MediaMaven

  UW and Oregon home football openers are blacked out for sure now.   But greed is good! https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/washington-games-blacked-out-on-comcast-as-big-ten-network-stalemate-continues/?utm_medium=notification&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=5339100

Great to see ex-Seahawk Michael Robinson still front and center on the NBC Big 10 studio show hosted by Maria Taylor.  Robinson was very good on the Seahawks pre-season telecasts, strong on NFL Network and solid again in his second year with a talented former NFL QB Matt Cassell on the field before the game started.

Brian Calvert, KNWN radio news anchor, is wrapping up his summer weather fill-in at KOMO.  Here's his FB goodbye. Time to say goodbye for now. This morning and tomorrow morning, I’ll finish my commitment to my friends at KOMO News . I am so thankful to have had the summer to reconnect with my friends in the building, and so many who watch. I love storytelling, whether it’s a news story, or talking about the weather…it’s always been an honor to be able to be a part of your day. Thank you so much Phil and the management team for this wonderful homecoming experience. And thanks to my buddy Shannon whom I love dearly. I’m not leaving morning radio, and will be back behind the mic Tuesday morning. It’s just a difficult life balance doing both TV and radio. Who knows, maybe there’s more television down the road?

This weekend's Oregon and Washington football season openers are caught in a possible 'black out' situation because of a carriage dispute betwee Xfinity/Comcast and the Big 10 Network.  Here's more from the Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/the-latest-on-comcast-big-ten-network-dispute-on-eve-of-uw-opener/

Former KING5 News Director Mark Ginther returned to Seattle, perhaprs in his recent and new consulting role, to reunite with OGs from the station like investigative reporters Chris Ingalls and Susannah Frame, now-KIRO consumer reporter Jesse Jones and Chris Daniels, now of KOMO and the evil Sinclair.   Former reporters Linda Brill and Natasha Ryan also pictured below.  Ginther left in 2015 for a Dallas station, then left for a corporate gig at the evil Sinclair and later became a consultant at Smith Geiger, LA company that consulted KING. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/mW1oQU6MCk5RH2vG/

Y ou may know that KING/KONG will be offering some 70 Seattle Kraken contests on FREE TV next season on a network incuding Portland, Spakane andYakima.  Here are the national games they cannot carry: https://x.com/ScottMaloneTV/status/1829244228695929274

Tegna, the owners of KING and KONG in Seattle, has recently made a huge financial investment/partnership in an expanding digital sports coverage platform called ALLCITY.    Tegna's flagship station in Dallas, WFAA, is joining the operation which is already runs in Chicago, Philly, Denver and Phoenix.   The question is, will Seattle be the next Tegna market??    KING already has the biggest sports staff in the market, so this could become a strong company asset. Per  a Tuesday press release announcing the investment , the deal also includes a commercial agreement that includes "cross-promotional opportunities, content licensing, revenue extension opportunities and distribution via TEGNA station's linear channels and streaming apps.  More below, including a report from Philadelphia.  Food for thought and speculation. Here's a report from a site called  'Marketing Brew' on how the ALLCITY service is operating in Philly: A new, Philly-c...

  With a new NFL football season officially starting next Thursday, we check in exclusively with Dave Wyman, an all-time Seattle Seahawks great, popular drive-time sports radio host on KIRO 710 here, and working as the color analyst for the Seahawks radio broadcasts since 2017.   He jump started his on-air career with Northwest Cable News and KCPQ-13 in the 2000s.    Here we go: Q.  Dave, you have forged a great second career in broadcasting after retiring from football in the mid-90s.  How did you make that transition and how has your football knowledge helped in front of the microphone? A.  I think I discovered that being a former player is valuable not because I know the game inside and out, but because I know how hard it is to win individual battles and games. That's something that only an ex-player can understand so I lean on that. (Btw there are people who understand the schemes of offenses and defenses better than I do and they didn't play ...

KIRO7 news, weather and traffic anchor Niku Kazori leaves Seattle for LA LA Land.  She joined KIRO in March, 2022.   Here's more.  That station's revolving door spins yet again. https://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2024/08/niku-kazori-joining-abc7-los-angeles.html  

One of Seattle TV's most respected, renowned and recognized news anchors, Jean Enersen, will be working with SIFF, the Seattle International FIlm Festival, for its Marquee Gala.   More info here: https://x.com/SIFFnews/status/1828840343493636145  

A daily show produced by Tegna than has never scored big viewers is finally going away.  It's on KONG Seattle at 2 pm and as of Sept. 6, Tegna is shutting down The Daily Blast.   Good riddance.  Never watched it, and never cared to.   Failed Tegna project, dumped after boss Dave Lougee left and a new Prez took over.

