MediaMaven

Nice story as Jake Stevenson, who learned at UW from KOMO chief meteorologist Shannon O'Donnell, has joined KEPR in Tri-Cities as the new weekend weather man and reporter, too.  Kudos.  You are on your way.

Ethan McReynolds, radio producer, and Ashley Ryan, also from KJR radio, on Washington Sports Wrap Wednesday night?  Faces in the crowd on a mediocre program on the first day of Hawks Training camp.  Entire show should have been live from VMAC.

Just some observations from the morning TV (not streaming) coverage   Biggest surprise was checking KOMO and ARC and seeing no live coverage when I checked in around 8:30 a.m.  GMA was on KOMO and ARC was in regular programming.     Apparently they had no reporter in Boise because Hannah Knowles was doing live shots on ARC from the KOMO deck at the Space Needle.  At one point Hannah said, "All eyes were on BRYAN."  She calls this guy by his first name?  Inappropriate.   ARC went full live after the recess, pre-empting Seattle Refined reruns.  KOMO went to The View.     The other 3 channels were wall to wall from the outset with the courtroom testimony, which was intense, to say the least. KING and KIRO had Jake Whittenberg and Gary Horcher live in Boise and both had analysts on set with the respective anchors to discuss the testimony.   KING had a former judge on set with Mimi Jung and KIRO had a Seattl...

So far, can confirm KING and KIRO will air the sentencing tomorrow of Brian Kohberger in the Idaho murders case.   Coverage beginning around 7:45 am (8:45 MT).   I assume 4 and 13 will confirm as well.    Intense family testimony will occur as well.

She's on her way to KING in August, but Patreons on ftvlive.com show several colleagues complaining about bullying tactcs and not wanting to work with her.   It may explain why she moved from station to station in Seattle back in the day and wound up in a podunk market for years. Here's the post, you be the judge: FTVLive has heard from a number of staffers who described Lewis as a straight up "Bully." Now, normally, when someone reaches out to FTVLive and describes a co-worker is "mean" or a "bully", we don't pay it much attention. Not everyone likes each other and in a business full of big egos, there will be friction. But, the word "bully" kept popping up, when talking to people inside the WYFF newsroom. One insider shared a story in which WYFF Anchor Destiny Chance was to read a story while standing in front of the chroma key. One WYFF staffer described it this way, "Destiny had a shot at the chroma key after weather.  The pr...

Noticed today, and I admit being way behind on this, but former KING weather anchor Meeghan Black is the spokesperson for the Renton police and has been for almost two years.   Caught her on a video clip about a triple homicide.   She used to be the PIO for Bellevue PD, with almost five years there.   On the TV side, besides weather, she had a long run with Ciscoe Morris, co-hosting his gardening show on KING for years.   She was one of the top KING anchors never obligated to work on NWCN.  

 Kim Holcomb and Jim Dever, both refugees from KING 5's Evening, have a teamed up to launch a new You Tube channel called UPPER LEFTERS.  Yikes.  Just what we needed. https://youtube.com/shorts/KyGZvB5c3i8?si=fG2A48StxmnWB8Gk

  KOMO's Hannah Knowles posted this Sunday.  She's moving on and, so far, no word on what's next professionlly.  She's getting married.   Last day July 30.   Zahn on vacation next week, so we will see who's at the weather wizard wall.   That's why they did their goodbyes today.

Michelle Bos is returning to KREM to do weekend weather, which should be a shot in the arm for the station instead of getting forecasts hubbed from elsewhere.  She  worked for KREM for many years. and happy to say she did some weather for my old NWCN, and it is good that she is back on air.  Pictured here on the left with ND Jessie Kane.  BTW, she's also an entomologist, but don't let that bug you.

  Ethan Mcreynolds??  A producer anchoring?    The main two should back each other up, right? Desperate for filling in on the moribund Washington Sports Wrap??   They use the station's digital guy Curtis Crabtree as a guest as well, so the conclusion is that this show is failing.   I know it's summer but get Elise Woodward or Dick Fain or Softy.  I mean they already have a KJR connection thru Furness.  Don't get it, except to save a buck.         Side note: The FOX company sees Sunday thru Thursday as their key broadcast days, and usually disregard Friday and Saturday anchors.  NFL football is the key factor in season.  But it's nothing new.                                                                            ...

