Bill Hagen says he’s not disappointed, although sports talk-show listeners throughout Southern California might feel differently.
After more than four years of nurturing, growing and operating sports talk radio station XEPRS 1090-AM, the life of The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio is over.
In a statement to Times of San Diego, Hagen said the frequency owner, Interamercana de Radio SA de CV, decided to partner with a new operator and launch a new format.
Monte Maria Radio, a Tijuana-based Catholic media ministry, began airing Spanish-language Catholic Church programming on Aug. 1.
“I’m not disappointed at all,” Hagen told Times of San Diego.
Instead, Hagen said he was proud of what happened with The Mightier 1090, which benefited from a 50,000-watt signal that reached throughout Southern California.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We accomplished something that had never been done before and during a very challenging time in the economy and broadcasting.”
Beginning in August 2020, Hagen, a passionate fan of sports talk radio since his youth in Phoenix, led the re-launch of The Mightier 1090.
Hagen said he grew up listing to KTAR, a Phoenix news-talk-sports radio station featuring sportscaster Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton, who relocated to San Diego in the 1980s. Hagan said his first job after college was at KTAR.
The 1090-AM station, previously billed as “The Mighty 1090,” was a fixture in the San Diego radio market since its founding in 2003 by Broadcasting Company of the Americas. The station went off the air in April 2019 due to a dispute over leasing fees between BCA and Interamericana de Radio, the Mexican-based signal transmitter provider.
At the time, Hagen said he had signed a local marketing agreement, including a five-year lease of the 1090-AM frequency, with Andreas Bichara Assad of Interamericana del Radio in Rosarito, the signal tower operator who previously battled with the now-defunct BCA.
Since 1998, Hagen has owned and operated Out The Window Advertising, a Flagstaff, AZ-based advertising agency. But, he also has loads of experience in the radio industry.
Hagen was involved with launching KMVP-FM 98.7 in Phoenix. Today, the station is the flagship station for the MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns and Arizona State University’s Sun Devils’ football games.
“It was a daunting task to launch a radio station from scratch in 2020 during the pandemic when there were virtually no live sports taking place,” Hagen said. “I knew what it takes to launch a radio station and a tireless amount of work from a number of great people made it happen. The station had an iconic history in sports radio in San Diego.”
Scott Kaplan, who had spent 16 years at The Mighty 1090, was the headline talk-show host during the four years of The Mightier 1090, although some of his shows were prerecorded. Today, Kaplan is the afternoon drive co-host at KSPN-AM ESPN 710 in Los Angeles.
“I want to thank Andres Bichara and Scott Kaplan for their partnership in making all this happen,” Hagen said. “I know I can say that I certainly learned a lot with this endeavor and am better for it.”
Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton’s 26 years in the San Diego radio market included stints at XTRA Sports 690-AM (1987-2008) and The Mighty 1090-AM (2011-2017), two stations that preceded The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio.
“The Mexican ownership charged excessive licensing fees to program sports, an expensive talent-based format. Those fees sank 1090,” Hamilton told Times of San Diego. “Makes your heart ache what the hosts gave their stations and poured into the community, only to see decision makers in Tijuana do this to the signal and their hosts.”
Creative Agency 62ABOVE Hires New Team Members
San Diego creative marketing agency 62ABOVE has announced two new hires, including Jomary Jimenez as social media manager and Shanley Honarvar as public relations and social media coordinator.
Jimenez, with 10 years of marketing experience, was previously with Orlando-based MayCom Interactive, a marketing consulting agency, and BCV Social, a Chicago-based social media marketing agency for hotels, resorts and hospitality clients. She also has worked with Retro Fitness in West Palm Beach, FL, Hotel Bennett in Charleston, South Carolina, Salamander Hospitality of Middleburg, VA, and Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach.
A statement said Jiminez with work with 62ABOVE clients Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, Go Lake Havasu and Qualcomm.
