The three initials for National Football League, or NFL, can also refer to “Not For Long,” when describing the length of players’ careers and coaches’ tenure.
Likewise, employment in NFL administrative offices can be short-lived because new general managers will hire familiar acquaintances for various front-office jobs, including the role in which San Diego native Bill Johnston served.
Johnston’s career in sports, however, was anything but short-lived.
For 38 years, Johnston worked in communications, public relations (PR) and community relations for one NFL team, the San Diego Chargers. He joined the team as an intern in 1979 and never left.
“Yes, it often happens that way. New owners, coaches and GMs often bring in their own people with whom they have previously worked for front-office positions,” Johnston told Times of San Diego. “I was fortunate to have remained with the Chargers for so many years with a number of different bosses.”
Johnston counts two team owners (Gene Klein and the Spanos family), six general managers and 10 head coaches during his lengthy years of service with the Chargers before the team’s relocation to Los Angeles in 2017.
From 1990 to 2017, Johnston served as director of public relations. In that role, he was responsible for managing the public image and overall communications strategy for the Chargers, including media relations and all organizational messaging. In addition, he was the team’s primary liaison with the NFL’s broadcast partners, as well as local and national media outlets.
At team practices, Johnston was on the field answering reporters’ questions. He would walk off the field with the head coach before both spoke to the media. On game day, he would talk with the head coach prior to his postgame press conference, discussing talking points and potential questions.
“I’ve always believed in building relationships with the people you work with and gaining their trust by being authentic,” Johnston said. “When you’re candid with your feelings and when people know that you have their best interests at heart, then they will trust you in your consulting. Once people trust you, then they want to work with you.”
But, in May 2017, for highly personal reasons, Johnston resigned from the Chargers. He chose family over football.
In 1999, his wife Ramona was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that took away her ability to speak along with other motor skills. The couple, both Helix High School graduates, married in 1981 after Bill graduated from San Diego State University with a journalism degree. They raised two children, daughter Hayley and son Jared.
When the Chargers moved to Los Angeles, Bill elected to stay in San Diego to ensure that Ramona would receive the best care possible at a place where she was comfortable: Edgemore Skilled Nursing Facility in Santee.
On May 8, 2017, Bill wrote on social media, “I will not be joining the Chargers when they move north. Ramona is getting the best care in the best place for her, which means here with her is the best place for me. So, today is my last day with the Chargers.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I joined the organization as an intern 38 years ago in 1979. I just knew I had been on sports teams my entire life and this made sense. Now, looking back, it has been a great ride.
“Will I miss it? Of course, I’ll miss being around the team and celebrating after big wins. But most of all, I’ll miss the people – both inside and outside the Chargers – that I’ve been blessed to meet through this crazy business. It’s the people and their passion for the sport that make this business special.
“No matter where I end up, I will continue to focus whatever free time I have to raise awareness in the fight against Huntington’s disease. Thank you to everyone for your help and support.”
Johnston is credited with raising more than $900,000 from the 20 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons he has run in. When including two annual events he started, including the Celebration of Hope Gala and the Shoot to Cure HD, his fundraising efforts exceeded $3 million.
After leaving the Chargers, Johnston remained unemployed for the short span of six weeks.
“I had never not had a job since my freshman year in college,” he said.
That July, Johnston was offered a position with the San Diego Padres as special advisor to Ron Fowler, the team’s executive chairman.
“I had known Ron for many years based on his incredible contributions and support of the community,” Johnston said. “He invited me to join the Padres and I jumped at the opportunity. I love baseball.”
Johnston had played baseball at SDSU as an infielder until a shoulder injury interrupted his long-term plans as a player. He spent nine seasons (2017-2025) with the Padres. From 2020 until his final season in 2025, he served as the team’s vice-president of community relations. At the end of last year, the 68-year-old officially became a retiree.
“It was time for me to step away,” Johnston said. “My dad died when he was 59 and he never took the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. I didn’t want that for me.”
On Dec. 19, 2025, Johnston posted the following on social media: “After 38 seasons with the Chargers and nine seasons with the Padres, it’s time for my season. Not sure exactly what that means, but I’m ready to spend more time doing things I’ve always wanted to do, especially now that I have Cathy to share them with as well as my new granddaughter Remi.
“Thank you to the colleagues, coaches, athletes and so many others who made this journey unforgettable,” Johnston wrote. “I’ve enjoyed amazing highs and some really tough lows, but I’m most grateful for the relationships built over nearly five decades in sports that I will carry with me long after I leave my office for the final time today.”
