MarketInk: No Surprise that TV Host Kimberly King’s New Career Is Law Enforcement

It makes perfect sense that Kimberly King would have a career in the news media.

“When I was very young, my mom had a radio show on KPBS and I would go with her to the studios at San Diego State University,” King told Times of San Diego. “I got bit by the broadcasting bug at a young age.”

King spent a combined 25 years working as a TV and radio personality in a variety of roles, including traffic reporter flying in a helicopter, morning TV weathercaster and TV host for special programs.

“I know it may sound strange, but I loved doing live TV and radio. I thrived on it,” she said.

Also, it makes perfect sense that King would have a career in law enforcement. Just look at her family.

Her husband retired a few years ago after working 30 years in law enforcement as a special agent with the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics. Today, David King is the executive director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, San Diego-Imperial office. The federally-funded program, with 33 offices in major U.S. markets, provides assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions.

Her son, Cameron, also has a career in law enforcement. He is an officer with the Chula Vista Police Department.

And, daughter Karly works as an intelligence analyst for a federal program that assists law enforcement and homeland security partners in preventing, protecting against and responding to crime and terrorism.

So, when King, 57, was named in May as media relations director for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, “it felt natural, like it was meant to be,” she said. “Service-before-self has always been the King family motto.

“My husband encouraged me to apply,” King said. “I felt that I could do the job, although I knew it would be challenging. It took three months for the background check before (Sheriff) Kelly Martinez made the selection. There is definitely life after broadcasting.”

King is the office’s first public information officer who is not a sworn officer since Jan Caldwell served as PIO under Bill Gore for 10 years, which ended in 2019.

“My goal with this job is to be transparent and show the commendable work being done daily by our officers to keep people safe,” King said. “We’re one of the nation’s top 10 law enforcement agencies in terms of land mass.

“Some days I’m overwhelmed and it feels like I’m drinking from a fire hose. Other days, my heart is warmed with a story of protection and compassion. But, every day, I learn something new.”

King’s news media career began in 1993 in radio as a traffic reporter. She also wrote TV highlight copy for Fox Sports West.

In 1996, she joined KNSD-TV NBC 7 San Diego as a traffic reporter, entertainment reporter and host for specials, including “Streetside San Diego with Kimberly King” (2005-2007), “Holidays on Horton Square” (December 2002-2007) and “San Diego International Auto Show” (2002-2007).

During her 11 years with KNSD-TV, she spent three of those years reporting traffic on San Diego freeways while flying in a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter, one of her favorite assignments. Her TV job required an early morning wake-up.

“Just about the same time as I was leaving for the TV station at 3 a.m., David was arriving home so someone was always at home with the kids,” King said. “We called it `high-five in the hallways.’”

After leaving KNSD-TV and taking a year off, she joined KFMB-TV as a morning TV weather anchor, starting in August 2009.

During her three years at KFMB, she appeared both on TV and radio. After appearing on TV, she would walk down the hallway to the KFMB-FM studios to deliver weather updates on “The DSC Show,” a legendary San Diego morning radio show with Dave Rickards, Shelly Dunn and Cookie “Chainsaw” Randolph. Her nickname on the radio show was “Kimme Cakes.”

King said when her contract at Channel 8 wasn’t renewed, she became the caregiver for her dad, who died in 2013 from pancreatic cancer. Then, she became caregiver for her mom who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for 10 years before she passed in 2022.

“Those were some of the toughest years, and I am deeply grateful for my friends and family for staying by my side,” King said.

While caring for her ailing parents, King spent one year as the inaugural director of communications at Cathedral Catholic High School, followed by two years serving as a media consultant for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.

She also spent 10 years (2014-2024) operating her own boutique public relations firm, called Kimberly King Media. Clients included nonprofits, healthcare programs, senior retirement communities, military and law enforcement clients for professional media training.

“My work at the sheriff’s office is a culmination of my past career in the news media and serving in the public arena,” King said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s a new chapter in my interesting journey.”

Chargers’ Coach Jim Harbaugh Relies on AI in TV Spot

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is starring in a new TV ad from Perplexity, the AI-powered search platform.

The 60-second spot shows Harbaugh having trouble answer questions at a post-game press conference.

However, after taking a swig from a bottle labeled with Perplexity branding, Harbaugh smoothly fires off knowledgeable information in response to a barrage of questions ranging from the impact of humidity on a football game to recommendations for ramen in Tokyo.

“The spot brings AI down to earth,” said Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer, as quoted by Ad Age. The San Francisco-based Perplexity was founded in 2022.

Los Angeles creative agency Sandwich developed the spot with Harbaugh, who is in his first season as the Chargers’ head coach. The Harbaugh spot debuted during the Sept. 9 “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN and ABC.

Crowe PR Launches Felicia Pasta

Crowe PR, a San Diego-based public relations agency, has been selected to launch the Felicia Pasta brand across North America.

The client is Andriani USA PBC, the American branch of Andriani S.p.A., an Italian food manufacturer known for sustainability and using high-quality ingredients. The collaboration marks Felicia’s entry into U.S. and Canadian markets, a statement said.

“Felicia’s dedication to health, sustainability and exceptional quality aligns perfectly with Crowe PR’s mission of working with brands positively impacting the world,” said Natalia Barclay, senior director of communications at Crowe PR. “It’s an exciting time to enter the U.S. and Canada markets and we look forward to continuing to build awareness and visibility of this fantastic brand and its good-for-you, delicious products with new customers.”

Developed in Puglia, Italy, in 2009, Felicia is known throughout Europe for its pasta made from organic and gluten-free grains, legumes, superfoods and innovative ingredients, including spirulina and buckwheat.

“Our collaboration with Crowe PR has been instrumental in introducing Felicia to the North American market,” said Francesco Andriani, co-founder and vice chairman of Andriani. “Our color-food revolution is all about highlighting the nutritional value and vibrant flavors of our pasta. This is a new way of enjoying Italian cuisine, and we are confident that North American consumers will embrace it.”

PR Pros Outnumber Reporters 6 to 1

O’Dwyer’s, a public relations industry trade publication, reports the ratio between PR professionals and journalists now stands at more than six to one in favor of PR. “For every reporter still on the payroll, six PR pros are vying for his attention,” writes O’Dwyer’s columnist Bob Brody.

According to Brody, in 1980, the ratio stood at two to one, and then rose to three to one by 2008.

Statistics show that as the news media business is shrinking, the PR business is expanding.

Jobs for journalists in newsrooms national and local have dwindled from 2008 to 2020, plummeting 26 percent to about 31,000, and are expected to keep dropping 3% a year until 2032.

Meanwhile, PR specialists in the U.S. currently number an estimated 264,000, according to the U.S., Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment opportunities are projected to grow by 6% annually between 2022 and 2032, which is “faster than the average for all occupations,” the Bureau reports.

The implications of those opposing trajectories will certainly impact the average American citizen who avidly follows the news, said O’Dwyer’s.

The PR profession will grow more powerful and persuasive and exert more influence, more widely and deeply, over which news is reported and how. With fewer journalists willing to dig out news and do so independently, the more they’ll be forced to depend on PR sources for material. Current estimates run from 25% to 85% of the news that’s reported originates from public relations.

“PR will thus accrue more leverage over reporters. And they will likely intensify the growing imbalance of power between parties,” wrote Brody, a consultant and essayist. “As for the average citizen, cast a skeptical and suspicious eye over any news you consume, knowing it may come from a source representing a special interest agenda and getting preferential treatment.

“Ignore this warning about the news at your peril. Otherwise, you’ll probably never know more than half the story.”

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