MediaMaven

Just a random thought about how fast time passes - July 20, 2015 "To all of my FB friends.....I announced my retirement from NWCN and TV news today (all MY idea, no one pushing me out). WHY? Because 'it is time.' 44 years in the business, 24 in regional cable news, a variety of different jobs -- on-air and management, and the opportunity to retire here in beautiful Seattle (love the place) make it all possible. My last day is Sept. 4, so still time to do damage...LOL. I will be doing a great deal of adjunct teaching at the university level over the 2015-16 school year and will commit even more hours to my passion of creating heightened media and workplace awareness of mental health issues, particularly related to suicide. In the meantime, have a great rest of the summer....I will still be on FB, so feel free to chime in anytime." As it turned out, UW stopped hiring adjuncts in 2020 after my four happy years there, COVID obviously intervened big time, affetin...

Fox13 Seattle, a veritable employee sieve, loses producer Austin Lane, who like his wife, a former Fox13 producer, left a few months ago for a job in a nearby school district.  "Today is my last day at FOX 13 Seattle! I’ve worn many hats over the last 3.5 years here, producing newscasts, sportscasts, podcasts, live streams, and much more. Excited for the next step as part of the communications team at Lake Stevens School District!"  The station has multiple jobs posted, so add another. But, hey, Erin and Brian and Abby, keep smiling and laughing every day to fool the folks about your station. 

Bucky Jacobson, who has been missing recently from KJR-FM's airwaves, offered an update to his listeners and fans on social media.  "My time away for medical reasons gave me an opportunity to reflect on my priorities and how I want to spend this next chapter of my life. After a great deal of consideration, I've decided not to return to the daily commitment of the morning show. This wasn't an easy decision because I care deeply about KJR, the morning show, and the listeners who've been part of this journey. I'm grateful to the station for their support and willingness to work through this process with me. We're continuing to explore ways I can remain involved with KJR in a capacity that better fits my life and priorities today, and I'm looking forward to seeing where those conversations lead."

You know, it never ceases to amaze me what TV folk will do to get clicks on a third -party platform.    We had some random T-Storms today  nd KING 5 morning anchor Jake W. posts this gem!  "Thunder and lightning in Seattle! Anyone hearing this?" DUH!

Looks like former KCPQ reporter James Lynch (no relation) is showcasing a new video franchise on KIRO Radio called 'Cold Cases with James Lynch.'  Madison Wade, recently departed from KING, just had her own 'Unsolved' feature segment.  It's not a new idea but it keeps re-circulating, not exactly sure why except that crime always sells on TV news.  There are far too many other immediate critical issues in this city for reporters to spend time on that have real audience/ community impact, like downtown office vacancies, home prices, consumer fraud, et al.  It's mostly easy repeating of what it already known, and police can hook reporters up with pics, family interviews and known details.  I understand the fascination, the desire for family closure and the process.  But it's been going around anew like a 'flavor of the month.'    Just my opinion.   'You took my sister away': Family pleads for answers in 1999 Holly Park homicide as investiga...

I thought KOMO morning anchors badly needed their height better equalized on camera. But Fox 13's team of David Rose and Hana Kim is even worse with another poorly composed two-shot.  Is anybody in the control room?  Guess not.   Hana made to look small and subordinate.  It's called "Go tighter.  Get the irrelevant wings out."  Here's KOMO's shot previously posted here, a similarly poor set up, for comparison.   Small individual risers are available.  Operators are standing by. 

Nice reader tip, even belatedly, that former KING weekend anchor/reporter Vanessa Misciagna joined Boeing as a media specialist about a year ago... Sorry for the delay.    She was another victim of the Scripps News effort, along with Tatevik Aprikan, who left Fox 13 for Scripps, later marrying K5 anchor Greg Copeland. She joins a long list of ex-KING5-ers who have gone to the aviation giant in PR roles.    Reporters Elisa Hahn, Bernard Choi, Shaniqua Manning, Michael King, Kierra Elfalan, Ted Land...photogs and producers as well.  A lucrative landing spot, indeed, for so many.   Can't even name them all.

KUOW-FM still wins the month, but the number fell sharply from a 10.1 share in May to 7.4 in June, with KIRO-AM jumping .5 share points to 7.3.  Gotta assume it's World Cup/Seattle games fever!.  In other news, KNKX topped KNWN by a .1 for the second straight month.   KEXP has dropped from a 6.3 in March to a 2.6 in June.   The full chart is here: https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb039 Totals are Persons 6+, Mon-Sun, 6am-midnight This profile contains an quarter hour rating (AQH) share of persons, ages 6+, Monday through Sunday in the Metro Survey Area. A share is the percentage of those listening to radio in the MSA who are listening to a particular radio station.

Here's the post on social from David Kroman, who's making the jump from the Seattle Times to a public radio host! "Heads up on a personal update: The next two weeks will be my last at The Seattle Times. Next month, I'll join Libby Denkmann as co-host of KUOW's Soundside. It's a big change that I'm very excited to make, though of course I'm sad to leave the Times."  KUOW has dominated Seattle radio ratings for many, many months.  Kroman is well source-connected in the market.

