MediaMaven

Ron Francis is stepping down as Kraken President with the team well out of the playoffs again, and simply not moving the needle for anyone but hardcore fans, IMO.  KHN hasn't exactly lit up the meters with its tepid, team-controlled coverage. The Kraken remain a minimally successful expansion team.  It is not working, and it's a coaching carousel already. So what will happen when and if the Sonics come back with a collection of castoffs, finish with the likes of the Wizards, Jazz and Nets, the needle doesn't move and the ticket prices skyrocket.   Look at the tanking already going on in the NBA.  Seattle now has a plethora of marginal teams in various leagues and the money pie is getting sliced ever thinner.    I know the return of the team will bring civic pride and fan mayhem.  But when they are 12 and 70?    Is the Kraken experience teaching us that mediocrity in our new sports teams is a warning sign after the next money grab, merch ...

KREM's chief weather man Jeremy Lagoo says his time is over at the rapidly disintegrating KREM in Spokane. Met Thomas Patrick just bailed as well. "Never stop fighting for what is right. I loved my job. My career was a dream.  I am heartbroken. If you watched it live, the tears were real. The pain is real.  For a long time, I was a vagabond. I didn’t belong. Somewhere along the way, sharing my love of weather not only got me paid, but gave me purpose. I cannot express my gratitude for you accepting me and trusting me. It means the world to me. Thank you. I will be staying in Spokane. The Inland Northwest is my home. The outdoors drew me in, the people kept me.  My love for weather will never fade. I will always love talking the forecast or even some weird clouds you saw last week. Nicole and I will be getting married at the end of May. I feel blessed to have found my soulmate. I promise to never take that for granted and to cherish every moment together. I will always car...

  After Elise Woodward jumped from doing Seattle Storm TV game analysis to become the play-by-play voice of the new Portland Fire of the WNBA today, we now know her replacement here: Alyssa Charlston-Smith of Fox 13. She will work with KJR-FM's Dick Fain as lead analyst. 

Bucky Jacobson is taking a break from KJR's 'Chuck and Buck' show for some health issues. Stay tuned

Seattle Storm TV broadcaster Elise Woodward is joining the expansion WNBA Portland Fire's broadcast team as its lead play-by-play announcer  After working as an analyst with partner Dick Fain here, her new partner will be Aja Ellison. Ellison has worked WNBA games for several outlets.  Geat move for Elise.

Strong source tells me that these changes are ahead but it may be a distance off, so stay tuned: GOOD DAY LIVE (new) will eventually stream 1130-1 weekdays. SEATTLE NEWS TODAY (new) eventually streaming 1-4  Matt Smith would stay as host weekdays Live Desk, while new host will apparently do weekends (that job advertised in a previous post here). Looks like Bill WIxey and Erin Mayovsky may be involved in the 1130-1 gig and Rose and Hana 1-4, so Matt Smith can catch a breath. Meanwhile, csn confirm that Tyler Slauson has reportedly taken the streaming EP job that was posted.  

KIRO7 News Director Laura Evans is out, reportedly escorted from the building Monday after a three year run.  Staff was told the department is 'going in a different direction.'  Came here from the Cox station in Dayton and previously ran the KING newsroom as an interim ND for a time   One insider put it this way,  "She burned the place down."  If memory serves, she left KING when Pete Saires got the vacant ND job, moved to Dayton in  late '21 and then came to KIRO in spring '23.  KIRO just moved its long-running noon news to 11 a.m and just a week later she is gone.    I wonder if she lost a battle between her and the GM over switching time slots with a soap opera.  Hmmmm.    Final straw? As I reported in a previous post, Fox 13 has two positions open, morning EP and Digital Editor Lead, so maybe she could immediately l and on her feet, complete the Seattle TV superfecta (she worked at KOMO according to a Cox bio) and give...

Here's a story about a consignment store that has been open on the troubled Aurora Ave corridor.  The IG video has reportedly gotten 2 million Instagram views, but the story is hopelessly weak, talks with no customers, no neighboring business owners, no neighborhood council oversight types and no word if it is at all profitable.   Though not mentioned, the store is in the 10001 block of Aurora, three blocks from a dilaptatated seedy strip joint and five from a troubled Arco gas station that has seen violence, a few doors down from a massage parlor on Northgate Way.     I find it journalistically insipid and worse, it was repeated on Sunday news with the contextual reporter open and close removed with a fake sig out.  In other words gutted.  2:20 originally, 1:28 edited down.  Not to mention it used IG video provided by the store.   Owner should have bought an ad, but didn't have to with this PR puffery.    I applaud the ef...

Chris Swanson, who was sports producer at Seattle's KIRO 7 until the sports department was axed, is now an associate news producer at Fox 13, I am told.   He did on-air freelance work during the Mariners playoff run last season for the station and was a sports host on the old NWCN.  So his presence offers versatility as World Cup approaches.  On a another late note, hearing that reporter/weather lady Nikki Torres is no longer at the station.

Fox 13 Seattle lost its morning news excutive producer back on March 20. and there is no replaement yet.  Another posted job is streaming host and producer, perhaps related to additions to the live desk team, which is characterized as 'a growing stream team' in the posting.   Digital Editorial Lead is also open.  Will keep and eye out for new folks.

