MediaMaven

Spokane's KREM 2 has named STEPHANIE RUIZ GIBILISCO as the new news director.  Per rickgevers.com, she's been working out of TV for the last three years, but earlier had been both Assistant ND and EP there at KREM.   She's also worked in Omaha, Tucson and Lincoln, NE.  She  replaces Jessie Kane who has decided to step away from TV news after six-year run there.    Kane also worked for KING in Seattle and met her husband here, who was a producer for me at NWCN.

 

Looks like Madeline Carter may be the new weekend evening anchor at KING 5 after the departure of Madison Wade.  Anchored Saturday night, at least.   And this was awful camera composition.   Hello????  'Get Carter' was a 1971 gangster film starring Michael Caine.  So there!  Thanks, Boomer. 

KIRO 7 has flashy showcasing graphics as usual and naming its World Cup coverage, but on the eve of the Seattle's USA game, NO special coverage at all at 11. Just anchor Elle Thomas voicing a story about Pulisic and a freelance reporter on parking confusion.  Where's Eric Thomas?  Not doing special duty?  That was it?  Ceding it all to Fox 13? Well, no sports department, of course, so no nothing.   Embarrassing, even for KIRO. I tuned in specifically to see if there was any strong emphasis or commitment on the night before this huge event.  I left shaking my head.    Not much of a connection to the cup! New ND didn't rise to the occasion.    Or maybe she has started yet? Haven't watched much coverage but Fox has good live reporting inside the stadium with Levine and Mayofsky,  and Kong's The Ultimate Sports Show was stationed with a great vantage point outside.   Nice overhead crowd shots. 

Heather Bosch, who was let go by KIRO 97.3 and lost her work at CBS Radio when it folded, has caught on doing some freelance reporting for KIRO 7.   They could use the help for sure.  She's smart and knowledgeable. Thanks to a loyal reader for the tip and Heather confirmed.

  From our friends at FTVlive.  This is not good folks.  Can't be erased. https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2026/6/17/no-surprise-there And this from 2015 at CPAC: https://youtu.be/fDs3zR2SKtM?is=e-FlDZaBUUCCYZc4 I don't trust him already after watching these but it's Sinclair, by the book. 

 . ... Has entered the transfer portal in town. Betting someone moving on from KING.   Stay tuned. 

The great, indomitable, major and SENIOR meteorologist Rich Marriott of KING 5.  Wow 77 candles would be a PNW wildfire.   That's perfect! 

While KUOW continued its strong first place run despite a half share point drop (10.6-10.1), and KIRO Seattle Sports AM added a .4 to remain second (6.4-6.8), two FM music stations were red hot, KJEB classic hits to third place with a full point jump 5.3-6.3 and KZOK classic rock with a 1.3 share jump to fourth (4.3-5-6). KIRO 97.3 was flat, and KNWN was down a half share a point.   The numbers are here: https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb039

Doing a little background research on KOMO's new morning man, Patrick Hussion, and noticed he has twice worked for Herring Networks, AKA, One American Network, considered a conservative, even a far-right wing news organization supportive of President Trump.  He doesn't even list One America on his linkedin.com resume, instead using the Herring moniker only.  And KOMO's own web story about him joining the team neither mentions that experience or that he was coming from its Sinclair sister station, only that he covered the White House and national politics.    Hmmm.     And did his previous stints there make him attractive for also-conservative Sinclair to hire him first in Asheville and then transfer/promote him to replace Mary Nam at KOMO?    Just wondering, not judging him - yet. https://komonews.com/news/local/

Nia Wong, who had a cup a coffee stint as a weekend co-anchor reporter at Fox 13 in Seattle, has joined the KIRO 7 reporting staff with a Monday debut, hitting the Seattle TV Exacta.   She once worked at KXLY in Spokane, so a semi-trifecta in WA TV. BTW now Nia Bliss per on camera intro by anchor.

By rule, The KOMO School of TV News Production loves to keep its anchors on camera when video is rolling, even dramatic video of violent/rowdy fan behavior in NYC.  Plus, they add (every five seconds) area temps and forecasts screen right, a rolling headline ticker and a two-line lower third font.     Phew.  That rivals Fox13's Live Desk malaise.  I know, we must be multitaskers, but this seems excessive early in the morning!    

