Cancer survivors in remission often share common sentiments about a different and renewed perspective on life.
They say the sky seems bluer, flowers are more vibrant in color. Family and friends are cherished on a greater level. A deeper appreciation for ordinary moments. Small annoyances lose their power. A heightened sense of gratitude permeates everything. Priorities shift, previous obligations take a back seat.
Two prominent members of San Diego’s news media admit they are changed people entering 2026 after their journey with cancer last year.
Monica Dean, TV news anchor with KNSD-TV NBC7 San Diego, was told she had colorectal cancer the day before Thanksgiving 2024. “Am I going to die from this?” she asked her doctor.
“Our doctor told us no, from everything we know right now, this looks treatable.”
Last year, Dean joyfully received the news that she was cancer-free. She returned to the anchor desk in the summer. She said she remains on a surveillance program at the University of California San Diego’s Rebecca and John Moores Cancer Center.
“At this time last year, I was preparing for a January 10th surgery,” Dean told Times of San Diego. “Even then, in the midst of the fear and the uncertainty, I believed that somehow this diagnosis would be a gift and that I would see good things come from adverse circumstances.
“Now a year later, this holiday season has been filled with reflections, emotions, gratitude and reminders of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. I have reflected on the healing that has taken place and still is taking place, as well as the miraculous moments I have cherished along the way. Indeed, sometimes blessings come wrapped in life’s most difficult challenges.”
Dean agrees she is beginning 2026 with new perspectives.
“It feels as though I’ve been given a new set of what I like to call ‘survivor glasses’ that allow me to see life differently,” she said. “You begin to notice things you once overlooked — moments, people, beauty, meaning and truth. Your view of relationships, family, time, work and what really matters comes into focus in a new way.
“I have learned so much from the valley I walked through in 2025, and I am humbly grateful for the treasures I have found there. Now, I am stepping into 2026 with a stronger faith, a more tender heart and a deeper appreciation and empathy for the silent battles so many people are facing. I have felt many things over this past year, but I have never felt alone. I believe we experience God’s nearness to a greater degree through seasons of suffering. I certainly have. It is a remarkable gift.”
Dean admits her cancer battle has made her less afraid.
“Over the past year, I have learned that fear is a thief and a liar,” she said. “It is a bully that wants to keep you in a scary, dark place and rob you of your peace. That is why I choose faith over fear.”
Mark Larson, longtime San Diego radio talk-show host, TV personality and popular emcee, checked himself into the Sharp Grossmont Hospital emergency room to see a doctor in April 2025. The bloating in his lower left abdomen was diagnosed as non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He began chemotherapy treatments, which ended in August, when doctors said there was no sign of cancer.
“A funny thing happened on my way through lymphoma in 2025. I realized it wasn’t a curse, but a blessing,” Larson told Times of San Diego.
“In the midst of the lowest valleys, I would remind myself that the biblical character Job had it a lot worse, and I knew that some friends of mine were going through bigger medical challenges,” he said. “During the chemo, the days felt so long and so did the nights. I had to find moments of joy in the midst of all the crap. It was time to stop whining about myself and find happiness where I could.”
Larson said he starting writing a journal and immersed himself in art through sketching and painting.
“I never want to go through the treatment again, but I’ve had so many new friends come through the process, including the awesome nurses at the Grossmont Hospital Infusion Center,” he said. “I go by to visit them every few weeks to encourage them and other patients. Also, very thankful for the oncology team.
“Now every day, the colors seem brighter, everything in nature is more beautiful and the birds sing happier. During the summer and fall, in my lowest moments, I never saw so many beautifully colored species of butterflies. They were probably always there. I was just always too busy to pay attention. Every day it seemed like they were doing a show just for me.”
Larson currently holds the current, active longevity record for on-the-air radio and TV broadcast presence in the San Diego broadcasting market. He has worked at a half-dozen San Diego radio stations during his career, primarily KFMB, KCBQ and KOGO.
He is continuing his regular work schedule of co-hosting with Leland Conway a weekday talk show from 6 to 8 p.m. on News Radio 600 KOGO-AM, as well as Sunday morning appearances to talk politics on KUSI-TV.