I wonder if Weigel might be an interested buyer.  They own KVOS out of Bellingham and carry Univision and MeTV in Seattle.   That could be a tri-opoly and lots of programs to inherit on 11.   Just a thought after the story about Paramount yesterday, selling off some Indie O&Os.    Weigel owns at CBS in Milwaukee, BTW.

New reporting from Bloomberg indicates Paramount may be ready to sell off a dozen stations, including KSTW, Channel 11 in Seattle.  KIRO 7 is the CBS affiliate here.   Lots to consider with this article from thedesk.net. https://thedesk.net/2024/08/paramount-considers-selling-12-stations/?utm_source=mailpoet#038;utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet&utm_campaign=Email%20Top%20Story  

For longtime Seattle TV viewers who loved "Almost Live" on KING 5 back in the day, this is a great Seattle Times 'Where Are They Now?' story. https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/seattles-almost-live-cast-where-are-they-now/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=owned_echobox_f&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawE4adBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHb7g5rmYzEzowuOfPal8UUD-Ga6qbGMAYP8lVIuQAqB7j--HAQ4NEW6dbA_aem_2Dd2lUaKg7XR-aqbzCPqnw#Echobox=1724505008

Congrats to dear friend, former colleague and great dad, Chris Egan, and his daughter, Maddie.  Of course, longtime sportscaster at NWCN and KING5, had to miss covering the Seahawks last pre-season game, but for a great reason, indeed.   

Just some thoughts on the three games produced by the Seahawks and aired on KING/KONG.   Paul Silvi is still the best in town, smooth, in control and knowledgeable.   I understand that the team wants to overload the show with ex-players, but Cliff Avril offered little expertise in the pre-game, almost repeating a lot of  what Silvi tossed to him.  His sideline work was equally soft.   Too buddy-buddy. Kate Scott is a real pro on play-by-play.  Great voice and you can see her excellent game prep.  Michael Robinson works well with her.  His NFL Network experience really pays off.  But adding Michael Bennett to the booth provides no extra insight.  It got silly at times.   A two-person team is better and, in the future, when Chris Egan is not away covering the Oympics or attending his daughter's wedding, he could do sideline.    

KJR sports talk host Ian Furness posted on X Monday that this was a "big, big week and he excited for Friday."  That would have seemed to indicate he was going to finally announce his new TV job, which he  has teased in a pinned tweet first posted on July 25th.  But what really took place Friday was not a TV career announcement, it was a charity event introducing a new beer at a Seattle bar.   Wishful thinkng I guess.    Well, he fooled me. Ian D Furness @IandFurness · Aug 19 Big big week... excited for Friday!

Is fired Mariners manager Scott Servais solely to blame for this year's slide and are all of the team's skippers over the years in the same dugout?   Channel 7 evening anchor Gary Horcher points the finger  at the Mariner Moose with this post on X: "  Since Mariner Moose became the M's mascot in 1990, the team has won 43% of the time. No MLB team has an all time record below .460. Until this season, M's W-L all time record was .476."

Concerning news for Edmonds, WA resident and beloved national PBS TV travel host, RIck Steves.  He is going to put his travels on hold next month to undergo prostate cancer surgery at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Center.   His long-running program is seen locally on KCTS and KBTC the public stations in Seattle and Tacoma. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/08/21/rick-steves-prostate-cancer/   Personal message from Mr. Steves: "I’d like to take a moment to share some important news. I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. My doctor assures me that, if you’re going to get cancer, this is a good kind to get, and careful scans show no sign of it having spread. There is a clear path forward to getting healthy, and this fall, I’ll be in the hospital for a few days having prostate surgery. My doctor’s fine with me filming two new TV shows in France for the next three weeks, returning home to Edmonds by mid-September. I’ll likely get my surgery in late September, b...

Looks like a new regionally syndicated sports show dedicated to Washington State football is debuting on an unwired network. Hosts include a former star QB for the Cougs. It is called "Inside the Den." Stations and times below. Started yesterday on Seattle's CW.   https://x.com/CougCollective/status/1823595140809941267

  Great FB post from friend and former colleague Brian Calvert, who bids a fond farewell to his beloved headphone buddy that he has worn for more than a decade on KOMO and KNWN radio in Seattle. He took a parting picture of them, too (below). Catch Brian doing weather on KOMO TV on weekends. "RIP Stan For the last decade plus, I’ve worn these funny looking, one-eared earphones on the radio. Why one ear you ask? With one ear uncovered, I can hear enough ambient room sound that I don’t shout. Plus, I can rotate ears, as I try to make both of them last a little longer. Alas, today they stopped working. Years of wear means there’s a broken wire somewhere along the line. Can’t you just get another set, Brian? Nope. They don’t make em any longer. So, I’ll return to the industry standard Sony MDR 7506. Two earphones, so I’ll just move side above my ear. Yes, I’m whining. But there have been many many changes in radio over the last decade. This old earphone was a constant fr...