This is why Washington Sports Wrap on Fox 13 is lost.  This guy is a sportscaster from Fox Phoenix and needs to grow up.  Filler, just filler, in July.   Ok maybe 12 not a teen.  Intern?

We have already heard from a loal reader that KUOW is ready to launch a million plus emergency pledge drive to raise mone, and now we hear from Tom Layson, host of Northwest Now on KBTC, who posts about their chunk of money that will be gone with the federal budget cuts to public broadcasting:    "Late last night, Congress passed a bill to rescind all federal funding for public media. This decision removes 20% of KBTC's annual budget - approximately $1 million this year alone. Though we have been defunded, we are not defeated. We intend to remain your trusted source for local journalism, proven educational programs, emergency communications, and the local stories that reflect our community. To everyone who called, emailed, and shared your story in support of KBTC, you have our gratitude. Your support is needed more than ever. Donate here: https://bit.ly/3UoPZOk " BTW, The Seattle Times had a informative piece today on the public radio outlook for Central and Western WA ...

Ok, it's July, and I thought it would be a good time to check out the TV news ops in Seattle, even though is is SLOWWWW. KING - they have lost their ND to a regional news VP position, so they have to fill that before fall, of course.   Parella Lewis will be joining the weather team in early August, returning to Seattle.  The bigger issue is that Tegna corporate posted this in an internal memo: WE WILL NOT MAKE NEWS ON TV.    Hmmm.   And the outgoing news boss posted NO JERKS NEED APPLY on linkedin, trying to hire her replacement.    Huh???  Their reporrers are just so-so although I do like their newest additions. Castro and Copeland should be anchoring together more. KIRO - struggling as usual, especially with a thin weather anchor team.  Using part-timers and freelance and their own news reporters to fill in, they are apparently not looking to hire a full-timer, per job posts.  That's a major weakness going into storm season i...

CBS has announced that it will cancel Stephen Colbert's show next May. The show that follows him is already gone.   Was this a retaliation for Colbert criticizing Paramount for making a deal with Trump to protect the Skydance sale, which he called a bribe?    Of course it was, despite CBS citing financial issues.    I wonder if CBS will continue funding late night programs when he is gone and if they don't, will KIRO go back to the late night movie????   Or second-run sydie crap?

Well, KIRO 7 is all excited a bout showing the Seafair Torchlight Parade on JUly 26 7-10 pm to see our two favorite Seattle killers, Eric Johnson of KOMO and Carmen Best, security risk chief of Microsoft watching the layoffs.  I hear Eric is working on a follow up to his Seattle is Dying doc.  It's called Somehow, Seattle named me Seafair KING NEPTUNE.    Carmen's behavior in 2020 led to police leaving in droves.   https://x.com/KIRO7Seattle/status/1945992324170825899?t=egiijeXi38OAP6UtIKboYA&s=19

The heartfelt, judgmental words of Julie Wolfe, outgoing King Seattle ND, whose first job as a regional news VP is to find her replacement.  That line in her job post is a total turn off to applicants. It speaks volumes about who's in charge and how she will operate.    And did GM & HR approve that?  What if an applicant thinks there was unfair treatment and rejection after she revealed this???     Is this a professional or pejorative approach to hiring?    Here's her condescending post on LinkedIn.com  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julie-wolfe-084b2331_journalists-activity-7348666682002808832-Dma5?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=android_app&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2E&utm_campaign=copy_link

Here's the salary posted for the vacant News Director position at KING, now that Juile Wolfe has gone corporate: Pay Range $165,000   -   $215,000   USD   (Readers, do you think this is high, low or the approprate range for the market and do you think it is higher than the other Seattle stations?)   The full post is here: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/tegnainc/jobs/4775130007?gh_jid=4775130007

Those words are from an internal memo at Tegna, owners of KING, KGW, KREM in the PNW and many others all over the country.  Our friends at ftvlive.com got a hold of it, posted it on the wib site and distributed it thru their newsletter today.  I copied a portion of it below but the full story is at the link.  It appears ominous for TV news and TV personnel at the company, and seemingly is being pushed by the former CBS Corporate lady who wound up at Tegna: "Just when you thought you’d heard it all, one of the country's largest station owners has decided to share its vision for the future. And if you work in television news, you might want to sit down for this. In an internal memo announcing a major reorganization, Tegna CEO Mike Steib dropped a line so stunning, so perfectly corporate, that it deserves to be framed. He wrote,  “We will not make news for TV.” You read that right. A company that owns dozens of  television  stations, that employs thousands of ...