“It’s always been good advice to live each day as if it’s your last,” he said. “Get the most out of every moment, but that principle is embedded in my heart and soul now. Ready to move into 2026 with fresh energy and hope. It will be a great day when the doctors tell me I’m officially in remission. The lesson for everyone is to get the most out of every day and cherish the happiest moments, even in the midst of pain and challenges and irritation.”
Triton basketball comes to 97.3 The Fan
The University of California, San Diego will partner with San Diego radio station KWFN-FM 97.3 The Fan to broadcast more than a dozen Triton men’s and women’s basketball games for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season.
UCSD Triton. (Photo courtesy Rick Griffin/MarketInk)The multi-year agreement designates KWFN-FM 97.3 The Fan as the exclusive over-the-air home of UCSD basketball. KWFN is one of six San Diego radio stations operated by Philadelphia-based Audacy, Inc.
“We are thrilled to partner with Audacy and 97.3 The Fan to air Tritons basketball games throughout San Diego for the remainder of the season and beyond,” said Andy Fee, UCSD athletics director. “Our teams play a fun brand of basketball the entire San Diego community can get behind.”
Play-by-play veterans Steve Quis and Ted Mendenhall will call the action, with UCSD grad Madison Baxter providing analysis for the women’s basketball games.
The broadcast schedule includes coverage of all remaining Big West Conference men’s road games, as well as a pair of UCSD regular season women’s home games. KWFN also will air live coverage of both teams’ title defense from the Big West championship in March in Henderson, Nevada.
Last season, UCSD became the first program in NCAA Division 1 history to win conference titles and compete in the NCAA Tournament in its first year of postseason eligibility.“We are proud to establish this landmark partnership with UC San Diego, marking the first time 97.3 The Fan will serve as the exclusive broadcast home for Tritons basketball,” said Adam Klug, brand manager, 97.3 The Fan. “The program’s seamless transition to Division I and its continued dominance on the court is a story San Diego fans want to hear. This collaboration reinforces our unwavering commitment to being the city’s premier destination for live and local sports.”
KWFN-FM also airs San Diego Padres games.
“The partnership expands the Tritons’ reach across the San Diego market,” Barrett Sports Media, a sports broadcast industry publication, said.
“The basketball program has continued to gain momentum following a historic transition to Division I competition. That success helped elevate the program’s profile locally and nationally, creating new opportunities for expanded media coverage.”
In addition to KWFN-FM 97.3 The Fan, the other San Diego radio stations operated by Audacy include, KBZT-FM ALT 94.9, KYXY-FM 96.5, KXSN-FM Sunny 98.1-FM, KSON-FM 103.7 and KXSN-HD3 Channel Q.
More media jobs keep vanishing as AI surges, reshapes workforce
The media industry continued reshaping its workforce in 2025.
Entertainment and media companies, including radio and TV news, film and streaming services, cut more than 17,000 jobs last year, an 18% increase from 2024, as the industry continued to grapple with consolidation, restructuring and the growing impact of artificial intelligence.
According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement and career transition services firm, the job cuts extended a multiyear trend of workforce reductions tied to mergers, shifting consumer habits and technological changes.
News organizations accounted for 2,254 of the job losses, including broadcast, digital and print outlets. Restructuring and consolidation were the most frequently cited reasons for layoffs, Challenger reported.
From 2010 to 2017, Challenger said the media industry lost an average of 7,305 jobs annually. Since 2018, the average has risen to 14,298 job cuts per year.
As reported by industry news outlet Inside Radio, AI played a growing role in job losses. A World Economic Forum survey found that 41% of companies worldwide expect to reduce staffing levels over the next five years because of AI, as generative AI has enabled companies to automate more complex tasks.
Media organizations have increasingly turned to AI as audiences fragment and attention spans shorten, said Inside Radio. Challenger data shows AI-related layoffs accounted for nearly 55,000 job cuts in 2025 across all industries. New York became the first state in 2025 to require employers to disclose when AI is the reason for layoffs.
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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