Medialogue
Welcome to Medialogue, an experiment in blogging about Central Coast Media, written by someone who has participated in local media in some form since 1989. During the last sixteen years, I think I've pretty much covered all the media bases, having done everything from hosting a radio show on KVEC to having my own short-lived TV show on cable and writing a newspaper column for the old Telegram-Tribune.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that I also donned the Kisby costume for KSBY-TV for two different events in the early '90s, including a TV commercial filmed at the Santa Maria Mall.
Why am I doing this? There is a need, I think, for some kind of reporting or commentary about what's taking place with our local media. Who is doing what to whom with what effect, etc., etc., etc. So I might as well give it a shot.
Hence, I will be posting on Medialogue any news, gossip, rumors, opinions and speculation that come my way about the people and institutions comprising Central Coast Media. I will strive to be honest and fair in providing coverage and I will update at least weekly in the beginning, hoping to do so more frequently as I figure this blogging thing out. If you have information to share, feel free to contact me directly at dcongalton at charter.net. Also, get in the spirit of blogging by posting comments on this site in response to what Medialogue covers.
Let us begin . . .
New Radio Ratings Announced
Do you have a favorite local radio station? If so, check out the newest Arbitron ratings for the San Luis Obispo market (currently #172 nationally), courtesy of Radio and Records.
KKJG-FM American General Media 7.6
KSTT-FM Clear Channel 5.9
KZOZ-FM American General Media 5.9
KXTZ-FM/KXDZ-FM Mapleton 4.6
KPYG-FM Mapleton 4.3
KURQ-FM Clear Channel 4.3
KVEC-AM Clear Channel 4.0
KIQO-FM American General Media 3.3
KKJL-AM Guy Hackman 3.3
KWWV-FM Salisbury 3.3
KKAL-FM American General Media 2.6
KLUN-FM/KLMM-FM Lazer 2.4
KPRL-AM Dellar Survivor Trust 2.3
KSLY-FM Clear Channel 2.3
KYNS-AM Air America/Mapleton 1.3
Six or seven other radio stations round out the bottom of the list. Not too much surprising here - KKJG, KSTT and KZOZ traditionally slug it out for the top spot. It is surprising, though, to see the dip for Air America, which had a strong book last fall. KPYG, which broadcasts from Santa Cruz as a lame attempt by Mapleton to replace the local radio icon K-OTTER, is still holding on strong, finishing in the top five for this ratings book.
Where is Joe Benson?
If you live south of the Cuesta Grade, you've probably never heard of Joe Benson of KPRL-AM in Paso Robles, which is too bad because Joe is a heck-of-a-nice-guy, despite working for a radio station that prides itself on being to the right of Fox News. Joe co-anchors the KPRL morning news and hosts the daily "Sound Off" talk show. He's worked in radio all over the country and wears his love for Paso Robles on his sleeve.
But KPRL listeners have been treated to guest hosts for nearly a month as Joe battles a nasty foot infection that is apparently diabetes-related. This is serious stuff, folks, and doctors still haven't ruled out amputating one of Joe's toes. Joe is the first to admit that he hasn't really taken care of his body over the years and recently went on a massive weight-loss campaign. As of this posting, there is no date for Joe's return to KPRL. Feel free to send best wishes to him directly at oaktree at fix.net.
Where is Tom Fulks?
July has been a pretty quiet month, hasn't it? Well, part of that has to be due to the fact that Tom Fulks, a fixture in the local media/political community for nearly 25 years, moved his family up to Sacramento at the beginning of the month. Tom reported for both the Telegram-Tribune and the Five Cities T-P-R, before writing a popular and often controversial weekly column for New Times back in the early '90s. He also worked for awhile as the county Rideshare Coordinator before launching his own political consulting firm - this most recent move is to be nearer his clients up in Sacramento.
Tom was never reluctant to share an opinion and liked to get in your face when he wanted to be heard. Personally, I always liked and respected the guy, but some aren't exactly shedding tears over his departure. Rumors abound concerning Tom's "behavior" in the days following New Times publisher Steve Moss' death last spring, our favorite being the story of how Tom supposedly approached local businessman Tom Copeland and tried to get Copeland to buy the alternative weekly and make him the publisher.