Who says competitors shouldn't be cordial, even friendly at a charity event?  Niko and Arielle make it happen in Tacoma Sunday! 

With the new and harnful parasite circulating around the country, Liz Dueweke, formerly gf KOMO, Fox 13 and the Allen Brain Institute (I know, counter intuitive for her), posts this helpful information, something dietary from her new life in Chicago.  Huh? "You know what's never given me parasitic diarrhea?"  Then she proceeds showing her fave fun foods.  Like we care. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BYAF2oGRn/

  I decided to peek in at the 5pm newscasts after the Seahawks sale was announced Saturday around 4. KING was tops with Paul Silvi joining virtually from his home and discussing his belief about the ownership group leaving the team alone to defend their title and primarily working on the improvement of Lumen Field in hopes of a Super Bowl someday.  Good authoritative insights from the best vet in town, responding as the station should, getting the Sports Director immediately involved. On the other hand, there was no sports anchor for the entire show, with news anchor Madeline Carter doing all the stories.   That's with four people on the staff!! Dusty Baker, Maddie's significant other, still MIA on air. Oh well, it's summer. Maenwhile, Niko Tamurian was apparently off today at KOMO.  Michelle Esteban had to cover.  Niko was not on set at all and his sports segment was clearly pre-taped with no mention of the sale. What surprised me is that KOMO did not at l...

Hearing that KONG's 'The Ultimate Sports Show' with Paul Silvi and Chris Egan is doing so well, it's being moved to KING at 10.  Heard it here first!!   Keep an eye out! 

Mariners lead announcer, Aaron Goldsmith, says he's starting his All-Star Break early as of now, with Rich Waltz taking his chair until the Friday after the mid-summer hiatus.    Goldy wins by a 'hair!'

55 years in the books today for my wife and I.  Met at the college radio station at Kent State.   Spun the platters for her midday FM show.    That's our personal long-playing record!    At least I did one thing right!! 

Madeline Carter gets the weekend evening gig at KING, replacing  Madison Wade.   She announced it on social media.  It's a mad, mad world.  "✨ BIG NEWS ✨ I’m so excited to share that I’m the new Weekend Evening Anchor at KING 5! 🥹💗 I’m incredibly grateful for the trust, encouragement, and opportunities that have brought me to this moment. I can’t wait to continue telling stories that matter and spend my weekends with you! Seattle, I’ll see you on the anchor desk." 

Last time we caught up with Liz Dueweke, former anchor for KOMO and Fox 13, she had taken a job in Sept 2024 as a senior communication specialist at the Allen Brain Institute in Seattle's South Lake Union, working for ex-KING reporter Rob Piercy.   Well, the neurons apparently didn't fire too well and Liz has now taken her brain to an anchor slot at WFLD, the Fox station in Chicago, per her posts on Instagram.  Her accompanying quote on the post was "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," recalling the Pacino line from Godfather 3, which has become a cliche.   Anyway, WGN owns mornings in Chi-town so good luck at what has been an also-ran much of the time there.    She was once married to Adam Mertz, who worked for a time at KING.  And before joining Allen, she worked for Sinclair out in the 'West Texas town of El Paso'.  Wow, she sure can pick her TV companies, can't she?  I never got her act, sorry.   

Hearing that The Ultimate Sports Show on KONG was the top streaming program on Monday in Seattle before the big World Cup match with USA-Belgium.  My sources are not 'waffling,' BTW.   But not sure of full accuracy.   But fun to at least throw it out there. The show will be halfway thru its 6 month trial on July 20. Now Seahawks Training Camp soon to open so both this show and Fox 13's Washington Sports Wrap will be goini's at it, while poor Niko at KOMO must fly solo and nobody at KIRO apparently will care.

KOMO World Cup mish-mash of pics and texts. Even speed readers and multitaskers are bewildered.  These boxes kept repeatedly changing for 18 seconds. I then had to watch the movie Vertigo.  From Tuesday 6 a.m.  Not awake yet.  After the World Cup, no less? KOMO overkill with this technology on linear. Bad television, folks.  But then it's KOMO trying too hard to be high end.  At least do a video pull out for a couple of the pics and read some tweets that are highlighted. 

Hey Seattle media talent groupies, KING Sports anchor/reporter Arielle Orsuto, KOMO's Sports Director Niko Tamurian, KIRO's newest reporter, Tyrah Majors, and Kraken radio man Everett Fitzhugh will step up to the plate July 11 at Tacoma's Cheyney Stadium for a Celebrity Softball and HR Derby Event.  Some Seahawks there, too.  King is the media sponsor.  I know its not the World Cup but it could be a real kick!   And helps non profits, too. Photo courtesy "Jay Create" 

Props to weekend Met Robert Van Winkle for coming here from a Florida TV and getting into Seattle World Cup coverage on KIRO.   Impressed!! He's a pro!   Here's a link to a KIRO doc he did about his time on the aircraft carrier Nimitz back in the day. https://youtu.be/umjqGx5dXOo?is=GfzHZ-bqKXRcKmb6