Honarvar, who graduated from Loyola University Maryland in May 2023, was previously with Baltimore integrated marketing agency GKV as an assistant account executive during the past year. She also has worked with Savor Public Relations in Washington, DC and Butin PR in Charlotte, NC.
The agency said Honarvar will work with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, San Diego Museum of Art, Love Catalina and The Viv Hotel.
“Jomary and Shanley each bring a deep passion for tourism and hospitality with their impressive skill-sets in public relations and social media,” said Indra Gardiner Bowers, 62ABOVE’s chief communications officer.
TV Reporter’s Foundation Offer Free Back-to-School Haircuts
The Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation, named after the late San Diego TV personality and humorist Larry Himmel, is offering free haircuts and school supplies to boys and girls, ages 5 to 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at Skyline Church, 11330 Campo Road, La Mesa.
More than 600 children are expected to attend, according to Miles Himmel, foundation founder and Larry’s son. It’s the eighth annual back-to-school haircut day, he said. Barbers and hair stylists, including students and trainers, from the California Barber & Beauty College will volunteer their time and talents.
The kids also will be treated to breakfast or lunch and given backpacks stuffed with school supplies, including notebooks, pens and rulers, along with tickets to various San Diego attractions, including sporting events, San Diego Zoo and San Diego Air & Space museum.
The foundation is accepting donations to cover costs at larryhimmelfoundation.org.
“A fresh haircut and essential school supplies can significantly boost a child’s self-esteem and readiness to learn,” said Himmel. “However, to make this event a success, we need the community’s support. Your generous donation will help us provide backpacks to children in need. Together, we can ensure that every child starts the school year with confidence and the necessary resources.”
Over the years, the foundation has paid for Christmas gifts for homeless families, a new sandbox for special education students, new uniforms for cheerleaders, equipment and uniforms for Pop Warner players after their storage shed was vandalized, and financial aid to restaurants struggling during the COVID-19 crisis.
Also, the foundation has paid for marriage license fees, roses and gifts for couples who get married on Valentine’s Day at the San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk office at the County Administration Center.
Larry Himmel, a feature reporter for 35 years with KFMB-TV, passed away in November 2014 from pancreatic cancer. He was 68. Shortly after Larry’s passing, Miles established the foundation in his father’s name that exists to help ordinary San Diegans in need.
Larry Himmel, who grew up in Chicago, moved to San Diego in the 1970s and worked at bartending in Ocean Beach and stand-up at the Comedy Store in La Jolla. In 1979, he was hired at KFMB-TV’s Channel 8 news to host “Larry Himmel At Large” commentaries.
Biden’s Final Ad Spending Tally Tops $300 Million
Until the very end, before he dropped out, President Biden’s reelection campaign continued to spend money on advertising.
According to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm, in the weeks leading up to Biden’s July 21 announcement to end his presidential re-election campaign, millions of Biden ad dollars were spent on ads in battleground states, including Pennsylvania ($35.3 million), Michigan ($26.3 million), Georgia ($21.4 million), Arizona ($16.2 million), Wisconsin ($15.5 million), North Carolina ($137.7 million) and Nevada ($11.4 million).
As reported by Inside Radio, a trade publication, AdImpact’s analysis shows Biden aired more than three times as many broadcast TV ads as Trump in June. The vast majority of those ads (88%) were attacks on former President Donald Trump. Other top topics were abortion rights, character, healthcare, crime, abortion and Medicare.
Also, AdImpact has tabulated how much President Biden spent on his re-election effort before dropping out. It says the Biden campaign spent $207 million, with 56% of those dollars targeting Facebook and Google ads.
However, not all of Biden’s ad spending came from the campaign. When outside group spending is factored in, AdImpact says pro-Biden ad spending reached $301 million.
Meanwhile, AdImpact says the Trump campaign is planning to run ads valued at $12.2 million in six swing states through mid-August. Also, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has reserved $50 million in ads through the Democratic National Convention, to be held Aug. 19 to 22.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.