Yes, although KUOW has won the top PPMs spot again, KJEB has jumped into second.  "Come and listen to a story 'bout a station named Jeb."    That move pushed KZOK to third.   KIRO AM sports radio had a good run in June, popping into the top 5 with a .5 boost, maybe from Cal Raleigh?? https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb039b

In case you have failed to keep track, here are the six people filling in on weather for KIRO.  They only have two full timers, Nick Allard and Morgan Palmer, so after that, it's freelance pot luck. Scott Haveson, former met who worked in Seattle TV, now a real estate agent for Windermere Stephen Kilbreath freelance weather and auctioneer, has hit NWCN, KING, FOX 13 and now 7. Ed Muir, ex of NWCN and Boeing, now working in a Comms position Madeline Otillie, news reporter Ranji Sinah, news reporter Brandon Thompson, news reporter Looks like Cox/Apollo will limp along like this for the rest of the summer, and it appears there is no permanent fix in sight.  There are currently two PART-TIME weather postions advertised on the stattion's web site, but a meteorology credential is only PREFERRED, not REQUIRED.   The wage scale for this position is $35.00 per hour to $55.00 per hour.    And at the same time, KING is adding Parella Lewis as its 5th full-timer, Who's...

This from Awful Announcing.   Dave, of course, left the Mariners broadcast booth to do Yankees radio.  He's doing great. It's almost 50 minutes but there is an index to skip through. At 31 in he talks Yankee fans and M's fans and he also talks Cal Raleigh.     https://awfulannouncing.com/orig/dave-sims-yankees-mlb-sterling-esiason.html

  Saw Alejandro Guzman of Fox 13 reporting from the Kerrville area.  Often during extended coverage of breaking news, Fox and other owners dispatch reporters from their various markets to provide relief personnel for the stations most heavily involved.   They also do live shots for their home base.

They are able to turn cloudy Seattle skies into sunny ones.  Great new group pic! I see Leah, Shannon, Claire and Wren, Abby, Rebecca, Stella, Ashley and Savannah (K5).     It's missing Ilona from Fox and Frankie K, ex of KIRO.     

I hate to harp on this Live Desk concept at Fox 13, but it is unwatchable.  I tuned in on linear (KJZO) at 1:30 and watched until 2:10  Friday (I will never get that time back, alas) in hopes of seeing something good and useful.  Instead I see 4 or 5 segments of news show title graphics edited together for a full 1:20, apparently because of continuing problems with going from streaming to live TV.   The half-hour started with a 5-7 interview joined in progress with two people talking about dead and damaged trees, so viewers are going in cold.  That was followed a couple of packages thrown in as filler with no interview or reporter supers, and only reporter sig out.   Then the last interview of the half-hour was badly upcut at the end.   I decided to stay with the program when Matthew Smith took over at 2, but it was full of repetitive copy with looped video, strained ad-libbing, and Smith repeatedly using the word AGAIN, to recap facts f...

Yes, that was a baseball pitching joke.   "Exciting news to report, Austin has received and accepted a full scholarship to play baseball for Bellarmine University , a Division One School in Louisville, Kentucky. They have great academics, a great campus, and a baseball program on the rise that plays in a very competitive conference with non-conference games vs schools like Tennessee, Louisville, LSU, and others! Exciting times!"  PS...Atlantic Sun Conf and mascot is KNIGHTS.  (The More ou Know!) PPS. Congrats on 25 years at KOMO for anchor/reporter Michelle Esteban.

Jade Elliott takes an Employee of the Month bite out of Apple Valley News:    https://x.com/JadeElliottTV/status/1943746614377820573?t=zJNHXetFhfa5NwhjWFxLnQ&s=19

  Tegna, owner of KREM in Spokane, has agreed to pay a $220,000 fine because a porn clip showed up in a monitor during a weather segment.    Here's a link to the story from The Desk: https://thedesk.net/2025/07/tegna-agrees-222000-dollar-fine-fcc-newscast-spokane/?utm_source=mailpoet#038;utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet&utm_campaign=News%20Alert I have jokes, but not going there.

