MarketInk: Former KPBS GM Tom Karlo Suspends Retirement to Rescue CapRadio in Sacramento

Since retiring in December 2020, Tom Karlo stated he has been having fun with life, splitting enjoyable time between houses in San Diego and Lake Tahoe and spending time with grandchildren and Julie, his spouse of practically 50 years

Karlo spent his complete 47-year profession at KPBS, San Diego’s public broadcasting station headquartered at San Diego State College, together with the final 12 years as normal supervisor.

At the moment, he admits his plans for life-after-KPBS didn’t embrace rescuing one other Nationwide Public Radio station from monetary wreck.

“I used to be doing wonderful, having fun with my retirement, however then the cellphone rang,” Karlo informed Occasions of San Diego.

The decision in mid-July was from J. Luke Wooden, newly appointed president of Sacramento State College. Karlo had met Wooden, a former SDSU professor, when each served on SDSU’s President’s Cupboard.

Previous to heading Sacramento State, his alma mater, Wooden had been serving at SDSU as VP for scholar affairs and chief variety officer. In 2017, Wooden turned the primary Black school member to be named a distinguished professor.

“I used to be able to congratulate my good friend on his new job,” stated Karlo. “I’ve been all the time impressed with Luke’s professionalism and maturity at such a younger age. I’ve joked that if I had greater than three youngsters (two sons and a daughter), I might need Luke as my fourth.”

Nevertheless, Wooden had one thing else on his thoughts apart from accepting congratulations from Karlo.

“Luke stated he wanted my assist with CapRadio,” stated Karlo. “So, I drove over from Lake Tahoe and met with him and others on his employees on two totally different events. I’ve all the time admired CapRadio for his or her information protection of Sacramento politics. CapRadio has been a guiding gentle for all of us in California, maintaining us knowledgeable on what was taking place in state authorities. At KPBS, we carried loads of their tales. They’ve a prestigious title in Northern California.”

With studios on the Sacramento State College campus, Capital Public Radio operates two NPR-affiliated radio stations, together with news-talk KXJZ-FM (90.9) and jazz-and-classical music KXPR-FM (88.9). CapRadio operates below the college’s broadcasting license, a relationship that’s just like KPBS licensing settlement with SDSU. CapRadio additionally operates North State Public Radio, two stations owned by Chico State.

With a complete of seven FM frequencies and 6 FM translators that repeat the indicators for the information and music stations, CapRadio serves California’s capital area, Central Valley and Sierra Nevada because the public-supported different to for-profit media.

“On the conferences, I used to be knowledgeable concerning the extent of CapRadio’s monetary issues. Some huge cash was owed to loads of distributors. There was about $3 million in unpaid payments from the previous two fiscal years,” Karlo stated.

“There was a number of years of excellent lease owed to Sacramento State. Working reserves had been paying for loans on building of a brand new downtown headquarters that was a yr not on time. There have been mainly no reserves. The funds had been extreme.”

As well as, three pricey building tasks mixed with falling income had pushed the nonprofit media group to the monetary brink. One of many tasks, a tower relocation mission, has been within the works for greater than 15 years.

“They wanted assist, and I felt like I nonetheless have some fuel left in my tank,” stated Karlo. “I’ll all the time be dedicated to sustaining the general mission of public broadcasting and public media and growing the worth of public media.”

Since Aug. 15, Karlo has been serving as CapRadio’s interim normal supervisor. He changed Jun Reina, who had been at CapRadio for 16 years, more often than not because the station’s chief monetary officer. Former workers have informed Sacramento information shops that Reina pushed for 3 pricey capital tasks now thought-about as the foundation of the station’s present monetary uncertainty.

“My purpose from day one has been to get a deal with on the working finances, stability the finances and discover a degree taking part in area from the place CapRadio can go ahead,” stated Karlo. “My focus isn’t on the previous, an upcoming audit will care for that. As an alternative, I’m looking for our footing and stabilize the state of affairs so CapRadio can transfer ahead.”

Karlo is properly certified for the duty of stabilizing CapRadio. He led KPBS by way of the 1989 recession, the post-9/11 inventory market crash, 2008 monetary collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to the tip of his profession, he led a three-year capital marketing campaign that raised practically $70 million.

He has served on the PBS board of administrators, Public Tv Main Market ‘group and the California Public Tv board of administrators. He was honored in 2016 because the PBS Growth Skilled of the 12 months. In 2022, he was named to the KPBS Corridor of Fame.

Shortly after accepting the interim place, Karlo initiated employees layoffs.

Twelve CapRadio workers, roughly 12% of its workforce, had been laid off and three extra employees got a remaining employment date. Three fourths of these affected had been part-time workers, a CapRadio assertion stated. Earlier than the layoffs, CapRadio had 102 positions.

As well as, 4 music reveals had been cancelled. The reveals, which aired on Saturdays, included “Mick Martin’s Blues Occasion,” “Hey, Pay attention,” “Ok-ZAP on CapRadio” and “On the Opera.”

As anticipated, laid-off on-air hosts of the music reveals willingly shared with native information media shops their shock at being expendable. Nationwide programming has changed the canceled music reveals. 

Nick Brunner, who had labored on the station for 16 years and hosted “Hey, Pay attention” since 2016, stated he wasn’t capable of say goodbye to native musicians, business insiders or listeners. “Now that dries up instantly due to this extremely poorly thought-out, reprehensible motion on behalf of Tom Karlo and the CapRadio board,” stated Brunner. 