Will somebody get KOMO morning anchor something to sit on or a small riser or raise her chair up to match the height of new anchor Patrick Hussion from North Carolina? Totally distracting and bad first impression, which a good producer would have immediately noticed and fixed.   I mean didn't they rehearse together???    Bad mismatch standing at the wall as well.  Guarantee you viewers chuckled when they watched.  They didn't notice in this pre-taped interview, where he listed his resume, they played a stirring 8 questions game like 'coffee or tea?'  'sunset or sunrise?'  and interviewed his wife!   Wow.    Well, good luck, sir!

TEMP-PER-AH-TURES.   If you find one who doesn't say TEMP-A-CHERS, let me know.  Diction, folks, on your most important and most often used word.  Pet peeve.

KOMO Senior News Reporter posts this after the Stanley Cup Finals.  Clicks, click, clicks.  Good for you Chris. The Hartford Whaler logo from the great beyond.  Stonehenge.   Meaningless.   I don't get it at all.  Why?   Pick your poison.  Covering sports business or pushing old hockey logos?  No young folks care.   Cover City Hall more. 

Checked in with KING on Saturday evening where reporter Sebastian Robertson was filling in on the anchor desk.  Please, somebody at KING coach this guy. He is too soft spoken to anchor. No energy, volume, no urgency, tone, drive.   He led in to an exclusive Investigators piece like he was ready for a nap.   Sell the stories.   He has one job.  Don't mail it in.  Boring presentation at a time where he could shine.

KING Sports Director Paul Silvi has posted a social media pitch for his side hustle, Biff's Blue Ribbon BBQ Sauce, which he owns!   It must be "The Ultimate Side Hustle."  I think it been out there for about a year, but this seems new.  I should charge him for this ad.   https://www.facebook.com/share/1Fiec84AtW/

I often think long goodbyes from TV people are overdone.  Layers of pollyanna hyperbole.  They talk about the privilege and trust and gratitude of being welcomed into viewers' homes.  On weekend newscasts?   The right words?   Vague next career steps and new chapters??  After being in Seattle for a proverbial cup a coffee?   Unfortunately, social media makes these goodbyes possible.   They seemed linked to the generation, but the comments aimed at strangers have become far more than we need to know.    Is it done to get clicks present and future?  To maintain your friends and followers? How bout mentioning the crisis facing the business, the pressures of working under the dark cloud of a Nexstar takeover or being asked to do too much work for the money?    Her unsolved murder series dates back to the 70s in TV when I did the same stuff in Baltimore.  They've  once again become the flavor of th...

Sources say Studio 13 Live on Fox 13 will end its run in early fall.    It was a year ago this month that co-host Carly Henderson was laid off.   No word on how this might affect remaining host Mireya Garcia, but  she's very versatile on-air.   The program debuted in Jan. 2023 as an hour at 10 a.m., but now is just 30 minutes at 11.   Meanwhile, the Studio 13 time slot will be taken over as of Thursday for a FIFA World Cup Live Preview Show from the network, putting the lifestyle show on hiatus.  It will also replace some hours of Good Day Seattle, according to the station program grid. 

Fox 13 Seattle has numerous June changes underway, especially in the sports department.   They've promoted sports freelancer Lauren Helmbrecht to fulltime anchor/reporter and she'll be part of the host rotation on the evening sports wrap show.    Ethan McReynolds moves to fulltime sports MMJ (multi-media journalist).  And for you Alyssa Charlston-Smith fans, she's transitioning from her former job as #2 sportscaster there to a freelance role while her new main gig continues as analyst on the Seattle Storm basketball broadcast team.   It's all just in time for a major sports summer and fall here and continues putting pressure on the KING bunch.   It's getting to be a real duel. In other news, Fox is adding a new member to its streaming roster, Felicia Michelle, who moves here from WISH-TV in Indy, where she was a lifestyle host and reporter..  She starts later this month. Good Day Seattle is getting a bump, too, in the person of Sadie Bug...

