KOMO's Mary Nam anchors her last newscast on March 31. Then she's off with her family to South Korea for a visit. You can find more in this profile at the Times:
"I am no longer at Komo 4." Thanks. Longtime Weather Anchor Rebecca Stevenson confirms that she left the station just before Christmas. Her last Facebook posts are 12/17. She has the Seattle station Quintafecta, having worked at the old NWCN, KING, KIRO, KCPQ and KOMO. Looks like her decision. Wants a new chapter. She was doing mainly weekend evenings for KOMO. Perhaps Stella Sun will move there. She has been sharing weekend mornings with Theron Zahn.
Thank you for sharing this story. Its great to see that Nam's career and accomplishments are being recognized as her final day at KOMO draws closer.
ReplyDeleteA well-deserved write up for Mary. But too bad the Times doesn't seem to cover the impact of cost cuts, mergers and all the rest in TV news with the vigor and space it devotes to the print industry's woes. In the end, a healthy news ecosystem benefits all - print, digital, radio and television. When one struggles, they all struggle eventually -- and so does our society and democracy. The lack of faith in the media and the theft of content by big tech matter regardless of the distribution model.
ReplyDeleteI tried to pitch a TV news story to Eric Lacitis at the Times and it was rejected because I was told no one there thought covering TV worthwhile. Except when someone well-known leaves. The reporter here didn't ask here about working for Sinclair, either. A valid point considering the departures I have listed on other posts here. Must have been a small.factor at least.
DeleteBack in the 90s, the Times had a reporter who covered local TV news quite often. Its sad, but not surprising, to hear that the Times no longer believes the local TV news beat is worthwhile. It has been many years since they covered local TV news on a regular basis. I hope they will reconsider their stance. There is still value in covering this beat, as this wonderful blog proves each and every day!
DeleteIf you're talking about Victor Stredicke, he is a legend around when it comes to covering Seattle-area media for the Times. Way back in the pre-Internet and social media days, his articles always had the pulse about comings and goings in local TV and radio and highlight some of the rumblings and grumblings in the industry as whole. One former ND that I had coffee with when I was still a green reporter told me that it was one of Victor's articles that actually made them reconsider a candidate they wanted to hire. Nowadays, any coverage about local media is if a big name is departing, retiring or sadly deceased. Like so many papers online, most of their material is now hidden behind a paywall. There will never be another local media reporter like Victor Stredicke, but you can still view and read some of his pieces on QZVX.com. Cheers!
DeleteSometimes I think the Times doesn't cover the decline of TV because it mirrors their own decline and it's too close to home. They would have to ask TV execs the same 'what happened' questions they should have asked themselves back into he day.
DeleteMark,
DeleteI was referring to Chuck Taylor, who wrote many articles for the Times about local TV in the mid 1990s. I'm unfortunately not familiar with Victor's work, but it sounds like he must have been good if he was trusted enough by the very industry he covered to the point where his reporting could influence hiring decisions. I will have to check out his work. Thank you for telling me about him!
IDC9
So "what happened" with your email to FOX13 News Director Jake Wiederrich regarding Acone's use of studio space on her socials? I don't think any action was taken.
DeleteThanks for asking, but no response, sorry to say. Maybe my email went to spam. However, I did see the same type of post from Abby on IGram today (same limp wrist gesture, comment w/caption) and it was NOT done from the studio, so maybe something was said. Keeping an eye out. One insider told me that Abby is so popular and sweet that her colleagues don't want to confront her about it even though they may think privately different.
DeletePer IDC9, I have read some of Taylor's work when he covered the TV-Radio beat for the Times. Taylor covered other beats while he was at the Times (such as Boeing and aerospace) and his media coverage appeared on a weekly basis whereas Stredicke covered TV daily. Marty Loken also covered radio for the Times, but his focus leaned more on classical and non-rock formats, whereas Stredicke covered it all from Top 40, country, etc. Over at the P-I, they had Bill Virign who covered the local media. Either way, I don't think there is one person these days who covers this beat anymore and if they did, it would mainly be expanded to include the local arts such as theater, opera, ballet, etc. Thanks for the update on the Acone situation, Wayne.
DeleteMark,
DeleteI remember Virgin writing business columns for the Tacoma News Tribune after the PI closed down. I didn't know local media was one of his coverage areas at the PI. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge about local media reporters. You've given me a lot to look up, and I look forward to doing so!
IDC9
Wayne,
DeleteThank you for updating the Acone situation. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get a formal response to your inquiry, but perhaps her video today is a sign that it didn't go unnoticed.
IDC9
I'm still waiting for Wayne to bring this Felt person from out of the parking garage shadows and in for an interview.
ReplyDeleteI second that, Anonymous. I have been impressed with Felt's remarks, analysis and observations. It surprises me they are not on the air anywhere.
DeleteFelt will have to handle his own ID plans. Protecting my readers!
DeleteLooks like Preston Phillips gets the promotion to 5pm anchor with Molly Shen. I’m surprised they went with him over Steve Soliz
ReplyDeleteSoliz is damaged goods coming from KINGand SInclair won't give him the lead crown. Instead he will likely the 330 and 4 and the wasteland known at ARC Seattle. Police scanner does better.
ReplyDelete