MarketInk: New KOGO Anchor Veronica Carter Loves Radio’s ‘Crazy Life’ and San Diego Weather

Veteran radio news anchor Veronica Carter wasn't looking for a new job for herself. Typically, radio industry professionals from around the country call her about job openings and career advice, she said.

"I've been in the business since 1989, and I know a lot of people," Carter told Times of San Diego. "People often call me when they want to know the inside-scoop about a station. I make friends really easy and I keep my friends as friends."

So, Carter knew about what recently happened at San Diego's KOGO 600-AM , one of eight San Diego radio stations owned by iHeartMedia .

In August, morning news anchor LaDona Harvey announced she was leaving KOGO to relocate to Phoenix to care for her ailing father who has Alzheimer's disease. She had worked at KOGO for 26 years and served as a co-anchor of KOGO's "San Diego Morning News" with Ted Garcia for the past 10 years.

"For several years, through iHeart, I've become friends with the people who currently work at KOGO, including Cliff Albert (news director) and Mary Ayala (program director)," said Carter, who previously served as regional news director for iHeart's Pacific region, based in Sacramento.

For the past four years, Carter has worked in Portland, OR, as morning show host at KXL 101.1-FM.

"I knew LaDona was leaving, and I was approached about the opening," said Carter. "It's not often that a job like this one becomes available in a city like San Diego."

Earlier this month, Carter began as KOGO's new morning co-anchor with Garcia.

"I'm grateful to be living in a city this beautiful," Carter said. "I'm a big outdoors person, I love spending time in the outdoors. You can't live outdoors year-round in Chicago in the winter."

Carter began her 35-year career in the radio business in Redding, with stops along the way at radio stations based in Chico, Chicago, Sacramento and Portland.

"I raised three kids as a single mother and for decades always worked at two or three jobs simultaneously," Carter said. "It was a crazy life, but I'm a stronger person as a result."

For example, she was a news anchor for five-year stints at both WGN and WBBM in Chicago, while also voicing newscasts remotely for Public News Service, based in Boulder, CO, and Virtual News Center, based in Cheyenne, WY.

At another time in her career, Carter worked as a news anchor at KFBK in Sacramento during the weekdays and at KCBS in San Francisco on the weekends. Also, while living in Portland, she was an anchor and producer for Colorado's Public News Service.

Today, her three adult children are busy with their own careers in technology, water treatment and the music industries.

"Of course, I'm looking forward to working in San Diego at KOGO," Carter said. "Radio is a crazy business, but it certainly satisfies my curiosity. Journalism allows you to question things, learn something new every day and tell great stories about people. It's a great life."

The eight San Diego radio stations operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. include an Diego Sports 760, KHTS-FM Channel 93.3, KIOZ-FM Rock 105.3, KMYI-FM Star 94.1, KSSX-FM JAM'N 95.7 and KLSD 1360-AM The Patriot.

Long-haired NFL Tight-End has 'Nothing on my Roof' for DirecTV

DirecTV , the title sponsor of December's Holiday Bowl college football game at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium, recently launched a new advertising campaign that is reminding consumers they are not limited to a satellite dish to catch NFL and college football games this season.

The campaign, featuring George Kittle, the San Francisco 49ers tight end who is recognized for his shoulder-length hair, includes a TV commercial showing Kittle sporting a new hairdo — chrome-dome bald on top with silky, feathered manes on the sides.

In the spot, titled, "Nothing on Your Roof," Kittle says, "You can now stream DirecTV without a satellite dish. That means the football you love with nothing on your roof. So, to celebrate, I got nothing on my roof."

A DirecTV statement said, "The campaign educates consumers on the misconception that DirecTV is only available through satellite technology. The campaign shocks fans by giving their beloved player a new show-stopping look that kicks off a hilarious visual association with the phrase `no satellite needed.'"

Advertising industry reviewer David Gianatasio with Muse by Clios commented, "He looks kind of like Fabio, an oddly balding Fabio." The campaign was developed by creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA .

Kittle, one of the top receiving tight ends in the NFL, has been dealing with a rib injury this season.

Creative Agency Deutsch LA Rebrands as Simply Deutsch

Los Angeles creative agency Deutsch LA has rebranded itself as simply Deutsch , eight months after Interpublic Group sold its onetime sister agency Deutsch NY to Attivo Group.

Under terms of the Attivo sale, Deutsch NY agreed to sunset the Deutsch name allowing Deutsch LA to take control of it, according to Advertising Age, an advertising industry news outlet.

The rebrand includes a scripted "D" wordmark, new font and refreshed color palette centered on a vivid orange.

Deutsch's client list includes Taco Bell, Walmart, Dr Pepper, Nintendo, Adobe, Verizon, Snapple, PetSmart, Behr, Opendoor and NerdWallet. The agency said it has grown in headcount this year with 101 new hires.

According to a statement from Kim Getty, CEO of Deutsch, "We are a company that has a history of reinventing itself because it's just who we are. We are never satisfied. We started as an offshoot with a hunger to prove ourselves and we've never stopped asking 'Why not us?'"

"From being the first agency to pre-release a Super Bowl ad to crafting the first-to-market brand partnership with Open AI, at Deutsch, we think like entrepreneurs and take immense pride in our legacy of `firsts.' We don't know what's next but we're ready for it."

"The offering at Deutsch continues to evolve, and this new identity marks an important step in that journey," said Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of Interpublic Group. "The agency is built on a strong culture, with the ambition and attitude of a boutique, and the rigor to match larger agency networks."

"By combining creativity with a range of modern marketing capabilities, the Deutsch team is able to take the right kinds of creative risks and produce work that delivers results for its clients. Their reputation in the marketplace and strong performance in 2024 demonstrate the value we can create through distinctive agency brands."

San Diego Ranked No. 2 in Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards

The San Diego Tourism Authority , the city's major destination marketing organization, has announced that San Diego has been honored as the second most popular U.S. travel destination, behind Chicago, in the annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.

The 2024 No. 2 ranking, identical to the city's 2023 ranking, puts San Diego ahead of other renowned travel cities, including San Francisco, New York and Miami, SDTA said.

"The magazine's readers also showed plenty of love for San Diego in individual categories, naming seven area hotels, five resorts and two spas as among the best in the country," a SDTA statement said.

The seven hotels included Andaz San Diego and Pendry San Diego both in the Downtown San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, Estancia La Jolla Hotel, Fairmont Grand Del Mar in Carmel Valley, Hotel del Coronado, Humphrey's Half Moon Inn on Shelter Island and Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside.

The five resorts included Rancho Bernardo Inn, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in Rancho Santa Fe and Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa in Oceanside.

The two spas included Cal-a-Vie in Vista and the Golden Door in San Marcos.