Anyway, good luck to Tom Fulks. I suspect he'll be back sooner, or later.
News From Clear Channel Radio
Rich Hawkins, the popular and well-respected local GM (and, yes, I'm definitely sucking up to my boss here) for Clear Channel Radio has been promoted to Regional Vice President for the Central Coast Region. He will be responsible for CC stations in SLO, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Victorville and Lancaster/Palmdale. Hawkins is the real deal, a radio wunderkind who was a DJ in major market Philadelphia at the age of 18.
Also, Ben Greenaway has been officially named Morning News Anchor at KVEC-AM, following the tragic death of Paul Kelly last spring in an automobile accident. Ben is a local boy, just graduated from Cal Poly. He is sharp and easy-going and we predict a great broadcasting career for him, hopefully much of it with KVEC.
Not a good year for KVEC employees and cars. Jim Richards, who also does weekends for KSTT-FM was rear-ended early in July by a service truck and ended up in the path of an on-coming semi. Fortunately, Jim's injuries were minor, but this could have been much more serious. Turns out the service truck belongs to a local business owned by one of Jim's neighbors. Oops.
The Influence of Central Coast Magazine
The new kid on the block, Central Coast Magazine, is about to celebrate its second anniversary, having recently relocated their offices from Avila down to Grover Beach (we'll pause here and let you think of your own joke about that). The brainchild of former KSBY anchor John Summer, his wife Liz, and former literary agents Michael and Anne Vidor, CCM has carved out a nice niche by going after the upscale readership who love to stare longingly at those splashy color ads for $3 million homes.
Their influence is already being felt - when those advertisements appear in CCM, that means they're not appearing somewhere else. Which explains why Sandra Duerr announced in The Tribune this month that the paper's Living section, currently only running on Sundays, will now be revised and appear daily. It's a safe bet that the Trib is doing this, in large part, to draw more of that upscale ad money away from CCM.
Not to be outdone, Steve Owens also just announced that he'll improve the quality of the paper he uses for SLO County Journal and Plus, two of the many free monthly publications available throughout the county. Starting in August, readers will be treated to better (translation: more expensive) paper stock to keep his advertisers happy.
Speaking of Sandra Duerr
A week hardly seems to pass without me hearing from a Tribune employee, all wondering the same question: Is it true, Dave? Is it true that Sandy Duerr, executive editor of the Tribune, makes $240,000 a year? That's what the local rumor mill is churning out these days. On one hand, I don't begrudge anyone the money if they can get it, but I also thought about those 240,000 smackers when I recently received my notice in the mail that the Tribune needed to raise their subscription rates. Oh.
Anything New at New Times?
The short answer is "No." Everyone in the Higuera Street office seems to be waiting for the other shoe to drop since the death of publisher and founder Steve Moss. The journalistic quagmire surrounds the uncertain future of the popular weekly alternative newspaper, poised to soon celebrate its 20th anniversary. Lawyers and family members are slugging it out, sifting through documents and trying to figure out who owned what. Sounds like a mess. Bottom line seems to be that nothing will happen before next spring. The paper could be sold. It could be shut down. Or, hopefully, it could continue to plug along under a new business plan. No one knows at this point, though two NT staffers recently rejected offers from The Tribune to cross over to the dark side, so things must be relatively stable.
In Other News
The new byline at The Tribune belongs to Bob Cuddy. A Google search shows extensive experience with Oakland newspapers. Welcome to the Central Coast, Bob. I bet you're not making $240,000.
Many of us in the local media were there back in the summer of '90 to celebrate the wedding of Tony Hazarian and Tara Giambalvo, at the time, both reporters for the T-T who soon relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, the well-liked couple split up earlier this year.
Also, say it isn't so, but former local radio legend Lady Tie-Dye is pondering a move to New Mexico with her family. LTD held court for years in the mornings on K-OTTER before the independent station went corporate.
And the old-timers among us remember reporter Gardiner Harris at the Telegram-Tribune in the early '90s. Gardiner's claim to local fame will always be as the reporter who wrote the infamous A-1 profile of the Copeland Brothers, over their vehement objections when the Downtown Centre was first being built. It was a non-story, but the Copelands didn't like it and cancelled all their T-T advertising, roughly 15% of total advertising for the paper. Anyway, you can now catch Gardiner's by-line in the N.Y. Times where he is now the health reporter.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should note that I also donned the Kisby costume for KSBY-TV for two different events in the early '90s, including a TV commercial filmed at the Santa Maria Mall.