Ramona Johnston passed away on April 5, 2019. On Halloween of that same year, Bill first met future wife Cathy for coffee. They were married in 2023.
In his retirement over the past eight months, Johnston has stayed busy playing golf with son Jared, 41, who lives in San Diego while also staying engaged with his long list of connections. Bill and Cathy recently moved from Downtown San Diego to South Carlsbad.
“I’ve also spent time staying in contact with friends and former colleagues,” Johnston said. “When you retire, you have to be proactive and stay in touch.”
In the case of Bill Johnston’s career, it could be said that good things happen to good people.
“I’ve always tried to do the right thing, be kind and honest and let people know you care about them,” he said. “It’s no secret. If you exhibit those qualities, people will respond in the same ways towards you.”
* * *
San Diego’s Havas Edge promotes Pam Caputo to executive VP
Pam Caputo has been promoted to become executive vice-president of health media for marketing agency Havas Edge. (Photo courtesy of Pam Caputo)San Diego-based Havas Edge, a performance marketing agency, has promoted Pam Caputo from vice-president of the company’s Health Media Hub to executive VP of health media.
The agency said Caputo will take an expanded leadership role to guide strategy, growth and advanced capabilities for performance-driven healthcare marketing.
Caputo joined Havas Edge in 2023 to lead the agency’s Health Media Hub, which quickly grew under her leadership, delivering high-impact campaigns for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device brands. She is based at Havas’ Boston office.
A statement said her new role highlights the team’s continued momentum and the company’s commitment to scaling its Health and Pharma Division. As part of the role, Caputo will oversee the team’s ongoing expansion and lead the development of emerging AI-powered media and analytics solutions to further maximize campaign impact.
“Healthcare media requires both precision and empathy,” said Caputo. “I’m focused on ensuring our team continues to deliver performance-driven, audience-centered strategies that help clients navigate complex health landscapes with clarity and measurable results.”
Prior to Havas Edge, Caputo spent 15 years in pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing. She has been part of teams who helped launch brands that advanced the standard of care, including Cologuard from Exact Sciences, Ayvakit for gastrointestinal stromal tumor and systemic mastocytosis, Onzetra Xsail for migraine and Tyrvaya for dry eye disease.
“Pam brings a rare level of clarity and discipline to healthcare media,” said Steve Netzley, Global CEO of Edge Performance Network, Havas’ parent company. “Too often in this category, media is not held to clear performance expectations. At Havas Edge, we believe every media investment should be accountable to a defined business outcome. Her promotion reflects the momentum of our health media practice and the growing demand from healthcare brands for partners who can deliver results at scale.”
Havas Edge specializes in data-driven media, creative and customer acquisition strategies, for health, tech, consumer, retail and financial brands.
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97.3 FM hosts (left to right) Steve Woods and Ben Higgins have received a three-year contract extension. (Photo courtesy of Audacy)‘Ben & Woods’ show receives 3-year contract extension at 97.3-FM The Fan
San Diego sports radio talk-show hosts Ben Higgins and Steve Woods, along with producer Paul Reindl, have received three-year contract extensions to continue the “Ben & Woods” show through 2029 on KWFN 97.3-FM The Fan, operated by Philadelphia-based Audacy.
The show airs during the 5 to 9 a.m. weekday slot. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Ben &Woods” debuted on former crosstown sports talk outlet XPRS “The Mighty 1090 in March 2018. In 2019, XPRS, operated by Broadcast Company of the America, lost its signal lease with the Mexican transmission tower owners and the company closed its doors.
In June 2019, the duo joined KWFN-FM, the San Diego Padres’ English-language flagship station.
“By the end of the new three-year deal that we that we just agreed to, we will have been on the air more than a decade on this station. It doesn’t happen. That’s crazy,” Woods said. “I love this job, this company and this place. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’m happy to be here.”
John Mamola, sports editor and daily sports columnist of Barrett Media, said about the contract extension, “The deal signals stability for Audacy’s San Diego sports-talk lineup. In addition, it also rewards a show that has become a market staple. For listeners, the arrangement means no shake-up to weekday mornings anytime soon.
In addition to KWFN 97.3-FM, other San Diego radio stations operated by Audacy include KBZT 94.9-FM, KYXY 96.5-FM, KSON 103.7-FM and KXSN Sunny 98.1-FM.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly in Times of San Diego.
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