MarketInk: KOGO Anchor Lucinda Kay Grateful to Be ‘Product Of Goodness’

If Lucinda Kay wasn’t working as a news anchor for San Diego radio station KOGO 600-AM, she would be living in Jamaica serving low-income families through a charity her mother co-founded in 1988.

“When I got the job offer at KOGO, it was a tough decision between a humanitarian role and news — where to be the best servant-leader I could be,” Kay told Times of San Diego. “Right now, the news is calling. And, I know it was a great decision because of this team at iHeart and my ‘Goodness’ series adds extra sparkle.”

When Kay joined KOGO a year ago, she knew her job description included producing a daily, minute-long news feature that would be part of a series. “I wanted to do good-news stories, stories about positivity and cool San Diegans,” she said.

“I often use the word `goodness’ in everyday conversations. Cliff (Cliff Albert, KOGO news director), a fabulous leader, heard me say the word ‘goodness’ and said, ‘That’s it, just what we need.’”

Storylines for recent “Goodness” segments have included: A dad who is raising awareness about fentanyl following his daughter’s overdose drug death; a Padres pitcher who agreed to scatter ashes of a fan on Petco Park’s field; a young boy who is raising money to fight climate change with a lemonade stand; a former cybersecurity worker who quit his job to chop and serve fresh coconuts on the Pacific Beach boardwalk; a yoga class with puppies that are available for adoption after class.

“At age 15, I decided I wanted to be a journalist and tell stories that would impact the world. Today, I am so blessed to get the opportunity to tell these types of good-news stories,” said Kay, 53.

“In school, I was a little girl with dyslexia who never raised her hand in class. In my life, there have been so many people who have encouraged me, loved me, believed in me and helped me get to where I am today. I’m grateful to be the product of goodness from others. And, now I want to share goodness with others.”

Her news career has included nearly 30 years in the communications industry, working for TV and radio stations, and consulting nationally and internationally. She has worked in news roles in the Oregon and Washington state cities of Klamath Falls, Medford, Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, Yakima, Spokane and Portland.

Between news media jobs, Kay has consulted as communications director for Great Shape! Inc., the non-profit co-founded by her mom, Georgene Crowe.

“Every year, about 700 volunteers pay their own way to spend one or two weeks serving about 40,000 people a year who live in Jamaica, Grenada, Turks and Caicos, St. Lucia and Antigua,” said Kay. “They return year-after-year because they love to serve. We have a committed leadership team including my aunties and my mama, who folks call Mama-G.

“Great Shape! Inc. serves children and their families in the Caribbean with access to free healthcare and education. Our volunteers provide free dental care, eye care, literacy programs and teacher training.

“The volunteers work hard all day, experiencing the richness of serving together, and then they get to live it up at Sandals Resorts. The Sandals Foundation has provided free accommodations to our volunteers for decades. It’s an amazing, sustainable operation that my mama helped build. At 74 years old, she keeps on shining.”

Great Shape! is participating in Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29, when Americans are invited to generously donate to their favorite charities.

Mindgruve in Adweek’s List of 75 Fastest-Growing Agencies

Mindgruve, a San Diego creative marketing agency, has been ranked as one of the world’s 75 fastest-growing agencies by Adweek, an advertising industry trade publication. It’s the third time Adweek has named Mindgruve to its fastest-growing agency list. 

Mindgruve is ranked No. 67 on Adweek’s 2022 list with a three-year growth rate of 69% between 2019 and 2021.

A Mindgruve statement said the agency grew during the 2020 COVID pandemic year and its headcount doubled in 2021, topping any single-year period since the company’s founding in 2001. Recent new clients include First Horizon Bank, QuietKat, Bay City Brewing Co., Adviser Investments and Dupont.  

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized,” said Chad Robley, Mindgruve CEO and founder. “Over the years our agency has evolved to offer a wide range of services including research, strategy, creative, media, website development, and data science to our diverse roster of clientele.”

San Diego Press Club Presents Science Reporters Panel

The San Diego Press Club will present “The Art of Science Reporting,” a free live webinar over Zoom featuring three journalists, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28. The public is invited to attend.

Panel members include: Gary Robbins, science and higher education reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune; Jonathan Wosen, biotech and life sciences reporter, STAT, a health and medicine news website; and Melissa Miller, science and technology reporter, Nerdist, a news website covering pop culture and all things nerdy.

Robbins, with a journalism career that has spanned 50 years, joined the U-T in April 2010 after working for 25 years at the Orange County Register, where he served as science editor. He was born and raised in Maine and attended Northeastern University in Boston, graduating in 1978.

Wosen, a native San Diegan, joined STAT after working as the U-T’s biotech reporter since April 2020. He holds a doctorate in immunology from Stanford University.

Miller, with a bachelor’s degree in evolution biology, joined Nerdist in March of this year. She worked for 11 years as a chemist before becoming a full-time writer. She also hosts “Star Warsologies,” a monthly podcast.

The webinar will be recorded and a web link will appear on the Press Club website and Press Club YouTube channel for viewing at a later date. The webinar is part of the Press Club’s longstanding “Nuts & Bolts” educational series, which is part of the Press Club’s professional development program. 

Thanks to Georgia, Midterm Election Advertising Not Yet Over

Total campaign advertising spending for U.S. Senate, House and gubernatorial races for the recent midterm elections totaled $4.7 billion, according to Ad Age, an advertising industry trade publication. That figure includes TV, radio and digital advertising from Dec. 28, 2021 to Election Day on Nov. 8.

Ad Age said Republicans and Democrats spent nearly the same, $2.027 billion (Democrats) vs. $2.057 billion (Republicans). Independents and issue-oriented advertising, including ballot initiatives, account for another $666 million toward the $4.7 billion total.

Republicans outspent Democrats on Senate races ($797 million vs. $738 million) and gubernatorial races ($588 million vs. $539 million). However, Democrats outspent Republicans on U.S. House races ($607 million vs. $563 million). Yet, Republicans flipped the House after winning 219 seats, a tally that earns a majority.

Media outlets in Georgia aren’t finished raking in extra revenue since both Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker failed to receive 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff that will result in tens of millions of dollars of additional spending in the Peach State leading up to the Dec. 6 election.

Ad Age said Warnock spent $74 million on political advertising, the most of any single candidate in the nation. Behind Warnock in individual candidate spending were Mark Kelly, Arizona senate race, $49 million; J.B. Pritzker, Illinois governor’s race, $47 million; Rick Caruso, Los Angeles mayor’s race, $47 million; and Greg Abbott, Texas governor’s race, $45 million.

Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.