Don Riggs: Broadcast News

By Don Riggs

New Boss. Dave Pugh is the new Senior Veep/Market Manager for Seattle’s Audacy stations, KISW, KWFF, KSWD, KHTP and KNDD. He gets to keep the same title for the company’s stations in Phoenix, a slightly larger market (11^th). He replaced Jack Hutchison, who has joined us in retirement.

On the move. If U-Haul has a Haul-of-Fame or Platinum class, Bill Dallman probably would be in there. The former News Director at KOMO-TV has become General Manager at two stations in Grand Junction to be near his son. The map of where he’s worked would look like buckshot…Minneapolis Los Angeles, Denver, Grand Rapids, and a talent agency… Same for Zane Fredlund, assistant PD at KBKS, now at a couple of I-Heart stations in San Antonio and Austin. He’s worked in Dallas and Philadelphia. And Bill O’Neil is now News Director at KTAR in Phoenix. He was Executive Producer at KNWN. His map marks include San Antonio, Ft. Myers, Houston and Jacksonville. KUOW’s former News Director, Gigi Douban, has gone to NPR as Supervising Editor. BJ Shea is the morning guy now at KZOK. He spent 17 years at KISW.

More hardware. NAB Crystal Awards for Excellence in Community Service nominees are out, including KIRO, KPNW, and KQMV.

Weather or not. I’ve found a good example of wasted time, space, and effort. It’s no secret my wife and I avoid our cold, gray, cloudy, wet, gloomy weather by spending those winter months in the sunniest city in the world, Yuma, AZ. Weather underground, in its detailed forecasts, has a space for snow depth in Yuma. It has not snowed in Yuma since 1932.

Out of the office. We’re squeezing over at the Broadcasters Retirement Lounge for 4 more, 2 with a connection to my last stomping grounds, KMPS. Lisa Decker, who as manager of the CBS Seattle cluster, ushered me into this next stage. Now she’ll join us after 7 years managing Alpha Media’s stations in Portland. She leaves as highly respected and much liked by anyone who’s worked with her. Robert Dove is his replacement, coming from I-Heart’s Pacific Northwest president… Much has been said of Danny Bonaduce leaving KZOK after 12 years. He arrived after I had left the building, and his control room a wall away from KMPS. The former child star…he may be tired of hearing that now…got his first union card at age 3, and has worked at several radio stations since. He’s known to have a big head. That’s not a snide remark. He has serious medical issues that have slowed him down. A tough way to go, but there are plenty of well wishes. He’s returning to California, but will keep a house in Seattle. ..BJ Shea is packing it in at KISW, the big rocker where I had my first paid gig, part time, when it was a classical music station. Anybody remembers that?…Ken Wiley leaves KNKX. He started there way back when it was KPLU, and leaves as the host of The Art of Jazz. Lots of fine music that’s the number one button on my vehicle radios.

RIPs. Being a TV weather person is a great job. You get to be a personality, laugh and joke and give out information viewers really want to know. And if your forecast isn’t entirely correct, it’s no big deal. Or, as Steve Pool said in the title of his book, Somewhere I Was Right. The long-time KOMO personality…he started there just out of school in 1977…did some news, some sports, but then the weather, along with a lot of public service. Even filled in on Good Morning America now and then. Don’t know anybody who didn’t like him. He retired back in 2019 after 47 years at the station. He died of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Sarah Garza died at age 55. She was living and working in Dallas, after time here at KOMO and KING. Her husband, Mark Ginther, also is well known in the business. Condolences.

Business changes. Sinclair’s KUNS-TV says adios to its Univision affiliation and all the Spanish language viewers that came with it. The station has hooked up with the CW Network, recently abandoned by its previous home in the market. Leaders in the Spanish community are objecting…Lotus has cut the reporting staff at KNWN (NorthWest News), the former KOMO radio. Obviously not a good news for news reporters. Probably is for the bean counters…Michelle Millman, the former morning anchor on KIRO-TV, has spent much of her off-air time helping various charity groups around town, as many broadcasters to. She took it a step farther, and has become CEO of the organization Cancer Pathways. Miss you on air, but a good move.

Woof. A message for the creative types who come up with TV commercials that feature a house doorbell. The message: STOP IT. You obviously don’t have a dog at home. You need to know what happens when that doorbell rings. The dog is off and running, either protecting the homestead or ready to lick a visitor. Again: stop.

Very much. I’m not sure what they’re teaching in news-writing school now, but a CBS story I saw online has been roaming through my head since I read it: “The pros and cons can vary depending on a variety of variables.” Now it’s in your head.

More honors. The “most listened-to woman in the world” (her promos say so), Delilah, has won the first Gracies Icon Award from the Alliance for Women in Media for all her contributions to radio….and they are many. She also owns the Reedsport, Oregon, station where she got her start at age 16, KDUN.

On the move. New at KIRO-TV: Louis Tran, all the way from WXII, Winston-Salem, N.C. Lauren Donovan, from KIRO to KCPQ 13. Jade Elliott, a Tri-Cities girl from KAPP-KVEW and more recently KUTZ, Salt Lake City, to KCPQ 13. Samantha Lomibao to KIRO from KSEQ, Palm Springs. John Lippman, former News Director at KIRO and KCBS, on to bigger things at the Voice of America. Christine Malovetz is now Program Director at KNDD, and still a regional veep for Audacy. Brian MacMillan didn’t move but has a new title as Chief of all weather forecasters at KCPQ 13.

Happy 70^th. It’s been fun watching KOMO TV’s run-up to its 70^th anniversary. Seeing lots of old reporters and anchors that we’ve watching for years, many of whom I worked with from time to time, back when news people cared less about station ratings than disc jockeys and salespeople did, and more about cooperating to get the news out to as many people as possible. Some of us remember when KOMO started as an NBC affiliate, while KING ran ABC programs. They swapped in the late 50’s. Congrats to all involved in a remarkable history.

By herself. The new anchor team for KING’s 5 pm newscast: Joyce Taylor and….that’s it. The long-time anchor with the zillion-watt smile now solos…and even has her name in the title. Punishment or honor….not sure. I suspect the latter. And well earned.

To Tulsa. Elsewhere in this column, we note the departure of KING weatherman Christopher Nunley, PhD for family reasons. But, you gotta keep working, so he’s now just plain Chris Nunley at KTUL in Tulsa.

GOAL! Al Kinisky has signed on as the color analyst for the Seattle Kraken broadcasts on KJR. He’s got four decades of playing and coaching in the sport.

Get some class. KQAC in Portland has become the top-rated classical music station in the country. It’s the 6^th rated station in the Rose City, proudly proclaiming it is “programmed by humans.” Take that, AI.

Bye byes. We’ll squeeze over on the couch at the Retired Broadcasters Resort for Jim Wilke, jazz host forever on KNKX from back when it was KPLU. He’s been there since 1988, a major voice in jazz broadcasting anywhere. He’s earned a rest.

And KING-TV weatherman Christopher Nunley, PhD, is hanging up the isobars (do you actually do that?) leaving the station to take care of family issues.  He put in about a year and a half at the station.

And say goodbye to an entire radio station. KEWU, the voice of Eastern Washington University in Spokane, or Cheney, is closing the door, signing off, hanging up the watts (?). No particular reason given, but the school says a changing media landscape will provide new opportunities for the school. They signed on in 1950, and switched to a jazz format in 1986. Maybe they heard about Wilke.

Hello. Welcome Randi Kirshbaum to KPNW, the adult alternative station in Seattle. She’s doing a Sunday shift. No newbie, she’s put in 40 years or so in Portland radio.

Danger danger. A good newsroom slogan is “tell the story, don’t be the story.” But a Chicago team failed that last part. Doing an early morning live shot on people being held up on the street, they became the story….lost their camera, other gear, and personal stuff when three guys drove up and pulled off another heist.

Murrows. The RTNDA Edward R. Murrow awards are about the best hardware you can hang in your newsroom trophy case. KOMO’s anchor Eric Johnson brought one in for his story on the history of our state’s newest official sport, Pickleball, invented on Bainbridge Island. (I was first handed a paddle by co-creator Joel Pritchard back when he co-opted a congressional news conference to demonstrate his new sport to assembled reporters. Still play it. A favorite in retirement communities)… and KNKX won a Murrow for its reporting on diversity. Congrats all around.

On the move. We can add a name to the list of northwest broadcasters who head back east for a big-time job, then decide they really like it better here. Claire Anderson was a KIRO-TV weathercaster for four years before taking off for Washington, D.C.  She has now left WTTG and is happy to be coming back here, joining the weather team at Fox 13 KCPQ.

Gone South. Elsewhere in this column, we reported KCPQ anchor/reporter Chynna Greene was taking some time off for personal reasons, including getting married.  She won’t be returning. She and her new husband are now in Portland, and she’s gone to work for KGW-TV.

Changing seats. Curt Kruse and Jen Pirak are the new morning team at KPLZ. They are not new to the station. He did afternoons, she worked in promotions and a evening air shift. They replace (John) Moug and Angie (Parker). They had come from KCIX in Boise in 2021. Word from the station was that their show was “discontinued.” Yikes.

A steady job. When broadcasters put “job wanted” ads in the trades, they’ll often include the phrase “no floater,” indicating they’re looking for a steady job. My UW classmate Eric Bremner never did that. Back in the late 50s, he started as a part-time floor director at KING-TV. In the early 90s, when the station sold to Tegna, he walked out the door as company president and corporate director (way up from part-time floor director). Broadcasters also often find the time and energy to do things in and for the community. He did all that, too…Rotary, Hutch, Seattle Center, and many others. And, like others of us, he escaped to Issaquah, where he died late this summer, at 86. Justifiably called a titan in the industry.

Still watching 13. The in and out doors at Fox 13 KCPQ have been busier than usual of late. Amber Eikel has been through both of them. She left for greener pastures, and may have looked out the door and saw what we have. Anyway, she’s back, as General Manager, up from KTVU, San Francisco, where she went six years ago. She’s also been at KIRO and at stations in Las Vegas, Milwaukee, and Palm Springs.

Almost Famous. Long-time Seattle jock Bob Rivers may be about to get his due. He’s been nominated for the National Radio Hall of Fame. We’ll know in November. In many of his years at KZOK, we shared a studio wall at KMPS, occasionally trying to drown each other out. In a business that has a decent amount of nice guys, he’s right at the top. And yes, he’s still irked at the fame he received when the famous Barefoot Bandit, Colton Harris, stole his Cessna in 2018 and crashed it.

Talking again. Another long-time Seattle personality, Marty Reimer, gone for a while, as has been known to happen in the business, is back on the air, Saturdays 10-3 on KPNW 98.9, playing Adult Alternative (if you don’t know what that is, don’t feel bad about it, since only about a half dozen people in the world think they do).In his thirty years around here, he’s been heard on KCMU, KEXP, KZOK.KJR, KXRX AND KMTT. Yes, there are still some left for him.

It’s unreal. A question for you listening to Ashley Z (Zulinga) afternoons on KBFF in KBFF in Portland: is it really her or the AI version of her? She’s among the first to embrace a big fear coming to radio…the fear that that’s not a real person you’re hearing. This is not voice tracking. This is some machine creating words in somebody’s voice…in this case, with her knowledge and support. She’s worked at other stations, including KQMV here. I’m told it’s very difficult for the listener to tell if it’s really her they’re hearing, or the other kind. If you lay awake at night wondering about your future in the broadcast business, this is a good excuse.

Fox Facts. All Fox 13 all the time. Sheila Oliver will have to be buying more pins to put on maps of where she’s worked. She’s left the VP-GM job at Fox 13 Seattle after two years to run the Fox duopoly in Chicago, WFLD, and WPWR. Her well-traveled path has included stops in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Richmond, Milwaukee and Toledo, and Detroit.

Morning anchor Liz Duweke is heading south to KFOX in El Paso. She was nine years at KCPQ, at KOMO before that, and early in her career at KYMA in Yuma. I will miss her delightful presence.

Other morning anchor Bill Wixey recently celebrated 20 years behind the desk (or on the street or playing field). I sent him a note suggesting at some point the same thought would pass through his brain as happened to me at that stage: I can’t believe I’ve gotten away with this for so long. He sets the standard for morning anchors.

Former reporter Steve Kiggins is now on KBTC’s Northwest Now program. He’s been there since January.

Former anchor/reporter Jamie Tompkins is now heading up communications efforts at the Seattle Police Department.

In and Out. Who’s in. Taylor Winkel is the new reporter/weekend anchor at KCPQ Fox 13. She’s up from KRNV. Reno. She got her start interning at KING. Andrea Esquetini has joined KING as a photojournalist. That means she writes and talks a story, and takes the pictures that go with it. She comes from KXTV, Sacramento. Laura Evans has been named news director at KIRO-TV. She comes from another Cox station, WHIO in Dayton, Ohio.

Who’s out. Wheeler Morris (don’t call him a Momma’s boy, even though his momma, Ginny. Is CEO of Hubbard Broadcasting) is leaving Fort Collins, Colorado, where he is Townsquare’s market manager. He kind-a broke in running Hubbard’s stations here. KING reporter PJ Randhawa is heading to WMAQ, Chicago. She’ll be a consumer investigative reporter. Heading into the wonderful world of retirement, long-tie KING reporter Allen Schauffler, who left in 2017 and calls it done at KOHD/KBNZ, Bend, Oregon. And John Stoffler, another long-time KING reporter until 2005, heading for the couch from WMTV, Madison, Wisconsin.

Final Farewell. Jack Eddy. WSU grad who put in time at KOMO and KSTW back in the ’80s when they had a credible news operation, has died at his home in Gig Harbor. He was 87.

Med check. It’s known that morning radio hosts sometimes have a big head. Very true with KZOK’s Danny Bonaduce, recovering from brain surgery for hydrocephalus (go ahead, look it up) with stents put in to relieve some of the problem. The former child TV star (I’m sure he’s almost tired of hearing that… from his days on The Patridge Family) admits to having his head hit a few times in his past, boxing or on reality TV shows) He’s his usual eloquent self when he says of his hospital adventure, “I lived…. bitch.” Expect Shirley Jones to be over to wash his mouth out with soap. And Mariners play-by-play announcer Rick Rizzs is on the mend after a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

On the move. There seems to be a pipeline for those leaving the business, namely KIRO-TV, and going into those cushy gummint jobs in Tacoma. Reporter Graham Johnson has left for the Port of Tacoma after more than 20 years at Broadcast House. Earlier, reporter Amy Clancy left after 32 years, spent a bit of time at Seattle Police, and is now Media and Communications Director for the City of Tacoma.

Call him Veep. Drew Bland, Brand Manager for KKWF here and KMLE in Phoenix, keeps those jobs and adds being Vice President of Country of Audacy.

Three more done. We’ll squeeze over on the couch for two more broadcasters hanging up their mics. Robin Lloyd leaves KNKX after about 24 years. She began as a substitute host in 1999…And Tim Hunter leaves KRKO, Everett. He’s been the morning man there since they dropped Fox Sports in 2018. KCPQ anchor-reporter Chynna Greene isn’t exactly retiring, but taking some time off to, among other things, get married.

Changing course. Graham Johnson leaves KIRO-TV where he’s reported since 2005. He’s taking over the communications job at the Port of Tacoma.

Weather time. Today’s gripe: when did TV weather forecasters start using clocks and calendars, instead of temperatures?  I’m talking about temps in “the late ’70s” or whatever number.

Worry about this #1. CBS owned and operated stations, such as KSTW here, are dropping their affiliation with the CW network and going independent.  The network would love to welcome some new affiliates.

Worry about this #2. Sinclair Media, which owns KOMO TV, is shutting down local news operations in many of its markets, and turning the job over to their “national network.” Nobody except the numbers crunchers thinks this is a good idea. They’ve already been messing with their weekend afternoon newscasts.

Big in LA. Erica Hill-Rodriguez is the new news director at KTLA in Los Angeles. Yes, that’s the big time. She warmed up 15 years or so at KCPQ. She was welcomed to the new job by manager Janene Draf, former manager of KOMO.

Rich rewards. We’ll squeeze over and make room on the couch for Bobby Rich, winding up a 50-year career at KDRI, Tucson. He was the morning guy at KMGI, now KNDD for a while, and put in time at KIXI. And for Dave Wike, a photojournalist who began at KING-TV in 1980, after escaping college in Pullman.

He’s out! Tom Hutyler is no longer anchoring at KNWN. He started at what was then KOMO radio in 2000. No reason for the departure yet, but we can gue$$. He’ll keep his side hustle as PA announcer for Mariners’ home games.

Not the end. The music show “Locals Only” is back on KNDD The End Sunday evenings, featuring, as the title would suggest, local musicians, of which there are plenty, many of whom have gone very big time. Steven Graham hosts. And Ian Camfield is the new afternoon jock for the station. He’s worked in Phoenix, Denver, Los Angeles and several other places, after starting in England. He feels very at home, admitting he used to stream and listen to KNDD in London and steal some of their jokes. Grand theft? Maybe not that grand.

New in town. Drew Andre is now reporting for KING-TV. He comes from Los Vegas, and is proud/not proud of one report there where he was actually blown over while covering a story about a windstorm.

Now it’s safe. John Fisher’s back in town, afternoons on Hubbard’s KPNW, the first jock hired since the format and call letter change. He spent a long time on The Mountain here. Hubbard promises to be adding more staff. Fisher says “now it’s safe to listen to radio.” I can sleep better now.

Joining Jubal. Nina Hadjian has joined The Jubal Show, syndicated from KBKS here to everywhere. She’ll replace Missus Jubal, Alex Fresh, who left the show recently. It’s a return to the station where she started, for Nina. Her trail has led her to stations in Chicago, New York and Sacramento (not sure in which order) and another syndicated show.

Outbound. Joe Blum, known on air as Brady, has left Audacy after working here on KNDD, and on stations in New York and Detroit.

Moving up. After working for several years for Fisher and Sinclair, Frank Lenzi has been upped to News Director at the former KOMO, now KNWN. (Not sure how long we’ll be using that identifier.) He’s also worked at KPAM in Portland.

New in town. Now reporting for KIRO-TV, Brittany Toolis. And for KCPQ Fox 13, Jake Karalexis. Welcome, both of you, to a city with some of the best local TV news operations you’ll find anywhere.

Then and now. Fox 13 reporter/anchor Brian Flores has left town for an anchor slot at KCNC, Denver. He’d been agt KCPQ since 2016… Former KOMO-TV anchor Paris Jackson is now hosting Crosscut Now on KCTS9. She was at KOMO for 7 years… KING-TV reporter/producer/host Angela Poe Russell has left the room. No word yet on future plans. She was at KIRO-TV before KING., The team of Carla Marie and Anthony, formerly mornings on KBKS-FM, are now streaming a daily show on Gemini XiII Personality Network…

New owner. Ellensburg Radio Broadcasting is trying to buy KXLE AM and FM in that city. Bill Wolfenbargr, David Hartman and Gregory Smith are behind the effort. They own several other stations around the state.

Old timer. I am proud of having put in 55 years on the air around here. But I bow to Mary McCoy, of KVST, Huntsville, Texas. The Guiness people recognize her as the longest-serving female DJ in the country, 72 years on the air. She began when she was 12.

Have a Hart. Fans of KRWM-FM afternoon host Shellie Hart have reason to smile. She’s signed a multi-year contract renewal. The Seattle native has been on the air at the station for 30 years. I guess she shares my feeling after 33 years at my last job: you find a good rut, you stay in it.

Cooney gone. I was there when Kevin Cooney began his radio sales and management career at the then-new KMPS. The almost-always happy guy went on to sell for or run KJR, KSEA, KIRO, and NWCN. He has died at age 70. He came by his broadcast bona fides honestly. His father was Lloyd Cooney, long-time President and editorialist at KIRO-TV.

Torres here. Nikki Torres has returned home to Seattle, reporting for KCPQ Fox 13. She spent the past 2 years-plus down in Portland at KATU.

Dial move. You’ll have to drop down the dial a bit to hear KBRO, Bremerton. This FCC has okayed moving from 1490 to 1480 AM.  This will allow it to up its daytime power to 5000 watts daytime. Nighttime, however, drops to 12 watts, also known as “if the wind is right, you can hear it in the transmitter’s parking lot” status.

On the move. The number one button on my truck radio, KNKX, is moving its Seattle studios from Belltown to the Madore building a skybridge across Western Avenue from the Pike Place Market.  I hope manager Joey Cohn and his crew enjoy the site as much as I did in the several years KMPS was there. Of the four locations that station called home, this was far and away my favorite. Spending free time at the Market or on the waterfront made coming to work at little more enjoyable. A great place to spend your day.

A bigger job. Audacy has a new business card for Scott Roddy, brand manager at KWJj, The Wolf, Portland. He’s now the company’s regional veep for west coast country stations. That includes KKWF. The Wolf, in Seattle, as well as stations in Portland, Phoenix, Riverside, CA, Kansas City, and San Diego.

Other new jobs. Former KING TV anchor Steve Bunin has created his own company to provide training in consulting and using media…Austin Lane is now an associate news producer at KCPQ. He comes from KHQ, Spokane…Freelancer Monica Nickelsburg is the new labor and economy reporter at KUOW.

Bull split. Hubbard’s KNUC The Bull has dropped both the bull country format and the call letters. It’s now KPNW and now “Seattle’s home for music lovers,” switching to what’s called adult alternative. A format last heard on KMTT a few years ago. The format switch was suspected after the call letter change was requested. KPNW AM is a news-talk station in Eugene, Oregon, which gave the go-ahead to Hubbard to “share” call letters. Not unheared of, but still a little unusual to have separate owners with the same call letters (KIRO, KOMO. KING et al).

Throndsen. Sorry to have an opening on the couch at the Retired Broadcasters’ Lounge (still existing only in my mind), but Bob Throndsen has died. He spent 34 years reporting, anchoring, and directing at KOMO TV and radio. And mentored many young reporters. In retirement, he’d taken to reporting for print media north of Seattle. It’s hard to just walk away cold turkey…I’m told. He was 75.

Scammed. The world of high tech is a playground for scammers, and broadcasters can be a target. Morgan Media Group’s KEZE in Spokane carries syndicated shows morning and afternoon, and they were among stations around the country with phony Facebook pages indicating listeners had won $1,000. Facebook said it would not remove those pages because “it wasn’t harmful to the commuhity.”  Beg to differ.

Out the door. Some times personnel announcements leave more questions than answered. The memo to staff at KIRO-TV said News Director Tara Finestone “is no longer employed” with the company. She’s been there since 2020, and she was wished “well in her future endeavors.” No word what those may be, but she came to town from Los Angeles, and there’s some feeling she may be heading back there.

Mending with money. The Richland morning man Chuck Hall has a rare plasma cell disease, and some getting better.  help. At last check, a GoFundMe campaign has raised over S24,000. He’s put in time at KIOK and KORD, and is now working on getting better. 

One less sports voice. Longtime northwest sportscaster Bill Shonely has died. Back in the way back, I worked with him at KVI whe he broadcast Seattle Angels baseball games. He also did the Seattle Totems hockey games, and was the original play-by-play man for the Portlane Trailbblazers. He was 93.

Moving east. KIRO TV reporter/anchor Ryan Simms has moved a few blocks and joined KOMO-TV. His career started at KIMA in Yakima.

Holly gone. Holly Gauntt has joined us in the world of retirement, leaving KDVR Denver. She spent a lot of years as news director at KOMO-TV, part of 41 years in the business.

Place your bets. The hot new thing in radio, gambling, has made its way to Seattle. Hubbards KNUC HD2 has renamed itself Tulalip Sportsbook Radio, in connection with that casino. You need a  special HD receiver to hear it, and a special bankroll to play. They’ve added a Brett Mussberger sports feature to KIXI, their station that plays older-than-dirt music and has a button on the radio in my 20-year-old pickup.

Out the door. Happy to squeeze over and make room for one more on the couch at the Broadcasters Retirement Lounge (which will become a real thing after I hit it big on radio gambling) to welcome Gregg Hersholt, stepping away from a 50-year career in radio news. He graduated from Gonzaga and traveled a not-uncommon path from Spokane to Portland to Seattle, working at KJR, KVI, 26 years at KIRO, winding up at KNWN/KOMO. My personal note to him: Congratulations. As one who did the same sort of thing (for 55 years), I can tell you, you will realize every day what a great job you had and you will miss it…a little less each day. The first thing you won’t miss is getting up at zero dark thirty to go to work. I sleep in till 6 or so now. Feels great. You’ll have a couple of dollars left to find a winter hideaway, gamble on the radio, or do whatever you want to do because you don’t have to go to work today. Enjoy it.

One more. Also retiring, after 26 years at KING-TV, engineer Bart Hanson. He’s called a “tech hero” there. The engineering wizards get a separate couch at the Lounge because most of us air-types really don’t understand what they do, but are awfully glad they do.

Funny-colored money. Yes, you can make big bucks in broadcasting, even north of the border. Forbes magazine says Jim Pattison is the richest man in Canada, worth just over 12 billion. His company owns and operates 48 radio stations and three teevees in four provinces.

Matt moves. Matt Markovich is now on KIRO-FM, he says “for a while.” Matt, that’s true for all of us. He’ll be covering politics and the legislatures. He spent 15 years at KOMO-TV and a few minutes at KCPQ.

And Chris Daniels has moved a few blocks. The long-time KING-TV reporter (19 years) has moved to KOMO-TV, and as a side gig, reporting for Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station’s owner.

Off the air. Dori Monson had many words left to say. Some would be hailed, some would be hated. Most reports of the death of the KIRO FM talk-show host used the phrase “controversial.” He was all of that when he died at the too-young age of 61 on New Years’ Eve of heart problems. He’d been having health issues of late, but this was an unpleasant surprise. He will be missed, by those who loved him, and by those who loved to hate him. His co-worker, Darren Dedo, also saw the inside of a hospital, suffering from pneumonia.

Here and there. Tammy Mutasa has left KOMO-TV as a reporter/anchor, and headed east, joining WBZ in Boston. George “Jax” Cotsirilos has joined KQMV-FM as afternoon host and APD. He comes from the Audacy stations in Orlando. Gustavo Sagrero is now on KUOW-FM. He comes from Reno, where he was a bilingual reporter on KUNR.

Weather or not. The horrible weather we had near Christmas brought out the best in our local broadcast news operations. It’s the kind of thing they live for…covering stuff that’s happening right now and is vitally important to almost all the listeners and viewers, even if you can see the same by looking out your window. TV reporters approach the job with mixed feelings….the chance to be right there where it matters, even though it’s so darned cold. That’s why covering travelers from inside the airport is such a plum assignment. Same for reports on road conditions, from inside the news van. Mark Woodley, a sports reporter for KWWL-TV, in Waterloo, Iowa, went viral with his displeasure at being called in to stand on a street corner in the snow. I suspect every reporter here could relate. And most of us know a snowbird, a person who hides from winter by going to the desert southwest where it’s warmer with no snow. The message for them: shut up about it!

Done with it. We always could use some good news, and we’ve got some! Retired KCPQ weather goddess M.J. McDermott is happy to announce she’s in complete remission from cancer. Those of us who consider her a friend….and that’s pretty much anybody she’s ever met….are also happy to hear that. She retired in ’21 after 19 years, to do battle.

Tracing Tracey. When Tracey Leong left KIRO-TV as morning anchor in ’21, hardly a word was said. She just wasn’t there anymore. Now, we know where she went…truly the big time at KNBC in Los Angeles. Actually, back to there….she was an editorial assistant there at the front end of her career. And, her father was a director there.

Another exit. Kaila Lafferty is no longer reporting at KING-TV. She’s been there for about three years and now plans to “start a new career in the communications realm,” whatever that could mean. She wants something with more regular hours, of which there aren’t a lot.

Good Knight, Lia. There’s one less nationally-syndicated radio host based in Seattle. No, Delilah, Fitz, and B-Dub are still in business, but Lia Knight has decided to end her show. She was the CMA National Personality of the Year not once, but twice, 2005 and 2007.

In and out. Ray Byers is retiring….always a good move….after delivering the morning news on KLOG, Kelso, since 1992. He says working in a smallish market like that gives one “total focus on the community.”

Ann D’Angelo has left a similar deal, News Director and morning host at KXXO-FM in Olympia after 25 years at the station. She’ll keep her side gig as Banquet Coordinator at the Tacoma Yacht Club. 

Maddie White is new to KING, from KVVU, Las Vegas. As if to make room, Kalie Greenberg has left KING to “explore opportunities out of news.” There are many, but few as enjoyable. 

Emil Moffatt has come all the way to town from Atlanta to host All Things Considered on KNKX-FM.

Chels La Tejana has moved from her news-producing job at KOMO-TV to another part of town, same job at KING.

Peter Wagner has decided he’s not smart enough, so the former Bellingham newscaster is leaving his job in Vancouver to return to Western Washington University.

Write it down. Jeff Smulyan’s daughter suggested he write it all down when he started running off about starting in radio in Indianapolis and ending up as bossman at Emmis Communication. The company owns many things, including broadcasting properties. He also owned the Seattle Mariners for a few minutes, and details that in a part of the book indicating it was some sort of hell for him. Us, too, Jeff.

No more news. Reporter Kalie Greenberg has left KING-TV, and the business, to “explore new opportunities.” She began at KING in March of 2019.

Through the “in” door. Maddie White is new to KCPQ 13, Seattle, as reporter on the evening shift. She comes from KVUU, Henderson/Las Vegas.

And Brisa Mendez is back home, also joining KCPQ. The UW grad has been doing weather at KVAL, Eugene, for the past couple of years.

Another loss. Lonnie Bell has died. His long history includes being in the Montana Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame for working many stations in the state. He’s also thought to be the first country DJ in the Hawaiian Islands, back in 1953. Claim to fame here is as a DJ on KAGT, Anacortes, in the late ’50s, and being an early public booster of Loretta Lynn, when she lived there. Bell was 98.

Different lunch. Steve Bunin, noon news anchor, has left KING-TV. Because he says “hopefully you’ll find me on another TV station in town soon,” my deep analysis makes me think it wasn’t his idea to leave, but there’s no hint we’ll find out why. He came up from Houston in 2016.

Si si. Pablo Gaviria is new at KIRO-TV. He’s spent nine years as a multimedia journalist (shoots, edits, writes for TV, radio, pods, bullhorns, whatever) at Univision’s KUNS-TV, the local Spanish language station. He says he hopes to better serve “an underrepresented community in Seattle.”

Back home. Brisa Mendez returns to her home town, joining KCPQ. The UW grad’s been meteorologist at KVAL, Eugene, for the last two years.

Who are they? Not everybody who’s leaving is somebody you might know. Steve Konen is on the way you. He’s been assignment editor for KIRO for 28 years. That’s a job that includes being part of the staff that decides what stories reporters will includes, and which ones cover the stories. He’s described as gruff but charming. He’s spent about 35 years on the job, and is spending more time on family….and Kevin Callahan is leaving as Audacy Western Region VP/[programming for KKWF and stations in Portland, Phoenix, Riverside and Riverside, all from San Diego. He also plans to spend more time with family.

New to KING. Cornelius Hocker is joining from WRTV, Indianapolis as a reporter. KING has a system where staff members take part as mentors to new hires to make them somebody not just dropped in to the mix, but somebody making the move easier.

Belabored. On a day when Seattle had the worst air quality IN THE WORLD,  the unionized staff at KUOW took to the streets with informational picket lines. They were griping about wages, work conditions, and such, with reporter and shop steward John Ryan calling it “a disgrace at a beloved station in a wealthy city.” Host Libby Denkmann added “public radio in Seattle cannot be a profession reserved for people with a trust fund or wealthy spouse.” (Back when I was a student announcer there, I had neither.) The two sides stopped talking a while back, each side suggesting the other side is to blame for that. Gotta be a challenge for the station’s reporters to cover this. At least the air has cleared…if not for the talks, at least for our breathing.

Bridge awards. KMIH, “the bridge,” the high school station at Mercer Island High School, picked up a ton of John Drury Broadcasting Awards for the year. Former KISW producer Joe Bryant runs the show and was a finalist for Best Advisor. Sophie Prock took first in her category. Big time congrats to all the winners. Good to know people are still interested in going into the biz.

Seeing duble. Former Seattle jock Bryan B-dub Washington has added eight more stations to his now-syndicated program.  Getting close to 100 now. Listen to him now as you travel to Portland (KUPL), San Jose, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Mankato, Minnesota and Meridian, Mississippi, all thanks to Skyview Networks.

In and out. Kevin Shockey has left KJR, where he’s been APD and producer since 2006. He’s taken his talents to KKSE, Denver.

Former KTTH host Todd Herman now has a weekly talk show syndicated by Radio America. And he’ll do a daily podcast.

Jake Karalexis is new to KCPQ Fox 13. Read that quick. No grass stains on his shows. Past work has been in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Tampa, Austin, and West Virginia. All that after learning stuff at University or Michigan.

New at KOMO, Karina Vargas doesn’t have quite that mileage. She’s worked in Albuquerque, St. Louis, Virginia, South Carolina and Maine.

No griping to the boss. Iliad Media Group of Idaho has found a way around complaints to the manager…make everybody a manager, or even an owner. They’ve decided to go to complete employee ownership, meaning 46 bosses. It will be one of four employee-owned radio groups in the country, with stations in Boise and Idaho Falls.

Another hour. Channel 13 KCPQ has added another hour of local TV in the morning, at 10, after their morning news, Good Day Seattle, ends. Lighter lifestyle fare is featured on Studio 13, with most of their morning crew sticking around to co-host.

Settled for now. There are those disc jockeys and hosts who don’t let much grass grow under their feet. Example: Cory Edmondson. He spent a couple of years at KMTT here, and has now landed at KFGE, Lincoln, Nebraska. As Assistant Program Direct, Music Director, afternoon host, and probably occasional janitor. Other stops, in no particular order, include Idaho Falls, Klamath Falls, Eugene, Portland, and Hilo.

Hey, Teach! Nathan Hale High School has one of the more respected high school radio stations around, KNHC-FM. Playing lots of rhythmic and dance music. And with a new boss…Ron Chatman. He’s been country coordinator for Audacy, at least until they started cleaning house. He’s also been programmer or host in Birmingham, Detroit, New Orleans, and Baltimore. Note the above…the race is on.

Congrats. A big “way to go” to my last Program Director at KMPS, Becky Brenner, now a big-time consultant. Among the class of 22 in the Country Radio Hall of Fame. Well-earned.

Net worth. A new regional news network has gone on the air…not in our region, but close. Townsquare Media owns several stations in eastern Washington cities and has noticed it’s become a bit of a news desert, what with pandemics, layoffs, and what all. They don’t admit to being part of the problem, but they’ve created Washington State News Network, providing hourly 90-second local newscasts during the day for its stations and others that sign up. They’ve started with a crew of four anchors to divvy up the chores: Lance Tormey, 30 years at KIT, Yakima, and Jason Taylor, Greg Neft, and Jeff Bunch, all with backgrounds a little more spread out. The company also has stations in Pasco, Kennewick and Wenatchee. And it has a website for those of us too far away to listen: WashingtonStateNews.net. Where I learned of a world record trout being caught in Loon Lake, Stevens County, where my family had a cabin, but did not catch that fish. A story completely ignored by Seattle media. Go figure.

On the case. The shrinking of i-Heart continues. Matt Case finds himself out at KJR-FM, or KKJEB-FM, or whatever it calls itself now. He headed south to the Greater McCleary/Olympia metroplex taking over afternoons on KYYO-FM. To justify what I’m sure is a huge salary, he’ll also be Operations Assistant and Production Director.

When it rains. The shrinking of Audacy continues. (Is there a theme here?) Emily Raines has left the morning wolfpack on KKWF-FM after more than four years.

Pod people return. Brock Huard is rejoining Mike Salk for sports talking on KIRO-AM after three years of doing the program as a podcast. Huard also will be doing some sportscasts on Fox Sports college football coverage this season.

Going national. Former KCPQ anchor/reporter Ali Bradley, who left in 2021 to be an independent journalist, perhaps decided she liked a regular paycheck. For whatever reason, she has signed up with NewsNation, a national news and entertainment cable operation. She’ll be based in Phoenix

Working on the levy. Mitch Levy is back on the air. The long-time sports reporter was bounced from KJR back in 2017 because of his “involvement” in a prostitution ring. After starting a podcast (doesn’t everybody?) called Mitch Unfiltered, he’s now back on mornings on KISW-FM the days after Seahawks games.

How old? Congratulations to KRKO, Everett, turning 100 years old in August.  You may remember its first name, KFBL. Who am I kidding? And Dick Pust, who I’m pretty sure was born and raised at KGY, Olympia, and just hasn’t moved out of the house yet, reminds it also turned 100…KJR, KMO, and KTW also join that elite club. Lots of birthday cake crumbs on lots of control boards.

Bring on the broom. It’s not quite a clean sweep at Audacy, but big cuts are being made after disappointing earnings numbers. They’ve got 5000 employees over a couple hundred stations…not counting today and tomorrow. Morning man John Fisher has been shown the door at KSWD. He joined the station in 2018 after many years at KMTT. Could be worse. The entire air staff has been booted at company stations in Milwaukee and Las Vegas, and they’ve eliminated all local programming.

Bought and sold. Jodesha Broadcasting, the Grays Harbor radio giant owned by Bill Wolfenbarger, former chief engineer at KMPS back in the day, sold KBKW, Aberdeen, to Sacred Heart Radio. (Fond memories: Way back in the wayback, my class of UW Radio-TV majors took over that station for a weekend of “real world” experience. Despite that, most of us stayed in the business.)

New to town. Allan Fee and Patrice Valentine have joined Dave Walker on the morning show at KAFE FM, Bellingham…Bridget Chavez has joined KIRO TV, up from KPTV in Portland.

Now at night. Spike O’Neill is new to KIRO Nights on the FM dial. He replaces Jack Stine, who’s moved to California to do other things. Spike spent darned near 30 years at KISW, sharing walls for a while with me at KMPS.

Having a prayer. Salem Media has moved its conservative talk format, The Answer, from KLFE 1590 to KKOL 1300. It has something to do with signal interference complaints holding up the sale of KKOL. To replace the 1590 programming, they’ve picked up Catholic radio from Relevant Radio in Wisconsin.

4 at 4. KIRO-TV becomes the 4^th local station to have a 4 PM newscast weekdays. The announcement says this comes with a larger newsroom and six new hires. Not sure how Judge Judy is ruling on this, her time slow for the last long while.

East of the mountains. Two new news directors are working. Paul Bergen takes the job at KHQ, Spokane, moving from Beaumont, Texas, where he was general manager and news director (not at the same time) at KBMT in Beaumont, Texas…Stephanie Ashley has hired on to the KNDO/KNDU empire in the Tri-Cities and Yakima. She comes from KNWA in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

WGU…not call letters. Western Governors University is celebrating its 25^th anniversary, by sending Communications manager Carolyn Douglas, the former KING anchor/reporter, making the rounds of media in the state. You’ll probably see her.

Stark report. If you say KPUG, you might as well say Dick Stark in the same breath.  He spent his entire broadcast career, 1962-2018, at that station. He broadcast sports and peddled some advertising on the side. If there’s a Hall of Fame for anything in Bellingham, he’s probably in it. Stark died recently at 88.

The Wright choice. Former KCPQ and KING anchor Mark Wright has left the building…and the business. He’s joined Cross Country Mortgage doing what gets done at places like that.

Phan gone. Reporter Suzanne Phan is heading south from KOMO-TV, to join her husband, Ryan Yamamoto, now anchoring at KPIX in San Francisco. She spent six years here No work if she’s found work….or is looking…by the Bay.

More starts for Fitz. Country Top 40 with Fitz has added four more stations…one in Iowa, three in Texas. By my count, the Seattle jock is on well over 200 stations with this show. You just thought you could get away from him.

At 13. Plenty going on at KCPQ. The weekend morning news show has added an hour, now to 11…Weekend anchor Brian Flores is now anchoring weekdays really early…Laura Freeman signs on as producer for the weekday shows. She comes from ABC Fox Montana. Producers, for those who don’t know, do all the work, take all the blame, and get none of the credit. Just ask any one of them…And, the women’s soccer team, OL Reign, have partnered with the station for local broadcast rights.

More awards. The NAB Marconi Awards honor excellence in broadcasting. There still is some. But apparently not here. Closes nominee is Kevin Miller of KIDO, Boise, up for “medium market personality of the year.”

It’s back. Networks own radio and TV stations, and have stations as affiliates carrying their programs. Not always the same stations. Example here: CBS, affiliated with KIRO radio and TV for about ever, but the stations are owned by a money managing company. CBS owned KMPS and still owns KSTW channel 11, but those stations don’t (didn’t) carry CBS programs. Until about 2005, channel 11 had a credible news department putting on one newscast a day, at 10 PM. A little inefficient, maybe. Then that all stopped, they fired everybody, and forgot about news. Now, the 10 o’clock news returns. It’s a new effort by CBS to beef up local coverage at the stations it owns. Sort-a local, any way. They will “share” production between studios, so we’ll see how home-town it really is. I have mid-high hopes.

The job shuffle. Time to update the Rolodex. (Anybody still use those?) Frankie Katafias joins the weather team at KIRO-TV. The Seattle native grew up in California, went to Dominion University on a tennis scholarship. She decided early that at age 13, that she wanted to be in broadcasting. (I know the feeling…for me it was 12.) She bounced around a bit before landing at KVIV-KNIN, Boise, as morning weather person and reporter…

Lynnanne Nguyen is new to KOMO-TV’s reporting staff. She’s a Chicago girl who’s worked in Dallas, Memphis and Green Bay, and several other stations. She got her smarts at Northwestern University, where she also kept her feet straight as a member of the marching band…

Former KCPQ13 reporter/anchor Ali Bradley, who left late last year to freelance, has landed with News Nation, working with former co-worker Marni Hughes. The company is a national news network owned by Nexstar. I haven’t been able to find it on broadcast TV anywhere here, but it’s available on cable and other sources…

One of those guys you never hear about (well, YOU might because of your place in the marketing side of the world), Greg Obata, is the new market manager for Horizon Broadcasting’s stations in Bend, Oregon.  You may have run across him when he was a sales exec at KCPQ or KIRO-TV.

Congrats X2. This is the kind of thing broadcasters do that make them feel a little worthwhile. Former KING anchor Lori Matsukawa has received Japan’s Order of the Rising sun, Gold and Silver Rays. Rather than trying to figure out just what it means, accept that it’s important. It salutes her work improving understanding of Japanese Americans in this country. Well deserved.

And KIRO-tv anchor-reporter Linzi Shelton has picked up her own award, U.S. citizenship, her own 4^th of July present. Justin Trudeau’s loss is our gain. In fact, if you ever want to just feel better about things, go to one of those ceremonies sometime. That’ll do it.