From The Athletic; Linda Cohn will be anchoring some SportsCenters as well as doing features and special projects for ESPN. She'll now be doing that in Connecticut following the end of Los Angeles-based SportsCenter. She will be much farther away from Seattle to be a part of the Kraken Hockey Network come fall.   So we will have to wait for an update on her status with Ian Furness and Alison Lukan.  She tri-anchored a handful of home games last year.   Hockey fanatic.

Pardon me for not knowing but is this graphic up because the same material has already begun streaming and this is a linear lag catch-up?    Worse, when the anchor came back they show pages from the Fox 13 website.  So, let me see, a live desk showing station website pages to catch up on stories???     Now, at one point, the show switches to recorded Studio 13 Live . Then a recorded weather and then an interview recorded from last night done by Hana Kim.  Jumbled.  Disjointed.  Not Live.  Not clean execution at all Poor Matthew Smith looks very uncomfortable, confused, uncertain, very!   Trying to be conversational, but it's not in his wheelhouse to handle what appears to be minimal scripting.   Smile once, brother. Welcome folks in.  This is new.   Again, too much too soon. One hour a day...grow it.  Get Matt strong coaching.   My two cents.  

Ok multitaskers out there.   In case you haven't stopped everything in your day to watch Fox13+ on KJZO, here's a couple of screens you get to see.  Wanted to get a snapshot. 1. Matt Smith (demoted from a #2 evening anchor for this??) at the desk covering news on the ratings-challenged duopoly channel. 2. Time, weather temps and conditions top right 3. Two small boxes in right margin with Fox Live Now and Fox Weather being shown at times with people on camera speaking with no audio.  Can't hear it or even read it the lower thirds. 4. A second pic below of a  Mayor's ceremony swearing in the chief with all that going on.   Ok, first time here. Way too busy, IMHO Bloomberg-ish.   Nice concept but it seems to be on from 10:30-4 which seems like overkill.  But life is about choices, right?

She's Natalie Fahmy, who moves here from Columbus, OH TV, where she jumps from Nexstar to Sinclair.   And, yes, I know which company is worst.   Box checked.    She is likely Denise Whitaker's replacement. Her Social Media post: "I am so thrilled to announce that on August 11 I will be joining @komonews, in Seattle, as an anchor and reporter. I am so excited for this new adventure, to join such a talented & driven team, and to grow in new ways. I can’t wait to get started!" Not sure where she fits in on the anchor scheme of things, but KOMO's Live Desk has been empty for a while.  The place does feel short of reporters since Paul Rivera and Mo Haider left.    We shall see.

Never heard of him.  Anders Hirst. Looks like anyone with a podcast, or as Fox 13 posted, a POSTCAST, can be on Washington Sports Wrap with Levine. Of course every Tim, Dick and Harry has a podcast these days.   Maybe I'll be next.

I decided to finally watch the heralded 4pm 'Seattle News Tonight" of Fox 13.   Strangely produced with the main anchors hidden until 10-12 minutes in.  Oh well, watch it and weep.   Produced for replays.  Looks like Hana may be #1 female unless Sabirah is off.    My take:   Very odd to intro the two main anchors and then push immediately to Lauren Donovan at the keywall doing multiple stories.   Rose and Kim become side players for no good reason.  They could have done the same intros.  Then they toss to Claire for weather, still no sign of the lead duo????   Are they saving Hana and Rose for the replay portion?  Sheesh.   Staring at 4:10, after the break, we see Hana and Rose anchor the back 50 minutes of the show from the main desk for replay.     Lauren is not strong enough to be a sub-anchor, so I assume Matthew Smith is off.  Rayford should be doing this segment anywa...

Been three weeks now since the big announcement about streaming and newscast replays on 13.  Any verdicts yet from readers?  I have seen some good notifications on my phone, but that's all I can attest to.  I haven't watched a full newscast except the state news show at 6.    Anybody noticing replays or watching?    

I wasn't going to post until Monday but seeing Carmen Best, former Seattle Police Chief who poorly presided over the Capitol Hill protests, and Eric Johnson, the KOMO guy who said 'Seattle Is Dying' end up on the fireworks show, infuriated me.  This Queen and King Neptune stuff doesn't wash with these two..  Just dumb tone deaf selections.    Both tried to ruin this city by bad decision making,  Seafair should be embarrassed.   

                                     I note all the major anchors are on duty on Seattle TV even on a Friday holiday because the ratings sweeps period started June 25 and this year July 4 WAS included in the survey.  Thus, the big players were playing.  I know they are so happy!!!                                 See ya Monday.   Enjoy the long weekend.    