Why am I doing this? There is a need, I think, for some kind of reporting or commentary about what's taking place with our local media. Who is doing what to whom with what effect, etc., etc., etc. So I might as well give it a shot.
Hence, I will be posting on Medialogue any news, gossip, rumors, opinions and speculation that come my way about the people and institutions comprising Central Coast Media. I will strive to be honest and fair in providing coverage and I will update at least weekly in the beginning, hoping to do so more frequently as I figure this blogging thing out. If you have information to share, feel free to contact me directly at dcongalton at charter.net. Also, get in the spirit of blogging by posting comments on this site in response to what Medialogue covers.
Let us begin . . .
New Radio Ratings Announced
Do you have a favorite local radio station? If so, check out the newest Arbitron ratings for the San Luis Obispo market (currently #172 nationally), courtesy of Radio and Records.
KKJG-FM American General Media 7.6
KSTT-FM Clear Channel 5.9
KZOZ-FM American General Media 5.9
KXTZ-FM/KXDZ-FM Mapleton 4.6
KPYG-FM Mapleton 4.3
KURQ-FM Clear Channel 4.3
KVEC-AM Clear Channel 4.0
KIQO-FM American General Media 3.3
KKJL-AM Guy Hackman 3.3
KWWV-FM Salisbury 3.3
KKAL-FM American General Media 2.6
KLUN-FM/KLMM-FM Lazer 2.4
KPRL-AM Dellar Survivor Trust 2.3
KSLY-FM Clear Channel 2.3
KYNS-AM Air America/Mapleton 1.3
Six or seven other radio stations round out the bottom of the list. Not too much surprising here - KKJG, KSTT and KZOZ traditionally slug it out for the top spot. It is surprising, though, to see the dip for Air America, which had a strong book last fall. KPYG, which broadcasts from Santa Cruz as a lame attempt by Mapleton to replace the local radio icon K-OTTER, is still holding on strong, finishing in the top five for this ratings book.
Where is Joe Benson?
If you live south of the Cuesta Grade, you've probably never heard of Joe Benson of KPRL-AM in Paso Robles, which is too bad because Joe is a heck-of-a-nice-guy, despite working for a radio station that prides itself on being to the right of Fox News. Joe co-anchors the KPRL morning news and hosts the daily "Sound Off" talk show. He's worked in radio all over the country and wears his love for Paso Robles on his sleeve.
But KPRL listeners have been treated to guest hosts for nearly a month as Joe battles a nasty foot infection that is apparently diabetes-related. This is serious stuff, folks, and doctors still haven't ruled out amputating one of Joe's toes. Joe is the first to admit that he hasn't really taken care of his body over the years and recently went on a massive weight-loss campaign. As of this posting, there is no date for Joe's return to KPRL. Feel free to send best wishes to him directly at oaktree at fix.net.
Where is Tom Fulks?
July has been a pretty quiet month, hasn't it? Well, part of that has to be due to the fact that Tom Fulks, a fixture in the local media/political community for nearly 25 years, moved his family up to Sacramento at the beginning of the month. Tom reported for both the Telegram-Tribune and the Five Cities T-P-R, before writing a popular and often controversial weekly column for New Times back in the early '90s. He also worked for awhile as the county Rideshare Coordinator before launching his own political consulting firm - this most recent move is to be nearer his clients up in Sacramento.
Tom was never reluctant to share an opinion and liked to get in your face when he wanted to be heard. Personally, I always liked and respected the guy, but some aren't exactly shedding tears over his departure. Rumors abound concerning Tom's "behavior" in the days following New Times publisher Steve Moss' death last spring, our favorite being the story of how Tom supposedly approached local businessman Tom Copeland and tried to get Copeland to buy the alternative weekly and make him the publisher.
Anyway, good luck to Tom Fulks. I suspect he'll be back sooner, or later.