Apologize if I am late on this but here goes.  KOMO morning weather wizard George Waldenberger has a franchise explaining the WHY's of weather!  Promo graphic FYI. 

Former KCPQ weather wizard Walter Kelley recently announced he was moving to WPTV in West Palm Beach, FL for a morning weather gig. Our friends at ftvlive.com posted this pic of the station's introductory interview with the new kid in town.

Former KOMO News Anchor Mary Nam has been named to the Washington State University Board of Regents by Gov. Ferguson.    It's the governing body that oversees the WSU System.   Mary left the station just  three months ago after more than two decades.    She's a proud alum. 

Too many people on ESPN's NBA Tipoff Monday.  Large men on itty bitty ugly chairs. As ZZTop might sing 'They've got LEGS!    We don't want to see them." They all get 12 seconds to talk.   Lol.

T ery Garras has been named Vice President/General Manager of KXLY Brands, which include KXLY 4 News Now (ABC), KAYU Fox 28, as well as seven radio stations and digitial, consolidating the management structure. More from InsideR adio: Morgan Murphy Media is expanding the scope of its KXLY Brands operation, bringing Fox affiliate KAYU-TV into a unified structure that already includes ABC affiliate KXLY-TV, seven radio stations and digital marketing agency Phase 3 Digital. The company announced that Tery Garras has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of the consolidated operation, succeeding longtime KXLY Vice President and GM Teddie Gibbon, who is retiring after 44 years with the station. The restructuring creates a single management team overseeing television, radio and digital assets serving Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and the broader Inland Northwest. Company executives said the move will allow advertisers to execute integrated campaigns across multiple platforms through a...

KING5 Morning Traffic Anchor Shante Sumpter turned up Monday from home to let everyone know her new baby boy is doing well but said she has no firm timetable for returning to the newscast.    The station has been using several staffers to fill in during her maternity leave.  World Cup traffic will be a major challenge for one and all starting real soon!!   Fox 13's Adam Gehrke should have the experience edge in the market. https://x.com/i/status/2063982924295524714

Teased three old stories, one by Whitaker, one by Stahl, one by the departed Cooper.  The anchor intro included everyone: Pelley, Copper, Alfonsi, Vega.  All rights reserved.  Nothing to see here.  But I wonder what kind of lead-in it was for the Tony Award on CBS?  Curiosity tune-in?   I turned it off after peeking at the opening sequence. There's a long interview with Pelley at the NYTimes.  FYI

I want to salute the man in the tux from this celebratory photo taken in 2010, if memory serves. The industry lost Dick Splitstone nine years ago this month.   He was my talented, loyal executive producer and dear friend at NWCN, running the day-to-day and teaching our young staff professionalism.   He also had many work colleagues at KIRO and NATAS NW.  He is missed very much. Dick was kind enough to honor me in retirement, arranging some great farewell photos of the staff. (Below) Thank you, Richard Also, I want acknowledge that the lady in the first photo is Emily Cantrell, former NWCN and KOMO leader, now president of Seafair. 

I went looking on the cable program grid Saturday for evening network news, but none of the local stations elected to take earlier feeds of WNT, NNN or CBS EN.     There were network sports events at 7, 730 & 8 in the East, presumably with the usual network news in normal time slots.  Here, KOMO did Sinclair's 'Full Measure' at 330 and local news at 4. KIRO ran paid at 330 and local news at 4. KING ran paid at 330.   And after Golf, it ran five straight paid shows.  First local news aired at 10 on KONG, 11 on K5 after Dateline.   This happens a lot during college football Saturdays, but was surprised today that there were no opportunities.  

Rick Rizzs, longtime, popular and soon to be retiring voice of the Mariners has a new honor: "The voice of the Seattle Mariners, legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs, is officially your 2026 Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade Grand Marshal! For decades, Rick has brought unforgettable Seattle sports moments to life, and on Saturday, July 25, he'll lead one of the city's most beloved summer traditions down the Seattle waterfront. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade will Light Up the Night with dazzling floats, marching bands, cultural performances, dragon dancers, precision drill teams, prancing horses, and more. The parade is free and open to the public, but if you want the best views without the hassle, secure your reserved seating now. Skip the wait, save your spot, and enjoy the parade from premium viewing areas. Reserve your seats today and join us on July 25 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. as we celebrate Seattle with Rick Rizzs leading the wa...

