grow.”
“I think we’ve identified who we are and we’ll just continue to build on the relationship we have with viewers in San Diego County and our business customers,” he said.
He sees his goals for it as no different from the other general managers in town: increasing its audience and revenue.
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Next, Sponsors?: County TV continues to work with local radio station KXST-FM Sets 102’s in-studio interview and performance series “Sets Without a Net.”
The station tapes the sessions and produces television shows from them. A recent one is Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise, which will first broadcast on Sets 102 on April 8 and will first air on County TV April 9 and periodically after that, said County TV producer Holly Richardson.
The next one, with singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, was taped March 30; the broadcast schedule has not been finalized, Richardson said.
The next step for the show is further developing the relationship between Sets and County TV, and possibly finding sponsors for each show, she said.
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Signings: Mentus, Inc. recently lost an account and signed a few others. Overland Data’s new vice president of marketing decided to switch PR firms to one he’s worked with for several years called Brodeur Worldwide, a Mentus representative said. On the flip side, Mentus started working with three new clients last month, a representative said. The new business is locally based GenOptix, Inc., NuGEN Technologies, Inc. in San Carlos, and Holopack International in Columbia, S.C. The latter is both marketing and PR, and the first two are simply for PR services. 760 Media, Inc. recently said that it has begun working with the Museum of Man. The work will include promotional and museum store items, and work apparel.
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More Signings: C3 Communications, Inc. signed Shelter Pointe Hotel and Marina, and a retail client, Cutler’s Cupboard, last month. The Shelter Pointe account lasts for three months, through the relaunching of the property after a renovation. C3 said it will help Cutler’s rebrand themselves to a new business name, The Edge, and the contract lasts through the end of December. The agency isn’t saying how much either of the clients is expected to generate in billings. Bailey Gardiner Inc. recently signed Tustin-based Network Professional Association. Bailey Gardiner will be promoting an awards program, a project the networking group is helping to organize. No word on how much the new account will generate for the Downtown-based firm. Benedetto Communications signed two clients, Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, and Mountain West Real Estate, for PR services. Benedetto didn’t say how much the new accounts were worth.
The deadline for the next Media & Marketing column is April 5. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 107, or via e-mail at
trodrigues@sdbj.com.
San Diego Recognized For Saving Energy
San Diego has been named as a finalist in a national contest that recognizes cities for saving energy.
The Energizing America’s Cities Competition, sponsored by the Gas Technology Institute, recognized San Diego’s role as a national leader in energy planning, said Scott Anders, a spokesman for the San Diego Regional Energy Office.
The energy office worked with both the city and county, the San Diego Association of Governments and others to submit a proposal outlining the region’s accomplishments. This included improvements in planning, efficiency, renewable energy and using alternative transportation fuels, he said.
Kurt Kammerer, executive director of the energy office, also credited a comprehensive regional energy infrastructure study , a document which will be released in the late spring.
San Diego will join the other finalists in Chicago in May. The winner will represent the United States at an international competition, scheduled for June 2003 in Tokyo, Anders said.
