San Diego is perhaps essentially the most picturesque market in America, however there’s loads of information behind the postcard-perfect seaside sunsets. Housing and value of dwelling are persistent points within the rising market.
Even the climate is an even bigger story in San Diego than one may think. “Folks suppose the standard climate is 72 and sunny, however there are numerous completely different microclimates in San Diego,” stated Alberto Mier y Teran, president and normal supervisor, KFMB. Between the Excessive Desert, coast, mountains and valleys, he stated, “it may be very completely different temperatures and other people don’t understand that.”
KFMB, a CBS station Tegna acquired from Midwest Tv in 2018, is a beast in DMA No. 27. KFMB has The CW on its dot-two. NBCUniversal-owned KNSD is boosting its profile; NBCU additionally owns Telemundo-aligned KUAN. Nexstar Media Group has Fox affiliate KSWB and Scripps holds ABC station KGTV. Entravision has Univision affiliate KBNT. McKinnon Broadcasting owns unbiased KUSI.
Additionally: Learn Extra Native Information Shut-Up Protection Right here
Cox Communications is the first cable operator. San Diego shifted from Nielsen DMA No. 29 to 27 from 2020 to 2021. Hispanics represented 34% of San Diego County, in line with the 2020 Census, and the Asian inhabitants is rising too.
Tegna’s acquisition has been optimistic for KFMB. “They’ve such a powerful, robust emphasis on journalism, and it was a extremely good match,” stated Mier y Teran.
In April, KFMB had the highest family rating at 6-7 a.m., and KNSD was tops within the 25-54 demo. At 5 p.m. KFMB gained households, and KNSD once more gained the demo, a good race. KFMB grabbed the 6 p.m. households crown and shared the 25-54 win with KGTV and KNSD. At 11 p.m., KFMB had a 1.7 family rating and 0.3 within the demo. KNSD was at 1.1 and 0.3. Indie KUSI scored a 1.0 and a 0.2. KGTV had a 0.8 and 0.2 and KSWB a 0.4 and 0.2. (KSWB does 10 p.m. information too.)
Amongst Spanish-language rivals at 11, KBNT had a 0.9 in households in April and 0.6 within the demo, whereas KUAN had a 0.6 and 0.3.
KFMB cranks out 11 hours of stories a day. Mier y Teran talked about the station’s “dedication to journalism,” made stronger by Tegna’s fact-checking platform Confirm. “We’re the station that, when individuals have a look at information, they discover us to be a really credible supply,” he stated.
Longtime anchor Barbara Lee-Edwards retired in October on account of well being points. Marcella Lee was promoted to CBS 8 evenings.
The key information gamers in San Diego share a helicopter. Most are based mostly within the Kearny Mesa neighborhood.
Extra Enterprising Stuff
Todd Mokhtari, KNSD-KUAN president and normal supervisor, is shifting to the GM job at KNBC-KVEA Los Angeles, additionally a part of NBCUniversal. Earlier than taking the highest spot at KNSD-KUAN, Mokhtari was VP of stories at KNBC.
He spoke with B+C Multichannel Information earlier than his transfer was introduced. KNSD reformatted its late information, he stated, to ship extra enterprising studies. “There’s no deal with story rely,” he stated. “We take a narrative and reply all of the unanswered questions till we’re achieved.”
There may be much less crime within the NBC 7 newscasts than there was. “We stated, let’s placed on one thing the place individuals verify in and get all the pieces they should know, not a lot tales we don’t comply with up on the subsequent day,” Mokhtari stated.
Greg Dawson is information director at KNSD and Mike Gaytan heads up the newsroom at KUAN. NBC 7 has a Responds unit centered on client points, whereas KUAN has Responde.
San Diego information veterans usually are not stunned to see Mokhtari transfer as much as DMA No. 2. “Good issues occur to good individuals,” stated one GM.
Native Information, Sports activities Is KSWB’s Bread and Butter
KSWB’s native output is booming. The station provides a shocking 64½ hours every week of native information, VP and normal supervisor Scott Heath stated, together with a 4:30-10 a.m. morning present.
“We proceed to launch and develop information,” he stated, noting the elevated price of syndicated programming. “I frequently search for nooks and crannies to observe our information.”
Wealthy Goldner, previously of KTLA Los Angeles, runs the newsroom. In addition to the normal information slots, Nexstar Media Group-owned KSWB provides 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and seven p.m. newscasts.
Heath described the Fox 5 information set as being “within the spherical,” with a spherical anchor desk for higher depth of area. There’s a kitchen for cooking segments and plenty of graphics. The competitors, he stated, “is 2 speaking heads with squares over their shoulders.”
KSWB’s native content material contains sports activities, and numerous it. There’s minor league hockey, skilled lacrosse, professional rugby and native soccer. “They bring about us new viewers,” stated Heath, “would-be hockey mothers and soccer mothers and rugby mothers.”
Native advertisers maybe can not afford the community sports activities broadcasts, he stated, however they will most likely swing a San Diego Gulls hockey recreation. “Native advertisers are in search of hyper-local sports activities,” he stated. — MM
KGTV produces 44 hours of stories every week, and can be rethinking information, with a deal with meatier content material. Leon Clark, VP and normal supervisor, famous mother or father Scripps’s roots in severe journalism. “We’re reimagining how we do our information,” stated Clark. “We’re doing extra in-depth tales than we’d achieved earlier than. We’ve got analysis that exhibits that viewers will watch longer tales if they’re compelling.”
KGTV’s anchors are energetic newsgatherers within the area, Clark added. “On the finish of the day, anchors are journalists as properly,” he stated.
San Diego is a market filled with vigorous neighborhoods, starting from Pacific Seaside to Encinitas to Spring Valley. Clark talked about KGTV’s efforts to be avenue degree at instances aside from when crimes happen in one of many communities. “There’s a ardour for the respective communities that you just don’t see wherever else,” he stated of the market. “There’s a Primary Road in each group they usually need us to find out about it.”
KSWB has been rising its native content material at a gentle tempo [see sidebar]. A 7 p.m. newscast was added in 2020, and it was prolonged to an hour final 12 months. “Folks stated, there’s no information at 7 and seven:30,” stated Scott Heath, KSWB VP/normal supervisor. “Now there’s information. It has achieved properly and it has met our expectations.”
KSWB way of life present The Localist SD, with pay-to-play distributors, premiered January 24. “It has simply skyrocketed,” Heath stated.
KUSI has “San Diego’s Extra Native Information Station” branding and conducts client studies beneath an “It Ain’t Proper” tagline.
Financial Points
The San Diego financial system might use a lift. The automotive class has lengthy suffered from supply-chain points. “They simply don’t have models to promote,” Heath stated.
COVID-19 has hampered tourism. Political spending, together with sports activities betting on the poll, appears promising. Nationwide promoting is down, the GMs stated, however native is up.
“Ask any normal supervisor right here available in the market proper now, they usually’ll inform you it’s just a little difficult,” stated Clark. “However we’re working by it.”
Requested what they like about San Diego, the final managers spoke of the beautiful climate, after all. In addition they talked about how a various inhabitants enhances the standard of life. “I like seeing several types of individuals,” stated Mier y Teran, who grew up available in the market, “and tradition and meals and artwork.” ■