MediaMaven

April radio ratings are in for Seattle and KIRO 710 jumps almost two share points at 6.4 to stand second (had to be the Mariners and NFL draft), way behind the usual leader, KUOW-FM at 10.6, a jump of more  than two share points.  Music stations rounded out the top five.   The other sports talker, KJR-FM registered only a 1.5. 97.3 KIRO-FM slipped .3 to a 3.5 and drops a touch farther out of the top 10.   Main competitor KNWN 97.7 had a .2 boost to a 3.3, so its a tight race for the newsies. KVI and KTTH both dropped. https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb039

Noticed that the new Ultimate Sports Show on KONG at 10 am weekdays has The 700 Club as its lead in.  Good programming flow there, don't you think?   Yikes!    Well, it's essentially a religious infomercial so KING gets money for it.    It proves that USS is primarily a streaming product because no linear sports hour should ever follow religious programming in any time period.   Odd stuff from K5.   

One of my alert readers pointed out that Dusty Baker, KING's new sports guy who debuted Weds, posted on social about how he fell in love with the city when he was young: When I was in elementary school, my parents took me to a Mariners game in Seattle. I fell in love with Seattle for the passion the city has for its teams and the beauty of Safeco Field. I remember looking across from the ballpark, seeing the KING 5 logo, and thinking how incredible it would be to work at a place like that. Well, when he was a school boy, KING was not across from the ballpark.  333 Dexter until 2016.  Ten years ago.   Does not compute.   Exaggerate to ingratiate???     Looks like he's busted before his first at bat.    Stand for Truth, eh?    Screenshot:

We reported here in February that Louisville TV sportscaster Dusty Baker would be heading to Seattle to be with his bride-to-be, reporter/anchor Maddie Carter of KING 5.   We speculated he might help fill the void at sportsless KIRO7, but KING beat 'em to it.   It has come to pass, and Ms. Carter helped break the story on X: "So unbelievably proud of my best friend, future husband, and now co-worker! Welcome to the iconic @KING5SEATTLE, and the most exciting chapter in our lives and careers.  After almost a year of long distance and waiting for all the answers, God delivered." Not sure if he is fulltime or freelance, but the addition is much needed with so much sports ahead, plus the new morning show for the next several months, at least.    Lots of work-life balance in play at K5.  This couple supplants a married Seattle TV couple who just left for SFO (Maddie White and Drew Andre), Madison Wade and Leah Pezzetti are getting married soon and two ...

Bridget Chavez anchors KING news after a huge playoff game on NBC Monday night.   Good reporter, but not nearly ready for a newscast that would be sampled with that big sports lead-in.  Not going to comment on the outfit while anchoring sports, too.  Staffing is thin.   At least Greg Copeland was back at 10.    One other note:  The Ultimate Sports Show was now advertised at 8pm streaming on K5+.   Not timely at all for late Mariners.  It's all over the place. Wednesday promo-ed for 9 pm after NBC game.    K5 a little upside down right now.  

With vacations, maternity and staff departures galore, KING had weekend morning anchor Farah Jadran taking on the daunting assignment of traffic anchor Monday morning and weekday morning anchor Jake Whittenberg was in for vacationing Paul Silvi as the Ultimate Sports Substitute.  And the May sweeps dont  end until Wednesday.    

Chris Warren, ex of NWCN in Seattle and The Weather Channel, has a new gig with CNN after doing some fill-in on air work.  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chriswwarren_proud-to-be-part-of-the-launch-of-the-new-share-7460025738243604480-gtJE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2Euthttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/chriswwarren_proud-to-be-part-of-the-launch-of-the-new-share-7460025738243604480-gtJE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2Eutm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAFWTKaUBTwc4NGLVz4TARZHYT8qQaNhaM2E

Sources confirm KING5 weekend evening anchor Madison Wade is leaving after a four-yearr un.  She's getting married soon and relocating with the groom.   She joined the station in June 2022 and has specialized in a series a stories on unsolved crimes in the PNW.    This adds to the reporter shortage at K5 with Maddie White and hubby Drew Andre to SFO, as reported here previously.    Farah Jadran could move up from weekend mornings, but I also wonder if Christine Pae would give up KONG weekday mornings and KING noons on weekdays to get a solo weekend, higher viewed, evening newscast.  Another reporter, Savannah Welch, could also move to the desk, which would remove her from the field for two more days.  Getting tight over there!             World Cup coming, Seahawks training camp, too.  Silvi a nd Egan tied up in a new morning live/streaming experiment show, lots of big news stories looming in what has a...

With the NFL sked our, KING will have.pre-season telecasts on Aug. 15 vs Dallas at Lumen and 28th vs KC on the road.   We will see if the team and hawks bring back Kate Scott, Michael Robinson and Michael Bennett back to announce.

