MEDIA MAVEN - Publishing media news & opinion (often with a critical eye) in the Pacific Northwest, covering Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Tri-Cities/Yakima and even a litte beyond. At times, even some sports. Posts occasionally @tvmavenseattle.bsky.social. I'm a retired, longtime broadcast journalist and manager in multiple markets, ex-writing prof at UW and PLU in WA state, author of Season of the 76ers, Kent St. and American U alums, Pittsburgh native. Hit search/menu and follow!
Retired KOMO Anchor Eric Johnson takes time off from doing commercials for Davis Law Group to become 'knighted' for Seattle's Seafair kickoff. His former EP at KOMO is the Seafair President and CEO. Ah, I get it now!! Cronies. And to think, this guy who did two Sinclair-slanted hour specials "Seattle Is Dying" and "Fighting for the Soul of Seattle' here stands as living proof that none of that was true. Some of the worst reporting I've ever seen as a longtime newsman.
Ha! Reminds me of the old margarine commercials. You took one bite of whatever was spread on your toast and a crown popped onto your head.
ReplyDeleteJohnson is not what he seems to be....I know that for a fact.
ReplyDeleteAren't we all, Wayne? Even in the TV news world, we grew up admiring the local anchor as our inspiration and then when we got the chance to see them face to face or even work with them years later, they turned out to be, well...I'll leave it there.
Deletenot what he seems? ... spill the tea, please
DeleteEric has always struck me as being a professional with a good heart who knew how to crack a joke and have a little fun every now and then.
DeleteHer former EP at KOMO?????
ReplyDeleteI have to read better before sending. Thanks for the heads up
ReplyDeleteThe two SInclair-slanted specials he did on Seattle were simply awful. SInclair likes content that tears down cities under the disguise of accountability. Those two biased hours were among the worst I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteAt the time, the Seattle had multiple cranes and looked like an expanding vibrant city, while Sinclair has a much different political philosophy, I think the special brought out attention to some of the unpleasant aspects of the city at the time, leading to moves, some good and some bad, to perhaps, fix some of the problems.
DeleteI do remember that the Times, which has always been a downtown cheerleader, wrote about Seattle having more cranes than the rest of the country combined. City Council tried to pass a "head tax".
DeleteI agree that those two specials were not Eric's finest hours, but I have been willing to regard them as very minor blips that Sinclair very heavilly influenced in what was otherwise a pretty stellar career. They certainly weren't KOMO's finest hours.
DeleteAnd why didn't this stellar journalist push back and say no to this swill he foisted on viewers, which they reran over and over again, trying to make it stick. Now he wears the crown of Seafair in an unmistakable case of being a hyocrite, topping his spot for ambo chasers. I'm sorry but Eric's Heroes doesn't get him a pass.
DeleteI can only speculate that he either wanted to push back but didn't want to risk being fired when he was already in the final years of his career, and so opted to say nothing. Or, that he actually did geninually believe that the content of the specials was acceptable. In any case, it puts a major stain on his reputation that even Eric's Little Heroes, as beloved as that segment was, won't be able to make up for.
DeleteIt's clear that, upon further reflection, the specials weren't just the minor blips in a stellar career that I have long thought them to be. Instead, they are major blunders in a career that should not be overlooked.
DeleteAnd as for that career being "stellar", I no longer believe that is an even remotely accurate description of Eric's career, at least from these specials to the present day. I'm even beginning to wonder about his career prior to these specials. Was it stellar, or are there more stains out there?
DeleteNot implying that there are. When I got to Seattle, Lewis was the anchor, so I know nothing about his past career. I think much of my dismay is connected to his Sinclair efforts. That's it.
DeleteThat makes sense, considering how much Sinclair has changed KOMO in the time that they've owned the station. It's entirely plausible that Sinclair may have changed Eric as well.
DeleteGotta go along to get along sometimes. He had a news director who pushed it on him, I believe, but it probably attracted his storytelling skills, too.
DeleteMike, if they would have been balanced and un-hyped by Johnson's alarmist armageddon-like writing, perhaps they would have some remaining credibility. They were Sinclair born and bred and that says it all.
ReplyDelete