  KBTC swims nicely upstream to spawn this award.  It has netted a big one from the Society of Professional Journalists for Hard News Feature for its 'Saving the Source' special.   More below and congrats to the team  https://www.facebook.com/share/1CaTx39y11/

Mariah Lane leaving Fox 13 Seattle from her job as segment producer.  It's on her terms, happy to report and she has a new comms job out of the biz.    But isn't everybody trying to leave?   I had one insider wondering if the News Director would leave with the GM who is moving to also run the LA Fox besides Seattle.  They have been linked since KTVU in Oakland.  BREAKING NEWS: Today was my last day working at FOX 13 Seattle! My time with the station has been filled with so many memories and experiences I will hold on to forever. I am leaving with so much love and gratitude in my heart.

No surprise, but hearing that the new Tegna Regional News Executive, Julie Wolfe, ND at KING, will be hiring her own replacement at the station.  Also hearing the Tegna's expanded streaming plan may actually eliminate linear newscasts on KING at some point on nights with major sports programming, movin to KING 5+ app.   It's coming, people, especially with NBA returning to NBC next year.  We shall see.    Julie was a reporter at WXIA in Atlanta back in the day.   She chamnged course and made a huge move to management, to a medium and then major market ND to now a regional executive.   Most NDs come from producer or assignment desk positions.   From personal exxperience, that ain't easy.

It's a strange time at KING 5 these days.  I mean we see News Director Julie Wolfe just assigned regional/corporate responsibilities; Chief Met Mike Everett leaves and, immediately as reported here, Parella Lewis, ex-Seattle, is hired as his replacement; Chris Cashman joins Evening to replace Jim Dever (or Kim Holcomb take your pick); an Evening producer of 25 years tenure is leaving right after Joe Suttner is promoted to EP of Evening as well as New Day; the station has just become part of a major streaming expansion plan from corporate's new news honcho who was dumped at CBS brass, and they don't even have their own KONG fireworks show mentioned in a web story or listed on the cable grid.  Is this just timing thing?  A typice TV turnover thing?  Or have some folks have had just about enough at the dwindling salaries?   You be the judge.  The old gray lady ain't what she used to be, no matter how many congrats the young GM hands out on social.  ...

Per the Seattle Times, the Lake Union/Gas Works show Friday night WILL be televised on KONG starting at 9 p.m. and the boomers are set to go off at 10:15, allowing us to listen to inane filler banter for a full 75, count 'em, 75 minutes.  Just sign on at 10, that's all we need.   I do remember Steve Raible and Monique co-anchoring this for KIRO, but that ship sailed long ago.   Can't do the live Pride parade and live fireworks twice in one week, right?  Interestingly, the fireworks is not even listed on the Comcast grid for KONG.   News is still listed and it also says KING is carrying the Macy's fireworks at 10, opposite the local show.   Nor is imthe KONG show mentioned in KING web story that is about  'Where you can watch fireworks."  Hmmmm. https://www.king5.com/article/news/community/fourth-of-july-fireworks-seattle-2025-western-washington/281-aeb2453c-5c5c-4b23-839c-b0e2d4514f22

Thanks to a loyal reader for this tip on a new streaming show featuring rotating Tegna weather wizards including sunny Leah Pezzetti from KING 5   It's basically a streaming lead-in to New Day Northwest at 11 on the main channel.

  The long-running show is now looking for a new producer to replace someone of long tenure.   More at the link if you're interested: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph-suttner-267a998a_king-5s-iconic-lifestyle-show-evening-activity-7345952042013573120-6_-L?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2E

Pencil him as a new co host of King's Evening, replacing Jim Dever...cashing in on the longtime Cashman name in Seattle media.  Chris just wrapped up another emcee gig at the NW Emmys, and I would question that role continuing, because he works for one of the contenders/entrants.  Can he be impartial?  He previously had a co-host slot on an ill-fated 4 p.m. show a few years ago on King with Angela Russell, Michelle Li and a weather anchor whose name I can't remember.  All of them gone.  Of course, his dad, Pat was a star on 'Almost Live' on KING years ago, so there certainly are connections there.   More at the link. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christy-moreno-9182799_breaking-news-were-thrilled-to-activity-7346331213109874689-h_j2?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=android_app&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2E&utm_campaign=copy_link