KOMO Sports Director Niko Tamurian threw out an idea today.  "Can I just put the petition out there now? PLEASE (to both the Seahawks and Patriots) Wear the throwbacks for the season opener!" Yesssssss. Maybe Chris Daniels could wear a throwback KING yellow jacket during coverage to get his nose in.  Lol

I posted the other day about a KOMO promo for a Storm Watch segment at 6pm Wednesday as if it were something special.  Well, It wasn't special, it was only a paltry 1:00 highlight segment??  What a joke. Embarrassing. I guess I fell for it, but I was expecting a long segment, something in-depth or even a full block  about the team based on the promo, but was fooled into waiting until the show was almost over at 55:00 after the hour for nothing.  Shameful bait and switch.  I won't be fooled again.  Tell me that promo slide is not misleading.  When a viewer sees a promo for the first time, there are expectations.  Not a throwaway.

I have had some comments about a beef I have with Brandi Kruse. Here's the truth. When she started The Divide on Fox 13 in 2019, I heavily criticized the first show about Fake News. Her guests were her compadre/buddy Jason Rantz (pictured), who spreads such news himself on the low rated KTTH, and two familiar Fox 13 colleagues who were also clueless. No expert, and there was one available had she asked, Kate Starbird of UW, who might have joined if invited. She railed strongly against my critique, which included a urge to smile on show promos, to welcome viewers, instead of being grim, which I advised male anchors to do for years, including Seattle talent.  She was able to, as usual, dish it out, but not take it, and I sarcastically called her 'Miss Fragile' to chide her, calling out her self-marketed 'iron' persona, which I did, BTW, on my personal email.  My opinion.  She proceeded to doxx me with an employer, which was totally ridiculous given the context, even ...

...Connected to TikTok.  Wonderful for one and all, right?  TikTok, that bastion of factual, clear, attributed information and, more often, news anchors dancing in their studios. Desperate station, trying to be what it's not. 

Former King 5 Evening co-host jim Dever gives us a FREE, yes FREE, parking nugget for downtown Seattle visitors.     It's a bit of an Amazon building secret unveiled for nights and weekends. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1G82tMqe8b/

Looks like the Seahawks and Patriots will meet in a Super Bowl rematch for opening Day in September.  It will draw media from everywhere, including TMZ, and the ratings will be huge because of the Vrabel-Russini affair story likely to bubble up yet again at that point.  NFL takes advantage of the hype if this happens.   Gonna be a wild Wednesday.   Full schedule out tomorrow.  

  Brandi Kruse, who left Fox 13 in a huff citing corporate media oversight despite her own failed news show 'Divided,' gets allegedly caught in a scheme to be a hidden political donor from her podcast site, 'Undivided.'   Not a fan.   From The Seattle Times "A campaign finance watchdog has filed a complaint against Let’s Go Washington, alleging the conservative political committee failed to properly disclose political advertising tied to two statewide initiative campaigns. The 24-page complaint, filed by Washingtonians for Ethical Government, alleges that Let’s Go Washington failed to report the financial value of more than 150 individual instances of promotional political advertising that the group identified by conservative podcaster and former TV journalist Brandi Kruse, as well as other in-kind, noncash contributions the organization allegedly received. Failing to disclose advertising and contributions breaks state law on reporting campaign expenditures, sai...

  Price to watch stream the Mariners drops to 90 bucks.  Wasn't it $120 a while back?  Hmm.  Sub numbers not good?  Here's the ad: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DPEzQhdPb/

***Recorded the 6pm KOMO Wed.  NO No Storm Watch.  Not sure if this is a new show or a partial reprise from last season, but it's on 6pm Wednesday on KOMO with Niko Tamurian hosting as the Seattle Storm season takes hold.  It has a sponsor, too.  And there's this, too.  Pretty cool.  https://x.com/i/status/2054351527322788084 🌩️Storm pride is going up at KOMO Plaza. 🌩️ The @seattlestorm logo is being installed on the Space Needle side, and we’re proud to be the team’s broadcast partner. Catch "Before the Storm" Sunday at 2:30 p.m., then watch the Storm take on the Indiana Fever right here on KOMO.

Noticed a social media post Monday that said KING's The Ultimate Sports Show will specifically stream on KING5+ at 630, the same time as Fox 13's Washington Sports Wrap.  Stoking some competition?   The KING show airs on KONG at 10 am and streams on KING5+, but this is a counter move pushing a specific evening time slot to attract streamers.   It might have been happening since the April debut, but my first time noticing any pre-emptive strike.  UPDATE  this move was because KING had an NBA on NBC game and no early news Monday.  So, likely  sampling opportunity but a smart idea to push it against Fox13's show for sports streamers. 

Despite the powerhouse station in Washington DC (WTOP) switching to ABC Radio News from the imminent CBS network closure, no decision yet that I have seen from 97.3 KIRO on hooking up with a new national/world news provider.  Management apparently still mulling options.