The 'Seattle Gaza 5K run/walk' over the weekend at that began at Marymoor. More here from the longtime KING 5 weatherman's FB post.
A big thank you to all who supported me with donations, affirmations or prayers. 1700 people turned out for the Gaza 5k run/walk at Marymoor this morning-the cloudy skies were perfect in keeping everyone comfortable. $600,000 was raised-the money will go to provide mental health counseling and support for Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza-suffering the trauma of losing family members, friends and neighbors, to say nothing of severe physical wounds for many. A doctor who has provided emergency medicine support related stories that brought tears to most if not all of us.The emotional scars suffered by these children will persist for a long time, but thanks to the help of many caring people like you-they will know not everyone in the US is indifferent-they’ll receive opportunities for the healing art, music and compassion can provide. I should point out the walkers included people from many different cultures and faiths-Muslims to be sure, but also Judaism and Christianity.
Wayne, I know that Jeff Renner did not work at NWCN although you were colleagues with the KING folks since you were housed in the same building just a floor apart, but I saw how some NWCN folks who showed up on KING's newscasts like Greg Copeland, Cam Johnson, Meg Coyle, etc. and some folks who were exclusive to NWCN and never showed up at KING. I know you wouldn't see folks like Dennis Bounds or Jean Enersen appearing on NWCN, but was it just an exclusivity whether you were for designated as a KING person only and/or an NWCN person? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMeg was a cable original in 95, and dreamed of eventually making it to KING like her hubby was, so that was mostly organic. Cam and Greg rarely were on KING, and usually only around the holidays. After NWCN was shut down, both went to KING as anchors, Cam on mornng traffic and Greg news. As far as KING talent on NWCN, I believe it was totally contractual for Jean, Dennis, Lori, Rich and Jeff to NOT appear. We aired Evening in replay, so those folks never showed up live on cable for any reason. There was a reporter or two who resisted doing 'wraps' for cable at times, but people like Forman, Brill and others were great and liked that they were getting extra air time and showcasing on another platform. There were times when it was a real tightrope working with KING but it worked all the way until the bitter end in Jan. 17. We were promised studio space in the new building, but in the end, NWCN was boxed out of the studio in favor of New Day NW, and the newsrooms were combined. I saw the future and retired. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense when I saw there were NWCN-exclusive folks like Ed Muir and NWCN/KING hybrid folks like Rob Piercy. Thanks, Wayne!
DeleteDidn't some of Jean's HealthLink segments air on NWCN?
DeletePiercy was a reporter at KING who wanted more anchor work, so he came to cable for a good while to build his skills and was often used at KING, yes, and he anchored our Race to the Wire series that won a Cronkite Award for 2012 election coverage.
ReplyDeleteYes, but never LIVE on set to intro them or otherwise. Package reports were always part of the shared mix. Same with special reports from various reporters, even investigative after they finished on KING.
ReplyDeleteSo it wasn't so much that the higher profile KING talent couldn't appear on NWCN at all, but rather they couldn't appear live on NWCN? That must have made things interesting in the event that NWCN simulcasted live KING coverage of major breaking news or a special event (political debates namely).
DeleteWere top talent at KGW, KREM, and KTVB also on such arrangements? I remember the likes of Joe Donlon and Laurel Porter from KGW appearing live pn NWCN via simulcast during the 2010 Aumsville, Oregon tornado coverage.
During breaking stories that had rolling coverage, how was it decided whether to simulcast KING/KGW or to cover it in-house? (I only recall a KREM simulcast during one of the Spokane pipe bombings in '96 and I don't remember ever seeing anything live from Boise.)
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, was there some kind of rough formula of how many stories to run from each of the four markets? In the later years, it seemed like there was a lot more dependence on KING material. As a Seattle-area viewer, that actually made NWCN less interesting to me.
There was never a story formula. Wherever the best story was, we would effort the lead. But obviously there was more big news in Seattle.
DeleteSome history: When NWCN went on the air in 95 (10 years before I arrived) it was very well staffed to do unilateral coverage, for example, the WTO riots in the late 90s. But by the time I arrived, a decline had slowly begun, exacerbated by the 2008-09 recession. We had become bare bones, so simulcasting was key for stories like OSO or the police shooting at the coffee shop. As far as Portland, we had a three man bureau in PDX, but when there was a huge story like the Roseburg school shooting or a severe ice storm, we had to simulcast their wide-ranging coverage. We did simul KREM several times, usually because of snow coverage and big crime, and in Boise, we occasionally simulcast special coverage. Not too often, but it happened. Obviously Seattle got precedent because it was important to send key stories from the biggest city to our PNW cable partners who carried us and wanted their viewers to see the latest.
DeleteThanks for the insight. WTO was one of those events where NWCN served an important role. Since it played out over multiple days, there were periods where the big 3 stations would break away from rolling coverage, but you could tune over to NWCN. (KIRO radio was also very good, as it was live and local nearly 24/7 in those days.)
DeleteAnother story that stands out is the 2001 Mardi Gras riots. IIRC, KING had Jim Forman on top of a Pioneer Square parking garage through the 11 p.m. newscast but then wrapped for the night. The worst violence occured after midnight. NWCN kept going with a rooftop camera and their anchor in studio. And then the big earthquake later that morning...
NWCN always had permission to simulcast KING, KGW, KREM and KTVB air in the event of breaking news, but that was not the same as the main KING anchors being on set live at NWCN. The simulcasts were to make sure if something huge was happening, NWCN could sent it to the entire NW via the Belo and, later, Tegna stations. The exception was severe weather when the mets at the stations could be live or do look lives for cable. The affiliates got first dibs, so NWCN was always second in line. We usually pre-taped weather whiparounds for heat or snow coverage.
ReplyDeleteAh! That makes sense. Thanks for the insight.
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