Early word the NBA's Portland Trailblazers have a new home, abandoning the moribund Root Sports for a major PDX affil.   https://x.com/Mr_Portland/status/1825965337768243300

  This is cool news.  Ryan Leaf, former star QB at Washington State and top NFL draft choice, is getting a great new break in the sports broadcast business, now that the CW network is carrying games this season.  He's a bonefide analyst for PAC 12 games with WSU and OSU!  He's come a long way back from his personal problems along the way.  This news from sports reporter John Canzano. https://x.com/johncanzanobft/status/182597696576 7245901

Looks like KIRO 7 Seattle has recently brought in a guy who did sports for Rogers Media in Toronto, and it comes in the wake of the firings of Sports Director Chris Francis and sports producer Chris Swanson.   He may be the station's savior at the football and hockey seasons loom ahead.   Apparently has some news background as well.   His name is Eric Thomas and here is his linkedin.com profile and blurb from the station's web site.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-thomas-a16034308/?originalSubdomain=ca https://www.kiro7.com/author/eric-thomas/

The Mariners have too many K's each and every night, but it is great to see Kapp-Kvew and the Kraken team up in Tri-Cities/Yakima to join the team's broadcasts this coming season. https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/morgan-murphy-media-to-air-70-seattle-kraken-games-on-kapp-kvew-yakima/  

  Congrats to Savannah Welch, who leave the Sinclair meat grinder to join KING 5 in Seattle.  Here's her post on X: Some BIG NEWS: I am BEYOND thrilled to finally announce I’m staying in the Northwest and joining the incredible team at @king5seattle ! I’m so unbelievably honored to be part of a powerhouse legacy station and to work alongside such talented, dedicated, and passionate storytellers. KING 5 has always been a dream for me, and I’m still pinching myself that I get to call this place home I‘ll be joining the morning team as a reporter and fill-in forecaster! I am so excited to learn from such extraordinary journalists and to hit the ground runningg! Ecstatic is an understatement, like someone *actually* please pinch me?!? 12

A major national award for KNKX in Seattle, winning the Edward R. Murrow Overall Excellence trophy from the Radio-TV Digital News Assocation for large market radio.  That's a big one, for sure.  Here's the full list of national winners in radio and TV.   https://www.rtdna.org/2024-national-edward-r-murrow-award-winners

 Brock Huard is a Puyallup, WA, native, former UW and Seahawks QB, Seattle sports radio talk host, a voice of Madden 25 and a Fox CFB analyst.  He gives us his thoughts on the upcoming football season, college and pro, exclusively. 1. What is your plan for this season broadcast-wise. "Going into my 18th year on the road as a CFB broadcaster and year 5 at FOX, number three with Jason Benetti."   2. Your general overview of college football at this stage, where it's headed. Tipping point or turning point?  Matchup driven success with the defections? "CFB’s playoff expansion breathes life into a sport in a state of total lawlessness and chaos. Everyone in the game knows that the current governance (or lack thereof) is totally unsustainable, and yet the product on the field should be incredibly competitive and with the new playoff, exhilarating."  3. How successful will the Pac 12 teams be in the BIG 10?  And will longer travel be a factor for them as the ...

Conner Board posted on X that she was becoming the South Sound Bureau Chief for KING5.  Turned out she was only going to be Tacoma Bureau Chief, as I correctly reported the other day, replacing Lionel Donovan.   Current South Sound Chief Drew Mikkelson confirms to me he is not going anywhere, and that previous posts by Ms. Board are deleted.  However, I found this one from her on QZVX.com so the malady lingers on: Conner Board on X.com – I am overjoyed to share that I am starting a new role as the South Sound Bureau Chief in September! I am so excited to start sharing the important stories around Pierce County & beyond.

Anyone remember reporter Heather Graf at Seattle's KING 5?  She departed some years ago for WJLA in Washington, DC, and followed  her Seattle ND there.   She's still based in Washington, but is part of Gray TV's DC Investigative team, serving all of the company's stations nationwide.  Solid reporter who also previously worked in Nashville.

Tacoma Bureau Chief for KING5 is moving within the company to its WUSA in DC.   Conner Board gets the job here.   Donovan has an interesting background I adapted from his linkedin.com bio:   He got his  start in Beijing, China, as an anchor for Blue Ocean Network, then moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and worked for Tegna there, but soon headed back to Beijing to serve as a correspondent for CGTN. After living in China for eight years, I moved to Nairobi, Kenya, and worked as a freelance producer.