Despite my disdain for the NW Emmys (and Emmy, in general), I wanted to post an excerpt from one of my readers here.  It think it speaks dimunition of quality to the acquisition of more gold just because of the glut of categories and nominations.  In other words 'Just win, baby.'  The comment is available in full in the comments section for this post.   But I think it is well worth additionally posting here.   I don't know the identity of the poster, so it could be a competitor, but here goes:    "The Northwest chapter of NATAS is edging into borderline corruption territory. By my count, there are 86 categories—an already bloated number—but what’s worse is how many of those categories are overloaded with nominees. Nineteen of the 86 categories have six or more nominees, and one category—Branded Content, Short Form—has a staggering ten. Then there’s the dominance of certain stations, which raises even more questions. KING is running rampant, w...

  Chris Egan leaves home in Puyallup to tell us how long it takes to get to a solo In-N-Out burger location in Ridgefield, WA.   Another public service from the Media Maven. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EACddzS7R/

  Interestingly, married competitors Niko Tamurian of KOMO and his wife Farah Jadran of KING were both nominated.    No KING lead news anchors got a nod FWIW.   KIRO had 2, KOMO 1.    Somewhat surprised that KOMO's major franchise 'Crime and Justice,' was not nominated in that category given the push it gets.    Maybe not entered?    No word about who will emcee the awards show, but Chris Cashman, who annually hosts, works for KING now rather than freelance, so not sure that will work.    Also not sure who is replacing Jesse Jones as emcee for the Gold/Silver Circle event.   Full list here, let the ticket selling begin for the dinners in late May..   Oh, the money spent.      https://natasnw.org/emmy-awards/nominees/

So, Sinclair has decimated its station in Yakima.  And Tulsa, too. The Seattle News Director writes me and wonders why I am angry at him intruding on Mary Nam's goodbye reel, when he has known her for all of 15 months.   I am not angry, I am dumbfounded and sad that anyone would want to be a manager for Sinclair.  Sure, you need a job.   I get that, but to pretend KOMO is doing well is wishful thinking, IMHO.  I have seen some ratings shared by an insider, but it only signifies a lead in a dying race, so knock yourselves out, while the mass exodus continues.   I wonder who's next?    I am told that inside KOMO is a family.  Really?  It's pollyanna denial.   I watch as one of their reporters makes crime the lead single day, homeless crime stories to boot.  So much for holding the powerful accountable.   Just a comedy.   Keep mailing it in, guys.    And now, Yakima.  Another ...

Jade Elliott, who left Fox 13 Seattle weekends after a small cup a' coffee, has now resigned from her Apple Valley News gig.   Frankly, she has been a shortimer and common denominator in these job departures.  Talks a good game then vamooses.   Seems disgruntled.   More excapes than Houdini. Plus the markets in Central WA are total mess after Sinclair shutters KIMA in Yakima. More here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HDCfNy4xd

Kim Holcomb and Jim Dever, who teamed for years on KING's Evening lifestyle show and who now partner on a social media show, do some radio host subbing. "We Upper Lefters filled in on KIRO Newsradio and it was mildly unhinged and a whole lot of fun! 🎙️ If you’d like, you can watch here": https://www.youtube.com/live/MSRxCWTXrmg?si=Iqf1G1IMHayhPjW4

Word that the evil empire Sinclair has shut down KIMA with news to be provided in the future by its owned station in Pasco, KEPR.  KIMA has a 70-year legacy, I'm told.   This is a developing story, per FTVLIVE behind a paywall, so stay tuned.  This has happened in Tulsa as well and it all started there with the news director predecessor at KOMO who perhaps set the stage for the eventual demise of KTUL there and was maybe rewarded with the job at KOMO. This stuff creeps slowly toward Channel 4 here. Tick, tick, tick.

Here we go with the new anchor sked at KOMO at the end of  April. 330 Soliz and Koopmans (Kelly leaving mornings) 4 pm (Koopmans and Shen) 5 and 6  (Shen and Preston)  WNT with Muir at 530 gives Molly & Pres a chance to read into the 6. 10 pm or Arc (Soliz) 11 pm (Phillips) So, an opening on the morning show and Soliz assinged to early afternoon and the ARC.  As I said, he is not getting the Sinclair crown coming from KING.  

Mary Nam signed off for the final time on KOMO on the 31st, bringing her 23-year career to an end.  She's been honored here with several posts. It was a very nice video tribute, marred, in my opinion, by two appearances by News Director Mark Neerman, who joined KOMO 15 months ago and praises Mary like he's known her forever.  https://komonews.com/news/local/komo-news-anchor-mary-nam-last-day-final-broadcast-seattle-television-reporter-western-washington-23-year-tv-career-newscast-march-31-2026 Disingenuous  Now why would he do that?  Ego?  Covering for not wanting to renew her or offering a pay cut?   I don't know, but the cynic in me says, leave the good byes to the people who've known her over the decades, not some interloper who wants to back in her glory.  I have bid farewell to many anchors in my time as News Director, but I didn't need to be in the video goodbyes, or near the top and bottom of one.  IMHO.    I bet the troops d...

Well, we can hope it's not a kiss of death, but the Times reports that the Seahawks will be featured on HBO's 'Hard Knocks' this summer before the start of the season.    The team reportedly turned down the show in the early Pete Carroll era, but it's a new day out there.