Elise Jawed, an Emmy-winning producer for KOMO/ARC Seattle, is leaving for 'new adventures,' but no word yet on a specific destination or job.    Good luck!!

KOMO Sports Director Niko Tamurian and former FOX 13 #2 Sports anchor/reporter Alyssa Charlston-Smith are on the same team, at least via the Seattle Storm.  Alyssa is the new game TV analyst and Niko co-hosts the pre-game show (Kelly Koopmans in the background).  Games are seen on both KOMO and KUNS.   Two talented folks for sure. 

Former KING GM Jim Rose, who left KRON in San Fran in Nexstar shambles, has a new job as President of the Washington Association of Broadcasters.  Enjoy spending a lot of time lobbying in Olympia, Jim and dealing with radio.

Jennifer Dahl gets the nod after some years as an agent and consultant.  Good luck.    This from rickgevers.com. JENNIFER DAHL will start June 15th as the next ND for Cox Media's KIRO-TV (CBS) in Seattle. GM PAT NEVIN sent this note to the staff. Jen is a former ND in Phoenix ( KTVK-TV) and Salt Lake City ( KSL-TV) , and held corporate jobs with Tribune, Local TV, and Sinclair. For the last few years, she's been working as an agent and consultant. Her Linkedin page has more . Jen replaces LAURA EVANS who left in April after almost three years as ND. Late Breaking: Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes fired for cause.

How about correct subject/verb agreement in active voice: US Marshals Catch a suspect accused of stealing.... instead of what KING reporter Natalie Swaby teased on camera. "A suspect accused of stealing millions from a dead man's Issaquah estate IS caught.   Coming up, I'll tell you where US Marshals found him."   Awful writing. Put the doer of the action first, the US Marshals. Fundamental in broadcast writing.  Active voice.   Active voice occurs when the subject of a sentence directly performs the action expressed by the verb . It follows a clear, direct, and concise Subject/Verb/ Object structure, making  writing more dynamic and engaging.  Speaking of writing, here is a nice interview about my two books - decades apart, one non-fiction, one fiction. from allauthor.com. https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://allauthor.com/interview/waynel/__;!!JD2t4ugY8Q!kEsS0CnqDTzLYo6bBXQUTjtGapi9Kmk5GuVFwnOOWiOzDaZ9yfmUhWLx_VA7ue15M3IO6D4vubTnyYBbrPqGUOwH...

In her Fox 13 studio again.  I guess it's Pride Month bit how about not again...not again on Instagram in your studio with other staff recording you???    ND Jake remains unaware or doesn't care. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZD-4P8vrlt/?igsh=MWlmdTY1bDM4MnRyaA==

As I posted in my Emmy winners blog Saturday night, KING reporter Jim Nelson took shots at influencers who, in his award-winning statement, didn't measure up to telling the real stories like TV folk like him do.   I liked his take, but now, he is backpeddling.   Let me guess, too much bravado at the dinner after too much wine.    Our friends at ftvlive.com posted this.  Jim, at least get a suit and shirt that fit.    https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2026/6/1/seattle-reporter-rips-influencers

KOMO, It's called syntax, noun and verb agreement. English 101.   Show producer writing lower thirds, pick up the white courtesy phone.  This is TV.   Steve Soliz, did you notice this pre-reading scripts?  Guess not.  How bout the EP?  Sloppy.  Not a typo, grammar dumb. Ferries TURN. 

Everybody gets an Emmy at Saturday's PNW awards banquet.  One KING producer gets four.    Conspicuous consumption?  Embarrassment of riches?    Awards that have lost some of their meaning, even with the good work being done.   KING won in 25 categories with many nominees inside the station categories with including seven solo craft winners.  Plus 7 station Murrows this year.   For the record.