KWFN-FM 97.3 The Fan, one of six San Diego radio stations operated by Audacy, announced that Annie Heilbrunn and Craig Elsten have been paired to co-host the weekday, midday slot (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), replacing “Coach” John Kentera, who departedthe station the week before Christmas.
Kentera, a San Diego native, who has been heard on local radio waves for the past 30 years, had worked at KWFN as midday host since 2019.
The “Annie & Elsten” show debuted Jan. 4.
“We’re excited to kick off the next era of our station’s midday programming with the additions of two seasoned broadcasters in Annie and Craig,” said Michael Valenzuela, senior VP and market manager, Audacy San Diego. “We have no doubt their vast knowledge of this city’s sports scene will add extraordinary value to our local content offering, and can’t wait to see them get the ball rolling.”
A San Diego native, Heilbrunn joined The San Diego Union-Tribune as a news journalist in 2005 before transitioning to covering the San Diego Padres and Chargers in 2009. In 2012, she joined Fox Sports San Diego as the host of “Padres Social Hour” and a host-and contributor to “Padres POV.” By 2017, she had risen to the role of sideline and field reporter on Padres broadcasts, a position she held with Bally Sports San Diego for seven seasons.
Heilbrunn’s other previous roles have included on-air anchor, post-game contributor and analyst on KNSD-TV NBC 7’s “Football Night in San Diego” and Channel 4 San Diego’s on-air “Padres Pregame Show” reporter. She also has worked for the Padres as manager of community relations and content. She is a five-time Emmy winner in the categories of on-air talent, sports storytelling and journalistic enterprise.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity and eager to contribute to the impressive lineup already established at 97.3 The Fan,” said Heilbrunn. “San Diego is an amazing city with smart, loyal sports fans, and I look forward to earning a place in their daily routine and connecting over our shared passion for sports and this community. And hopefully, we’ll laugh a lot, too.”
Elsten has worked the past 27 years in the San Diego market in television, radio and podcasting. He started his San Diego sports broadcasting career at XTRA Sports 690 in 1996, and worked in radio until 2009 at XTRA, KLSD-AM and KOGO-AM. He returned to radio to work at The Mighty 1090-AM from 2012 to 2018 as a Padres host, covering San Diego State University Aztecs football and basketball and hosting multiple weekend programs.
He also served as the director of media relations and broadcasting for the San Diego Sockers from 2009 to 2015, before transitioning to the San Diego Gulls from 2015 to 2018 as the club’s play-by-play voice on radio and TV. Elsten then returned to the Sockers in 2018 as the club’s chief marketing officer, director of communications and broadcast voice.
He has done play-by-play broadcasts for Major League Baseball, the Gulls, Time Warner Cable, World Championship Sports Network and UC San Diego. He has worked as the public address (PA) announcer at the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, DirectTV Holiday Bowl, and continues as the PA voice of San Diego Wave FC.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be partnered with someone as talented and respected as Annie,” said Elsten. “To do so on 97.3 The Fan is the perfect pairing. I know we will work hard to make middays a fun place to hang out every day and a great place to talk Padres.”
In addition to KWFN-FM, Audacy owns and operates five other San Diego radio stations, including KBZT-FM ALT 94.9, KYXY-FM 96.5, KXSN-FM Sunny 98.1-FM, KSON-FM 103.7 and KXSN-HD3 Channel Q.
Philadelphia-based Audacy has been facing financial challenges on the corporate level. On Jan. 7, the company, as planned, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to restructure its balance sheet and reduce its total debt from $1.9 billion to $350 million.
As part of the Sunday morning announcement, Audacy said it had reached an agreement with a “supermajority” of its debt-holders on a de-leveraging transaction that will erase over 80 percent of the company’s debt, or roughly $1.6 billion, and “establish a robust capital structure to drive long-term growth,” as reported by Inside Radio, an industry trade news outlet. The company said it would continue to operate “business as usual” and it doesn’t expect any operational impact from the restructuring.
Intesa Communications Certified as WBE
Intesa Communications Group, a San Diego-based strategic communications and government relations firm, has announced it has earned certification as a Women Business Enterprise from the California Public Utilities Commission.
The certification means that Intesa meets the state’s rigorous certification standards for diverse suppliers, the firm said.
Intesa has been woman-owned and managed since its founding in 2012. Partners Margie Newman Tsay and Maddy Kilkenny lead a staff of eight employees who serve clients in higher education, real estate development, blue economy, tourism and nonprofit sector.
“We’re thrilled to be officially recognized,” said Newman Tsay, Intesa founder. “It was a demanding process to earn our certification, but well worth the effort. As we continue to grow, we’re doubling down on aligning with organizations that share our values of inclusivity, belonging and humans-first interactions.”
The firm said California is home to roughly 13 million women-owned businesses, the largest number in the nation, and about 3,000 are certified by the Public Utilities Commission..
How Well Are Top 300 Brands Connecting with Customers?
Team Lewis, a global marketing and communications agency with an office in San Diego, has released results of its 2023 Marketing Engagement Tracker survey, which measures how effectively top brands are connecting with their audiences. The most recent 6th annual survey analyzed results from the top 300 companies from the Forbes Global 2000.
The results included:
- Original content resulting in press coverage increased from 34.6% in 2022 to 70.1% in 2023.
- Digital marketing scores increased from 46.9% in 2022 to 64.8% in 2023.
- Website security, blamed on cyber-attacks, decreased from 79.9% in 2022 or 63.9% in 2023.
- Conversion tracking from website performance fell from 48.4% to 45.9% in 2023.
“We are happy to see increased investment in content and engagement. But alarm bells go off when we look at the drop in website security,” said Matt Robbins, VP of insights and research, Team Lewis. “With the number of data breaches and cyber-attacks constantly rising, companies need to protect their data. They should be wary of leaving their websites exposed.”
Super Bowl Ads Already Sold-Out at $7 Million for 30 Seconds
More than a month before CBS airs Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the inventory for TV commercials is already sold out, according to a Paramount spokesperson.
As reported by Ad Age, an advertising industry trade publication, TV spots are priced at $7 million for a 30-second unit, a price similar to the 2023 Super Bowl LVII game that aired on the Fox Network. Ads for the CBS 2024 telecast sold out faster than the 2023 game on Fox, Ad Age said.
“CBS’s success in selling its ads came against an uncertain TV economy and speaks to marketers’ continued interest in reaching the Super Bowl’s massive live audience,” said the Ad Age report.
The 2023 game reportedly drew 113 million broadcast and online viewers, making it by far the most-watched TV event of the year.
Several brands that have announced TV ads for the 2024 Super Bowl include Coors Light, M&Ms and Dove soap. Other notable brands include Oreo’s return to the Super Bowl after an 11-year absence, Drumstick making its Super Bowl debut with a 30-second spot staring comedian Eric Andre and Geico bringing back its iconic Caveman in a two-minute commercial titled “The Nightmare.”
In addition to the CBS telecast, the game will include a family-friendly simulcast on Nickelodeon and a Spanish-language broadcast on TelevisaUnivision. Simulcasts of the CBS game will stream on Paramount+ and on mobile through NFL+.
Rick Griffinis a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