News From Clear Channel Radio
Rich Hawkins, the popular and well-respected local GM (and, yes, I'm definitely sucking up to my boss here) for Clear Channel Radio has been promoted to Regional Vice President for the Central Coast Region. He will be responsible for CC stations in SLO, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Victorville and Lancaster/Palmdale. Hawkins is the real deal, a radio wunderkind who was a DJ in major market Philadelphia at the age of 18.
Also, Ben Greenaway has been officially named Morning News Anchor at KVEC-AM, following the tragic death of Paul Kelly last spring in an automobile accident. Ben is a local boy, just graduated from Cal Poly. He is sharp and easy-going and we predict a great broadcasting career for him, hopefully much of it with KVEC.
Not a good year for KVEC employees and cars. Jim Richards, who also does weekends for KSTT-FM was rear-ended early in July by a service truck and ended up in the path of an on-coming semi. Fortunately, Jim's injuries were minor, but this could have been much more serious. Turns out the service truck belongs to a local business owned by one of Jim's neighbors. Oops.
The Influence of Central Coast Magazine
The new kid on the block, Central Coast Magazine, is about to celebrate its second anniversary, having recently relocated their offices from Avila down to Grover Beach (we'll pause here and let you think of your own joke about that). The brainchild of former KSBY anchor John Summer, his wife Liz, and former literary agents Michael and Anne Vidor, CCM has carved out a nice niche by going after the upscale readership who love to stare longingly at those splashy color ads for $3 million homes.
Their influence is already being felt - when those advertisements appear in CCM, that means they're not appearing somewhere else. Which explains why Sandra Duerr announced in The Tribune this month that the paper's Living section, currently only running on Sundays, will now be revised and appear daily. It's a safe bet that the Trib is doing this, in large part, to draw more of that upscale ad money away from CCM.
Not to be outdone, Steve Owens also just announced that he'll improve the quality of the paper he uses for SLO County Journal and Plus, two of the many free monthly publications available throughout the county. Starting in August, readers will be treated to better (translation: more expensive) paper stock to keep his advertisers happy.
Speaking of Sandra Duerr
A week hardly seems to pass without me hearing from a Tribune employee, all wondering the same question: Is it true, Dave? Is it true that Sandy Duerr, executive editor of the Tribune, makes $240,000 a year? That's what the local rumor mill is churning out these days. On one hand, I don't begrudge anyone the money if they can get it, but I also thought about those 240,000 smackers when I recently received my notice in the mail that the Tribune needed to raise their subscription rates. Oh.
Anything New at New Times?
The short answer is "No." Everyone in the Higuera Street office seems to be waiting for the other shoe to drop since the death of publisher and founder Steve Moss. The journalistic quagmire surrounds the uncertain future of the popular weekly alternative newspaper, poised to soon celebrate its 20th anniversary. Lawyers and family members are slugging it out, sifting through documents and trying to figure out who owned what. Sounds like a mess. Bottom line seems to be that nothing will happen before next spring. The paper could be sold. It could be shut down. Or, hopefully, it could continue to plug along under a new business plan. No one knows at this point, though two NT staffers recently rejected offers from The Tribune to cross over to the dark side, so things must be relatively stable.
In Other News
The new byline at The Tribune belongs to Bob Cuddy. A Google search shows extensive experience with Oakland newspapers. Welcome to the Central Coast, Bob. I bet you're not making $240,000.
Many of us in the local media were there back in the summer of '90 to celebrate the wedding of Tony Hazarian and Tara Giambalvo, at the time, both reporters for the T-T who soon relocated to the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, the well-liked couple split up earlier this year.
Also, say it isn't so, but former local radio legend Lady Tie-Dye is pondering a move to New Mexico with her family. LTD held court for years in the mornings on K-OTTER before the independent station went corporate.
And the old-timers among us remember reporter Gardiner Harris at the Telegram-Tribune in the early '90s. Gardiner's claim to local fame will always be as the reporter who wrote the infamous A-1 profile of the Copeland Brothers, over their vehement objections when the Downtown Centre was first being built. It was a non-story, but the Copelands didn't like it and cancelled all their T-T advertising, roughly 15% of total advertising for the paper. Anyway, you can now catch Gardiner's by-line in the N.Y. Times where he is now the health reporter.
posted by NewsstandGreg at 1:00 AM
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