Well, the very first face we saw on KIRO morning news at 6 was ex-KOMO Tyrah Majors working the aftermath of three overnight shootings in Seattle with her live on scene.    She broke the first rule of doing live shots, with these two lines off the top: "As you can see behind me" and "You can see a Metro Bus there." Yes, we can see!   Overall, though, she did a capable, pretty poised job on her first day in a much different role. Multiple live shots is an early test, a tough assignment for someone who was mostly studio bound for a couple of years.  Interesting that maybe she took the job partly to prove she can mix it up street-wise going forward.    She also posted on X her 5 a.m. live shot to spread the word. On the big world cup day here, I was surprised they didn't give that live assignment to her instead of Brooke Griffin.  Maybe they wanted to put her with hard news.  And they put that story first, ahead of the big game.  It's a KIR...

July 5th, 2016 333 Dexter felt the wrath of the demolition crews on that day 10 years ago.   Massive buyouts had taken place just months earlier when broadcast giants like Dennis Bounds, Jeff Renner and Linda Byron, among others, chose to leave rather than stay with troubled Tegna, eventually replaced by a gaggle of short timers and a parade of news bosses  Now, KING rents space across the street from TMobile in SODO. Legacy lost.   Apple has built in that space    I happily worked in the building for 11 years at NWCN and, in my opinion, without rancor, KING has never been the same since the former GM engineered the move.   Ratings, credibility, sources, skills and institutional memory have been lost to some degree along the way.   

News anchors David Rose and Sabirah Radford hosted the Fox 13 Seafair Fireworks show after stealing the coverage from KIRO in a new three-year deal.   I think they are anchoring from the roof of 13 on Westlake instead of at Gas Works.  Bland background.  No energy.   Over graphiced.   #4 weather person in the field.  I would have used Garcia and Erin on the desk....more personality.   Abby in the crowd.     David was miscast. He's a serious anchor, not a fanboy hoop-dee-doo type.     Music and fireworks were old hat for a 250th.  Nothing meaningful.  It was supposed to be special this year...new station, new excitement.  Nope.  I found it all weak overall compared to KING and KIRO shows in the past.   Better luck next time with stronger show planning. 

KUNS was planning a Seattle Storm pre-game show with Sports Director Niko Tamurian and, I believe, Michelle Esteban, but a rain delay at a CW nationally televised NASCAR event bumped it on the holiday. Race resumed at 530 pm when the pregame was to start.  Surprised they didn't move it to the second half hour of KOMO news at 5.    PS...they moved the game to KOMO after the race ended from what I saw. 

Reporter Jeremy Harris gets a shot at the anchor slot on the Fourth of July.   Talked a bit too fast, which is his street reporting style, but nice to see him get an opportunity on the evening news. 

KOMO Senior News Reporter Chris Daniels has been elected to the Natas NW Board of Governors.  Nice honor, Chris, now work on helping the Emmys to be more meaningful, not over nominated, over categoried and over priced. 

Looks like Fox 13 is looking for a new newscast director on night side, possibly leaving for family reasons.  Also, hearing the new Digital EP has been hired, but waiting on a name.  Still looking for a morning exec producer there.  

KJR-FM's Chris Kidd, producer, sometime contributor and board operator for Gregg Bell's show has apparently been laid off in the latest iHeart media purge.    According to a Substack post by former KJR host Jim Moore, Jessamyn McIntyre has also been moved from the Ian Furness show to help Bell.  The station ranked 22nd in the latest PPM ratings with a 1.2, down .3 in a month and five full share points behind KIRO Sports Radio.    

Just think, you could supervise and take news copy and twist it to fit Sinclair's agenda at KOMO.   And you could work with an anchor who used to speak at CPAC and work for One America Network.   I know, dream job.   But, good luck.    Here's the application link: 🔗  https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnkd%2Ein%2FghuEy4d6&urlhash=Q5Ms&mt=76KpwCkzbUI044PCajFbaNjucV4L56nSN8x4W2d3s3ZlGNjC4zpr_qyOF6jjfWk60J62-9l4-Gfu0MwEoCXBijOVyVJz6S7hwfPHg6C3kAcrCq_7L-_Fd3SPWfQ&isSdui=true

  Ok, I put a few, sometimes sarcastic, words to the main verse of Yankee Doodle Dandy, plus its final chorus.  If you don't know the song, oh well. You could look it up somewhere or watch the movie of the same name.  And maybe just hum along?   Or read it like a regular poem.  Anyway, enjoy the 250th birthday!!  Celebrate our freedom.  Have fun!  🇺🇸 "I'm Seattle's TV Blogger..  TV Blogger, do or die... Watch the business fading every day... Worried this Fourth of July. "Keeps on looking for more readers... Lots more words are yet to ply... Free speech means so very much to all... Savor the Fourth of July. "13 made a deal with Seafair... Punching 7 in the eye... Fireworks air this coming Saturday... Parade, 25th of July. 'Tyrah Majors split from KOMO... On to KIRO now, she'll fly... What her role will be we don't know yet... Starts after Fourth of July. "KING began a morning sports show... Scratched our heads and wondered why... But we...