It was his dream job — a TV news reporter, seen by thousands of viewers every night. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything changed, recalls former journalist Jonathan Horn in his new book, “One City, One Shot: How I Made it in TV News Without Uprooting My Life.”
“One of the best things about TV news is the newsroom,” Horn writes. “Some of my favorite parts of the job were the days where I’d finish all of my work before deadline and could relax and shoot the breeze with my colleagues.”
Horn covered the economy, politics and general assignment during his seven years at KGTV-TV ABC-10. During that time, he was nominated for two Emmy awards, one for his investigation that changed a state firearm law that closed a loophole for gun purchases.
In his book, Horn describes the TV newsroom as his “home away from home,” where he could decompress after intense days reporting on deadline. Then, pandemic restrictions changed everything, writes Horn. Editorial meetings were held on Teams, a video conferencing platform, and interviews were recorded on Zoom.
“Every story was the same, the latest death numbers, restaurants shifting to takeout only, everyone getting Covid stimulus funds, and businesses getting PPP loans to stay afloat,” writes Horn. “It got old fast, and while I was eternally grateful to keep my job, the isolation got to me.”
Horn was a business reporter at The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper for five years (2010-2015) before he switched mediums and joined KGTV-TV, where he reported until 2022.
After the Covid government-mandated constraints were lifted, Horn wrote in the book how employees were allowed to return to the Channel 10 studios.
“My desk, which was actually a folding table, was in the largely abandoned sales wing,” writes Horn. “Our editorial meetings stayed on Teams, even though we were all in the same building.
“As we went back to the office, another industry-wide phenomenon happened — a mass exodus from news. Photographers quit for other jobs, reporters didn’t renew their contracts, and the station hired younger and younger people with less and less experience. The job was too stressful with long hours and the pay didn’t keep up with cost of living. My reporting stayed solid but repetitive — high gas prices, inflation, rinse and repeat.”
In his book, Horn acknowledges his unorthodox career path likely hindered his chances at a promotion to anchor, which could have kept him in TV news. Instead of starting in a small market, where young reporters normally get experience anchoring, Horn stayed in San Diego.
At KGTV, Horn honed his ability to find exclusive, strong stories about subjects of interest to a wide audience, including cost of living, real estate and the job market. His journalism skills were attractive to KGTV, which trained him on the technical skills of video shooting and editing that reporters usually pick up in small markets.
Jonathan Horn. (Courtesy City of Carlsbad)Horn left KGTV after getting hired at the city of Carlsbad. This month, the 40-year-old began his fourth year as a community relations manager. He oversees video production for the city’s cable and social channels. His content focuses on storytelling with an overall strategy to increase public engagement.
He also edits the city manager’s weekly update to employees and his weekly public newsletter.
“It’s a great job and fits my new lifestyle very well,” Horn told Times of San Diego. Jonathan and wife Jackie are raising Benjamin, or “Benny,” who is 2.
Horn said he wrote his self-published book to encourage journalism students to be assertive: Don’t sit back, always network and “always find ways to tell stories that can affect real people’s lives.” The book title, “One City, One Shot,” refers to Horn’s career goal to work in broadcast journalism in his hometown.
The San Diego native graduated from La Jolla High School.
Horn said he started writing the book two years ago. An invitation to appear at a career day in April at UC Santa Barbara motivated him to finish the manuscript.
A promotional statement about “One City, One Shot” said, “With honesty, humor and sharp storytelling, Horn brings readers behind the scenes of local news: the chaos of breaking stories, the heartbreak of tragedy coverage, the scramble of daily deadlines and the newsroom camaraderie that holds it all together. This is a real look at what it’s like to work in local TV.”
The book is available on Amazon. Cost for the Kindle edition is $4.99.
PR firm Nuffer, Smith, Tucker moves back to downtown
San Diego public relations firm Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, now in its 52nd year in business, has relocated offices from Hillcrest to downtown San Diego.
The new offices at 451 “A” St., Ste. 1650, are in the north tower of the 20-story Bank of America building. Previously, since 2015, the agency’s office was in Hillcrest at 4045 Third Ave. Before that, NST was headquartered in downtown San Diego for 10 years.
The agency said in a social media post, “This move isn’t just about new walls and windows, it’s about creating an environment where great ideas thrive, partnerships grow stronger and our team is inspired to do their best work. Our new space marks a bold step forward in our journey, one that reflects our growth, creativity and ongoing commitment to delivering meaningful results for our clients and community.”
In a statement to Times of San Diego, Teresa Siles, NST president and partner, said, “NST’s move to a new office marks a bold step forward in the agency’s evolution. It’s a reflection of the momentum we’re building as we look into the future.
“More than just a new space, this move is about expanding our capacity, welcoming new talent and creating an environment where our growing team can thrive and continue delivering exceptional results for our clients and community.”
Chemistry PR supporting Scoop San Diego
San Diego-based public relations agency Chemistry PR reports it is providing pro bono communications services for the 7th annual Scoop San Diego, an ice-cream based fundraising event from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 22, at the corner of North Park Way and 30th Street in San Diego’s North Park community.
More than 30 ice cream, gelato, and paleta shops will offer one-ounce samples to guests. Admission begins at $50 per person, which includes 10 one-ounce samples. Parking is recommended at the North Park Parking Garage, a four-story, parking structure, 3829 29th St., San Diego.
Headlining this year’s event is the debut of a live “Best Ice Cream Flavor of the Year” competition, judged by celebrity chefs Claudia Sandoval, Zuliya “Zuzu” Khawaja, and Sam Zien, also known as Sam the Cooking Guy.
Proceeds will benefit Produce Good, a nonprofit that gleans excess produce from orchards, backyards, farms, farmers markets and grocers rescuing surplus produce and delivers it to food-insecure communities in San Diego County.
Chemistry PR, founded by Audrey Doherty, is a boutique communications firm with a satellite office in Los Angeles. Services include traditional public relations, social media, influencer outreach and digital marketing. Clients represent the travel and hospitality, culinary, real estate, consumer packaged goods, architecture, interior design, luxury retail, health and wellness and beverage industries.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.scoopsandiego.org.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
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