Anchor Mary Nam announced Wednesday that she is leaving KOMO at the end of the month after two decades to pursue a new chapter. Mary, a WSU grad and Emmy winner, anchors the 4&6 and has also been teaming with KOMO's Kelly Koopmans on a 'Hard Turn' podcast. Sources are telling me that KOMO leads the market in ratings in afternoon-evening, so this will be a bit of a blow to the status quo. It will rattle the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach. But she was not pushed out, says my source, her call.
“2026 is the right time for me to take the leap,” she shared in an email to colleagues. “Beyond that, I'm not sure what is next but given how long it's taken me to tiptoe to this ledge, falling into the next chapter will be the easy part. (Metaphor over. Don't ask me about the landing)” she added. “I look forward to squeezing in as much conversation, laughter, and the good stuff during this month,”
https://komonews.com/news/local/komo-tv-anchor-mary-nam-to-leave-station-at-end-of-month-after-23-years-news-last-day-march-31-hard-turn-podcast-host-journalism
Always a pleasure to watch Mary. Best of luck to her.
ReplyDeleteI'm stunned! I did not expect Mary to leave KOMO anytime soon. She has been there for many years, but it seemed she would be on our screens for many more. I wish Mary the best of luck on her future endeavors. She will be sorely missed.
ReplyDeleteWonder if she is going fully into the podcast world or PR, not sure any positions available at any other Seattle station.
ReplyDeleteIf she wanted to keep doing what she's been doing all this time, she stay. This is another chapter of her life that she's going into, not the news. KOMO is the pinnacle locally anyway.
Deleteis a surprise, and an insider said she was not pushed. The TV landscape is volatile. I wonder if Brian Calvert at KNWN might come calling another former colleague, as he did with Denise Whitaker and Scott Carty. KOMO losses in recent years: Eric Johnson left, Whitaker left, Stoll left, Knowles left, Stevenson left and, sadly, Steve Pool passed away. Plus reporters like Mo Haider, Ryan Simms and Paul Rivera left the station
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I could see Mary making a move into radio, with KNWN being a distinct possibility. She has a bright personality that would work well in a news and conversation format.
DeleteHow much of all the defections are a result of Sinclair ownership?
ReplyDeleteOne would have to conclude 'The Sinclair Effect' is at work here. Too much churn in too short a time period at one station.
DeleteNo different from KING, as it has been a revolving door lately as well.
ReplyDeleteNot at the level of KOMO. Disagree.
ReplyDeleteMy money is Kelly Koopmans is going to inherit the evening anchor chair after Mary's departure.
ReplyDeleteYou've placed a good bet. Kelly has done very well anchoring the morning news for over a decade now, and a promotion to evenings would be well deserved.
DeleteThat being said, two other in-house candidates come to mind as possible successors to Mary.
Molly Shen has the advantage of already working similar hours doing the 3:30pm and 5pm newscasts. She has also been Mary's main fill in at 6pm in recent years. Viewers already know and trust her from her many years at KOMO.
Michelle Esteban has been anchoring weekend evenings for a number of years now, and has acquired strong local knowledge from over 20 years of reporting at KOMO.
KOMO is very fortunate to have such a strong set of in-house candidates to take Mary's place. Any of them would be great. I look forward to seeing who KOMO chooses.
I wonder if there is any chance Mary Nam would be going to another local station? Q would be the most in need of a strong female anchor. KIRO’s future is too questionable, and KING would also be an unstable move at the moment with the Nexstar merger looming. They’ve already dropped positions, like Steve Soliz getting laid off and moving to KOMO to bring down their payroll. KOMO does have a huge bench of strong female anchors (Holly is very good, too), so I can see Q trying to bring one of them over. A lot is going on right now with Iran, local politics, and more, and Mary is well prepared to as lib breaking news on numerous topics if need be. 13 could really use someone of her pedigree.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take, but Hana Kim currently does a solid job on 13. The broader question is, will hiring someone from across the street make a significant ratings difference even with her experience? She has a great shift right now, so where is her upside at Fox? I don't think 13 could match her money after 23 years, unless she has endured. significant cuts at KOMO. That said there could be something afoot because the big rating book looms in May and her move could make a splash of some sort elsewhere. On the other hand, one would have thought KOMO would have wanted her to stay thru May. That's curious..
DeleteI worked alongside Mary when I interned at KOMO-TV during my senior year in college. Not that I am dating myself saying that, but Mary's biggest challenge was to step into a position once occupied by a legend (Kathi Goertzen). Growing up in Seattle during the mid-90s, the two biggest names in Seattle TV news were Jean Enersen of KING5 and Kathi Goertzen of KOMO. They were simply untouchable. When I got there, Mary was just as kind to her colleagues and that includes those of us who were production assistants. She never once raised her voice over a story nor let ego get the better of her as her succession came at a saddening time. Mary made the position her own and was a great complimented to fellow anchors Dan Lewis, Eric Johnson and Steve Pool. I am sure Kathi would have approved of this appointment. When I was organizing the (paper) scripts for her, Dan, Eric or whomever and carrying them up the stairs to the main set 10-15 minutes to air, I made it a habit to say the scripts were a different pizza order or the pink slip to their dream car or an ice cream flavor. Even during breaking news, Mary was just a pro and certainly had grown from that one-time and fresh-faced GA. Congrats to Mary on her 20+ years at KOMO and success on her next chapter.
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