Sean Bianco, who had hosted the opera present for 25 years, informed the Sacramento Bee, “I’m unhappy for my listeners. I’m unhappy for Sacramento.”

Karlo referred to as the layoffs “heartbreaking,” however emphasised the size of the monetary issues.

“Anytime you make programming adjustments, it’s heartbreaking and it upsets constituents of these packages,” Karlo stated. “Earlier than the layoffs, we checked out scores, knowledge and demographics. It was a troublesome choice, however we considered it as needed to hold out the station’s public service mission throughout a financially difficult time.”

“Music is necessary, however our anchor, what actually makes CapRadio, is the information and public affairs programming,” he stated. “We had been deeply saddened to say farewell to devoted and gifted employees members. However, on the finish of the day, CapRadio will change into stronger.”

Karlo says he’s wanting ahead to the tip of his tenure with CapRadio.

“The board of administrators is presently in search of a everlasting chief to make it possible for CapRadio continues to offer high quality, fact-based, trusted, unbiased journalism and high-quality music and humanities programming,” Karlo stated. “I don’t plan to remain right here greater than a pair extra months. My hope is {that a} new president and normal supervisor might be appointed by the tip of this calendar yr, or early subsequent yr. Then, I’ll return to retirement life.”

San Diego’s Channel 10 Celebrates Seventieth Anniversary

KGTV-TV Channel 10 not too long ago celebrated its Seventieth anniversary. The station went on the air as KFSD-TV on Sept. 13, 1953.

The station was launched by Airfan Corp., which additionally owned radio station KFSD, an NBC Radio Community affiliate on the time.

Channel 10’s KFSD name letters supposedly known as “First in San Diego,” though KFMB-TV was San Diego’s first TV station, launched Could 16, 1949, adopted by XETV-TV Channel 6, launched in early 1953. Channel 10 is San Diego’s third-oldest TV station.

In 1957, the station moved from Enterprise Road close to Pacific Freeway to its current location at Freeway 94 and forty seventh Road.

In its early days, Channel 10 featured newscasts in addition to discuss and selection programming. In 1961, “The Regis Philbin Present” began a four-year run.

The station was offered to Time-Life Broadcasting in 1962, after which to McGraw Hill a decade later. In 2012, KGTV was acquired by E.W. Scripps Media, the present proprietor. KGTV has been an ABC affiliate since 1976.

Extra info on Channel 10’s historical past may be discovered at 10news.com/Seventieth-anniversary.

After Leaving San Diego, Melissa Forrest Joins Cumulus Atlanta

After spending practically 10 years as head of iHeartMedia’s cluster of eight radio stations in San Diego, in addition to overseeing iHeart stations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Cumulus Media has named Melissa Forrest as VP and market supervisor for Cumulus Atlanta.

In September 2012, Forrest relocated from Atlanta to San Diego when the iHeart firm was referred to as Clear Channel Communications (Clear Channel modified its title to iHeartMedia in September 2014).

Earlier than San Diego, Forrest spent 4 years (2008-2012) with iHeart in Atlanta. Earlier than Atlanta, Forrest held market management roles with Entercom in Austin and Seattle (2004-2008).

Forrest left iHeart San Diego in July 2022 to change into a guide. On the time, Forrest informed Occasions of San Diego, “I’m extraordinarily happy with the tradition and success we’ve created over the previous nearly 10 years. I might be a cellphone name away for the crew right here, however I’m additionally pursuing some long-held private targets.” Her market supervisor function was stuffed by Noreen Ippolito.

“Melissa is a excessive power chief, with a observe report of remodeling enterprise organizations into extremely profitable operations,” stated Dave Milner, president of operations with Cumulus Media.

Forrest, who has labored in radio gross sales since 2002, stated in a Cumulus assertion, “I’ve embraced many markets throughout my profession, however I sit up for returning residence to Atlanta. The chance to work with Dave and your entire Cumulus Atlanta crew makes this homecoming much more significant.”

For a number of years, Forrest has been named by Radio Ink, an business commerce media outlet, as one of many Finest Managers in Radio and one of many 100 Most Influential Ladies in Radio.

Cumulus Atlanta operates 4 radio stations, together with WKHX-FM (New Nation 101.FIVE), Traditional Various WNNX-FM (99X), Prime 40 WWWQ-FM (Q99.7) and Traditional Hip Hop OG 97.9 (WWWQ-H3), a digital, wi-fi music radio station.

San Diego AMA Hosts ‘Artwork of Advertising’ Convention

The American Advertising Affiliation San Diego chapter will host “Artwork of Advertising: The 360 Marketer Convention” from 8 a.m. to five p.m., Friday, Oct. 6, on the Knauss Heart of Enterprise Schooling, College of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park. A welcome reception might be held from 6 p.m. to eight p.m., Thursday, Oct. 5, on the Mingei Worldwide Museum.

The day-long convention will characteristic 30 keynotes and audio system, panels and fireplace chats designed to discover the data versatile and adaptive entrepreneurs must navigate the complicated, ever-changing advertising and marketing panorama. 4 advertising and marketing instructional tracks are titled the Experiential Marketer, the Folks Marketer, the Tech Marketer, and the Insightful Marketer.  Greater than 300 advertising and marketing professionals are anticipated to attend.

The keynote audio system will embrace: Christopher Connolly, chief advertising and marketing officer for the San Diego Padres; Amy Winhoven, head of world insights, HP; and Dan Khabie, co-founder and companion of CourtAvenue.

Price to attend is $199 for members, $299 for nonmembers and $99 for college kids. For extra info, go to artofmarketingsd.org/.