Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Mom-and-Pop Radio

TV spokeswoman Tristan Prettyman says the spots “totally worked.”
TV spokeswoman Tristan Prettyman says the spots “totally worked.”

Last year started off a little shaky for Tristan Prettyman. On Christmas of 2010, it was announced that she was engaged to San Diego singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. Early in 2011, Mraz said the marriage was off, announcing that until gay marriage was legal, he wouldn’t tie the knot with anyone.

“We had already broken up,” says Prettyman. “Our friends already knew that we both decided we weren’t ready. That gay marriage thing really wasn’t the reason.” Prettyman says she was surprised how Mraz chose to explain why the wedding was off.

Then things started looking up for Prettyman. She recorded her third CD for Virgin Records in August (release date not yet set) and was picked to appear in a four-episode TV commercial for KPRI, which started running in October.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Although she isn’t identified by name in the 15- and 30-second spots, the ad appears to have done the job: KPRI just showed its best ratings in its 15 years as an adult-alternative station. KPRI’s February ratings were up almost 50 percent from just four months earlier.

“I think it’s great that KPRI went with TV commercials,” says Prettyman. “Everyone else seems so focused on Facebook, the internet, and Twitter. They went old-school and it totally worked.” Prettyman says she was asked to make the spots in part because of her friendship with KPRI co-owner and nighttime DJ Robert Hughes. “We both live in Del Mar,” says Prettyman, who has performed at several KPRI-sponsored events over the years.

“TV used to be the preferred method of marketing [radio] in the ’80s,” says Hughes. “There is a belief that radio and TV are passé, but our research shows that even for people who consume a lot of digital media, radio is still at the center of America’s media habits.”

Hughes said he was inspired to use a solo actress by the “lips” series of commercials that the original KPRI (106.5 FM) used in the late ’70s. Those spots showed nothing but a closeup of Bree Walker’s mouth as she lip-synced male KPRI DJs talking up their rock playlists.

Walker, who joined Channel 10 as a newsperson in 1980, was a DJ at KPRI.

“That commercial was part of KPRI’s DNA,” says Hughes, who says he and his staff at the time created the spot without using an ad agency.

Hughes says he had a real actress in mind for the current ads. “We started thinking about what woman was in the right age range and had the right personality. I remember seeing Zooey Deschanel in a movie called 500 Days of Summer. We were about to call her when we found that she landed the leading role in the [TV series] New Girl for Fox.”

Prettyman says she had never acted before. “They first asked me to do a test run, just so they could see how it looked. Then, a few weeks later, they called and asked me if I wanted to do the commercial. I was happy to do it. In the midst of our corporate world, they are the only real mom-and-pop radio station.”

That’s a touchy subject for Hughes, who notes that 91X touts itself as “local” and “independent” but is owned by a four-billion-dollar investment firm called Thoma Bravo based in Chicago.

And then there’re those Mexican public service announcements that warn listeners against trading a pound of beans for a vote in the upcoming Mexican presidential election. Stations with Mexico-based transmitters, including 91X, have to run those ads throughout the day.

“It’s obvious the station is designed to serve the population of another country,” says Hughes.

Prettyman leaves soon to play an event at Virgin Records owner Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands. “He’s hosting other CEOs who will talk about ways to improve the environment.... I was the only one invited to play. It’s just me and my guitar.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
TV spokeswoman Tristan Prettyman says the spots “totally worked.”
TV spokeswoman Tristan Prettyman says the spots “totally worked.”

Last year started off a little shaky for Tristan Prettyman. On Christmas of 2010, it was announced that she was engaged to San Diego singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. Early in 2011, Mraz said the marriage was off, announcing that until gay marriage was legal, he wouldn’t tie the knot with anyone.

“We had already broken up,” says Prettyman. “Our friends already knew that we both decided we weren’t ready. That gay marriage thing really wasn’t the reason.” Prettyman says she was surprised how Mraz chose to explain why the wedding was off.

Then things started looking up for Prettyman. She recorded her third CD for Virgin Records in August (release date not yet set) and was picked to appear in a four-episode TV commercial for KPRI, which started running in October.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Although she isn’t identified by name in the 15- and 30-second spots, the ad appears to have done the job: KPRI just showed its best ratings in its 15 years as an adult-alternative station. KPRI’s February ratings were up almost 50 percent from just four months earlier.

“I think it’s great that KPRI went with TV commercials,” says Prettyman. “Everyone else seems so focused on Facebook, the internet, and Twitter. They went old-school and it totally worked.” Prettyman says she was asked to make the spots in part because of her friendship with KPRI co-owner and nighttime DJ Robert Hughes. “We both live in Del Mar,” says Prettyman, who has performed at several KPRI-sponsored events over the years.

“TV used to be the preferred method of marketing [radio] in the ’80s,” says Hughes. “There is a belief that radio and TV are passé, but our research shows that even for people who consume a lot of digital media, radio is still at the center of America’s media habits.”

Hughes said he was inspired to use a solo actress by the “lips” series of commercials that the original KPRI (106.5 FM) used in the late ’70s. Those spots showed nothing but a closeup of Bree Walker’s mouth as she lip-synced male KPRI DJs talking up their rock playlists.

Walker, who joined Channel 10 as a newsperson in 1980, was a DJ at KPRI.

“That commercial was part of KPRI’s DNA,” says Hughes, who says he and his staff at the time created the spot without using an ad agency.

Hughes says he had a real actress in mind for the current ads. “We started thinking about what woman was in the right age range and had the right personality. I remember seeing Zooey Deschanel in a movie called 500 Days of Summer. We were about to call her when we found that she landed the leading role in the [TV series] New Girl for Fox.”

Prettyman says she had never acted before. “They first asked me to do a test run, just so they could see how it looked. Then, a few weeks later, they called and asked me if I wanted to do the commercial. I was happy to do it. In the midst of our corporate world, they are the only real mom-and-pop radio station.”

That’s a touchy subject for Hughes, who notes that 91X touts itself as “local” and “independent” but is owned by a four-billion-dollar investment firm called Thoma Bravo based in Chicago.

And then there’re those Mexican public service announcements that warn listeners against trading a pound of beans for a vote in the upcoming Mexican presidential election. Stations with Mexico-based transmitters, including 91X, have to run those ads throughout the day.

“It’s obvious the station is designed to serve the population of another country,” says Hughes.

Prettyman leaves soon to play an event at Virgin Records owner Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands. “He’s hosting other CEOs who will talk about ways to improve the environment.... I was the only one invited to play. It’s just me and my guitar.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why did Harrah's VP commit suicide last summer?

Did the fight the Rincon casino had with San Diego County over Covid play a part?
Next Article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader