MediaMaven

I note from the cable grid that KOMO is airing a new temporary show at 3 pm Tuesday and Wednesday prior to the Seahawks opener.  It's called The Dark Side: A Podcast on the Seattle Seahawks featuring two stars from the team's 'Dark Side' defense, as it's called.  Derick Hall and Byron Murphy will join Sports Director Niko Tamurian.   Interesting that KOMO puts it up against KING's The Ultimate Seattle Sports Show on Tuesday and K5 News Weds trying to get a piece of the pre-game action.   Game is on 👑 Weds. The station is also adding 'Seattle Refined' replays this week to fill the 2-3 pm void left behind by cancellation of Kelly Clarkson's show, to be replaced next week by Drew Barrymore's talk fest.

I listened to UW radio today for the Apple Cup with new play by play announcer Elise Woodward.  Good work holding her own in a rather unexciting, sloppy, penalty-ridden game.  She was on time throughout.  Got better as the game progressed and she got more confidence.   Kudos in her debut.

Hard Knocks with the Seahawks seemed to have no juice at all.  It basically became an homage to extremely foul language from coaches and players that could have been managed better, plus a double homage to MacDonald and Schneider, who needs a beard trim and a haircut and no ballcap.  His coach always looked professional.     The cut down sequence was undramatic except for Diggs and he wasn't actually cut!   I could have done without the fried chicken segment for sure.    The best shot was the underground sprinkler emerging in slow-mo.  Way cool. I suppose working with a Super Bowl champ inherently meant less suspense and conflict.   My expectations were high.   The Chamber of Commerce must have loved it, though.  It was a showcase of the beauty of the city and environs, but from the football side, I came away thinking "Oh, that was nice."   Pleasant enough but not compelling.  The whole thing with ...

With weather wizard Abby Acone gone, some noticeable changes on Good Day Seattle on Sunday morning.   Taylor Winkel was back anchoring all the news solo , instead of sharing it with Acone, which is the way it should be IMHO.    Illona McCauley handled weather and weather only and never appeared on the desk together with Winkel nor did she read any news.   Ilona is very credible and brings her own energy.    It seemed like more of a newscast than a 'friend fest' with the usual banter that Winkel and Acone did.   We will see if this combo continues into the fall, but so far so good.

In a very short time, KING 5 has hired Dusty Baker in sports, Rachel Just and Heidi Kirk as reporters, former KOMO photo Drake Presto as dedicated investigative unit photojournalist and ex-Fox 13 weathercaster Abby Acone as an account exec.   Meanwhile, Tegna fired the regional news VP Julie Wolfe, ex K5 ND.     It's a carousel, but it looks like since the Nexstar takeover is mired in litigation and there is a new corporate boss, things are back to cooking at Tegna.

Well, that didn't take long. Recently departed Fox 13 weather wizard Abby Acone has gone to the dark side, joining KING5 as an account executive.   It certainly gives her a M-F schedule, no holiday work, more time with her new spouse, etc., but it's a whole new world to sell linear and streaming, so we'll see, although her personality and  popularity will likely attract some clients to make buys. Here's here post on social: "So excited to share I’m joining the KING 5 team here in Seattle! ☀️ After 14 years on air in TV news, I’m stepping into a new role as an Account Executive on the sales team.  I grew up watching KING 5 around the dinner table, so supporting this station feels like a full-circle moment.  In the last several months, I’ve reflected a lot on what’s next for me. This role is the perfect blend of everything I love the most: relationship building, storytelling, and strategic communication. This was at the core of my work as a journalist and meteorol...

Kelly Hatmaker, who was the Asst. News Director at Fox 13 from 2022 until June 2025, has landed at WVIT, the NBC O&O in Hartford-New Haven, CT.   He will be the new Asst. ND.    Hatmaker also spent nearly six years at KHQ in Spokane in management roles.   Hatmaker made the announce ment on social media.