The Romo name is entrenched in Southern Arizona history. Her family helped to settle the Presidio. Her grandfather was the first Hispanic dentist in the state and had to endure his share of discrimination. KGUN's new addition is a ninth-generation Arizonan.
"I'm just really thrilled to be back home," said Romo. "A lot of people aspire to be in the biggest, baddest market they can. I never had that desire. I always wanted to come back to Tucson and work here. To work at KGUN, the station I grew up watching, is kind of surreal. I can't believe I'm doing it. I would never feel like my career was full circle unless I worked in Tucson."
After graduating from Salpointe Catholic High School, Romo went to college at the University of San Diego. From there, she landed a job at the NBC affiliate in Yuma--"it was like serving out a prison sentence"--before getting a job offer in San Luis Obispo, Calif. She worked there for three years before the KGUN position became available.
"I met with (KGUN news director) Lena Sadiwskyj over Christmas and instantly felt a connection with her," Romo said. "A job opened up, and everything fell into place. I could not be happier about coming home. It's kind of bittersweet. I love California, but my parents aren't always going to be here. My mom cannot wait to see me on the air here. It's different for her to see tapes I send her, but to actually be on the air in Tucson is a dream come true for me and my family."
R-DUB GIVES L.A. A GO
Randy Williams, or R Dub, host of the until-recently Tucson-based Slow Jams syndicated radio program, is back in the States after just a month in Brazil (see "R Dub's Slow Jam to Brazil," Jan. 11). Effective March 19, Williams will act as program director of KHHT, an R&B format station in Los Angeles."The offer came down three days before I was to depart," Williams said via e-mail from Brazil. "L.A. was something I couldn't say no to. I've always wanted to have it on my résumé."
THE 'STAR' GETS IT RIGHT
Late last year, Arizona Daily Star management got so upset with the number of corrections that it implemented a policy that would hit offenders in the pocketbook for certain missteps such as incorrect phone numbers, URLs, e-mail addresses or names.The hard-line approach has worked.
Through February, the Star had corrected 114 errors and was on pace to set a new standard for the least number of corrections since it started tracking such data in 2001. With the first quarter coming to a close at the end of this month, the Star is well ahead of last year's initial-quarter number of 222 corrections.
