Business Journal Launches
New Web Site With
Archived News Stories
Slug this one “Tweaking at 10.” Focus groups and other research are having an impact on the set of XETV Channel 6’s 4-month-old nightly newscast.
The set itself is being revamped, said Albert Pando, news director of the Fox affiliate. He couldn’t offer further details.
Pando also confirmed that main anchor Shelley Harrell has been moved to a reporter position. Harrell, who was Pando’s first hire, had anchored the station’s main Sunday through Thursday slot with Estha Trouw since the newscast’s inception last year on Dec. 27.
The changes have been a way to “better position ourselves for future growth,” Pando said.
Taking Harrell’s place is Lynda Martin, who had been anchoring XETV’s Friday and Saturday newscasts with Greg Phillips. Phillips will now host the two nights solo.
Other changes are coming to XETV. The station has its morning show in the works and is also planning midday programming, Pando said.
Knee-deep in tapes, Pando is hiring an executive producer and 30-person staff for the A.M. show, he said. It will launch in September, Pando said. Sources say the starting date could be Sept. 11 or the week before.
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‘Net News: A new version of the San Diego Business Journal’s Web site (www.sdbj. com) was launched April 26. It now features three years of archived stories, the week’s full issue and links to other members of the California Business Journals newspaper chain, and business resources.
The revised site’s launch had been delayed from last year, noted publisher Ted Owen. “We wanted to put together a Web site that would serve our customers’ needs,” Owen explained. “We feel we’ve done that.”
Other goals were making the site user-friendly and cost-effective, he said.
Searching in the paper’s archives will be free, but pulling up a story will cost $3.
In order to have unlimited access to the site’s archived stories, users must subscribe to the print version. The paper is charging $119 a year for a package that includes Internet archives, the weekly paper and the Business Journal’s annual Book of Lists. (A regular 12-month subscription, which includes the Book of Lists, costs $69.)
Getting Around: The San Diego Union-Tribune saw slight declines in average paid circulation last year for both Monday through Saturday editions and Sunday editions, the Audit Bureau of Circulations recently reported.
However, the North County Times’ Monday through Saturday subscriptions increased, but Sunday circulation slipped, said the bureau, which is based in Schaumburg, Ill.
The recent ABC reports examine the year ended Dec. 31.
The Union-Tribune’s Monday through Sunday circulation dipped from 381,742 for the same time period in 1998 to 378,766 in ’99, according to the ABC.
On Mondays through Saturdays, 297,573 were delivered to homes and 61,416 were sold as single copies, ABC officials said.
On Sundays, the paper’s circulation also slipped, from 1998’s average of 453,927 to 451,291 in ’99, ABC said. Of that figure, 315,029 were delivered to homes, and 120,082 were sold as single copies.
At the Times, which is based in Escondido, Monday through Saturday circulation was 91,330, a slight rise from 90,717 in 1998, the ABC reported. In 1999, home delivery averaged 65,922 and 7,853 were sold as single copies.
On Sundays, circulation was 92,236, down from 93,474 the previous year, ABC said. Of the ’99 figure, an average of 66,121 papers were delivered to subscribers’ homes and 11,806 papers were sold as single copies.
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Sound Bites: General manager Bobby Beathard isn’t the only one leaving the San Diego Chargers this spring. Sales and Marketing Director Lynn Abramson is moving to Connecticut for personal reasons. Her replacement has yet to be named, and the team may split up the position, Abramson said. As of April 22, KGTV Channel 10 weathercaster Loren Nancarrow began hosting an environmentally themed program on KCBQ-AM. “Captain Compost” airs Saturday mornings from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. The Townsend Agency in Sorrento Valley recently hired Rodney Whitson as executive vice president for operations and administration. Prior to Townsend, Whitson was chairman and vice president of marketing at TEC Worldwide, Inc., an organization of company presidents and CEOs.
Status Chart: Downtown-based Gable Group recently signed Irvine-based Oinke.com, a business-to-lender auction Web site. Drasnin Communications, which recently moved from Del Mar to Hillcrest, will be handling public relations for printQuick.com in Carlsbad. Tyler Blik Design recently designed a new identity for Valencia Systems in Orange County. Local agency Mentus Inc.’s design of IDEC Pharmaceuticals’ 1998 annual report recently won “Best Annual Report” from the Investor Relations Magazine. New York City-based Porter Novelli has officially taken over PR firm Nelson Communications Group, which has an office Downtown. Nelson will now be NCG Porter Novelli. Local consulting firm M Marketing Team has merged with Art of Science in Hillcrest which specializes in interactive design and development.
The deadline for the next media & marketing column is May 4. Rodrigues can be reached at (858) 277-6359, ext. 107, or via E-mail at trodrigues@sdbj.com.