Powerful move. KXRO Aberdeen news director Daniel Hargrove is stepping into one of those cushy government jobs, as Communications and PR Specialist for the Lewis County Public Utility District. (No. not “futility.” It just seems like it.) Program Director Kyle Pauley will take on the additional role.

KUBE. Ever since iHeart dumped KUBE in favor of KJR-FM to do even more sports, the old call letters have been just hangin’ around waiting to go somewhere. And now they have.  You can list to sports 1350 KUBE, but you have to go all the way to Pueblo, Colorado, to do it. Nice place to visit, for reasons better than listening to the radio.

The “in” door. Mireya Garcia has joined KCPQ, leaving KOKH, Oklahoma City after eight years as anchor and consumer reporter. Reporter Bridget Chavez makes the trip up I-5 from KPTV, Portland to KIRO, Seattle.

New to town. All the way from Phoenix, Trip Reed takes over as market manager for Hubbard stations here. His stops include San Diego, Honolulu, and truly big time KROQ in Los Angeles. He replaces Wheeler Morris, son of owner Ginny, who’s moved on the Townsquare in Colorado…

It’s a return home for Madison Wade, anchoring at KING.  She grew up here, got smart at Gonzaga, and sought her fortune (still seeking?) in Redding and Sacramento. 

Briseida Holguin has joined KIRO-TV’s reporting staff. She comes here from Memphis after learning stuff at Cal State U. Northridge.  She’s managed to keep her private life private…so far.  We do know she speaks Spanish…always handy.

Bye Billy. I’m comfy with my broadcast history…55 years on the air, the last 33 at KMPS. But I bow to Billy Burrell, winding up a 71-year career, the last 63 at WCON in Cornelia, Georgia. At age 92, he has yet to announce future plans. I might suggest writing a broadcast news column for a revered, highly esteemed online publication. You don’t have to get up so early.

Moving the office. When KEXP, the little station that could and did become a major influence in music, when looking for a replacement for 30-year CEO Tom Mara when he stepped out, they promised an international search for a replacement. They could have saved a few bucks. They chose Ethan Raup, who’s spent the last six years just down the hall as the station’s chief operating officer. He knows his way around the station, and around town, having worked in Seattle and King County offices and running the Seattle International Film Festival.

More for 13. KCPQ-TV has been beefing up the reporting ranks. Jennifer Dowling comes from KOIN, Portland, and stations in Michigan before that. And Alexandra Guzman joins. She’s bilingual…a big help at her last station in Texas.

Directing moves. Seattle TV stations have sent news directors to several other stations. Some stayed, some didn’t. Erica Hill Rodriguez left KCPQ in 2019…her second trip through the station…for bigger times at Fox’s KTTV in Los Angeles. She has now left that job after 2-1/2 years, for no job. Her memo to staff says she needs time to recharge (we’ve been hearing that a lot lately) and has no plans to announce just yet….Former KIRO-TV news director Helen Swenson has left her job at Spectrum’s NY1 in New York, not to recharge, but to become Chief Content Director for Accu-Weather…Another former KCPQ news director (something in the water there, or what?), Bill Kaczaraba, has gone to the radio side, joining the morning routine at KIRO-FM.

Fit to print. Seattle Times reporter Scott Greenstone is changing media. After five years at Fairview Fanny (haven’t heard that name in a while), he’s going to radio. You’ll hear his reports on KNKX-FM. 

Still here. Apparently somebody asked, or he’s not waiting. Dori Monson tells Barrett Media he’ll stay at KIRO-FM with his mid-day talk show as long as he has a “functioning voice and brain.” Get behind me in line to suggest it may be too late.

More on the move. Leaving KING-TV after over 18 years, Chris Daniels is joining Spotlight on America, the national investigative team run by Sinclair. He’ll be able to stay in Seattle.…Julie Calhoun is new to KING-TV’s staff of reporters. She comes from WBTW in Myrtle Beach, S.C….Former KING assistant news director Laura Newborn, who left in 2012 for one of those “cushy gummint jobs” as Communications Manager with the State Department of Transportation, has retired from that position.

Hall pass. Long-time KIRO FM newsman Dave Ross is among the couple of dozen nominees for this year’s class in the Radio Hall of Fame. Six will get the honor. Hardware will be handed out in November. Note below, he’s gonna need a bigger trophy case. Fingers crossed.

For techies. The FCC has granted a STA for KAAR AM 1460, Kirkland, to operate day and night at 250 watts using a 31-meter long wire mounted 10 meters above ground with authorized latitude and longitude (numbers go here), NAD83 converted. Find a broadcast engineer near you to translate all that. I’ve got no idea.

Outs and ins. 

Art Sanders heads to the big time, KNX in Los Angeles, after 20 years as anchor at the former KOMO-AM (now KNWN)… KOMO-TV reporter Mo Haider is the latest local broadcaster to take some time off to recharge…Jake Chapman has joined KIRO-TV after reporting in Birmingham, Alabama, for the last couple of years.

The Murrows. The organized radio-television-digital news directors (there is such a thing) have handed out Edward R. Murrow awards to stations they deem as among the best in the business.  700 awards to 325 stations. And here they are.  Just kidding.  KING got the most in our region, five. KOMO-TV had three, KIRO-TV one. On the radio side, our public stations, KUOW and KNKX, shared the majority of awards. KIRO’s Dave Ross won a writing award and the station won “best newscast.” They’ll pick up the hardware this summer.

There they go. Nick Popham has left KOMO-TV searching for more sunshine. He’s now reporting for a station in Miami. And three people have found something other than broadcasting to earn a check….possibly bigger. Long-time traffic reporter Tracy Taylor is now working for the City of Kent on the mayor’s communication team. Former KIRO weather person Kelly Franson, who left in 2019 for Albuquerque,  (impossible to type without double-checking) has left that station for an undisclosed position “away from television.” Kierra Elfalan has left KING-TV after a couple of years. She says she loves the business, but finds it very cutthroat and very underpaid. She’ll join another local business that mainly worries about Airbus.

Newsbreak. Happy to squeeze over on the couch at the Retired Broadcasters’ Lounge to make room for Elisa Jaffe. She put in 18 years or so at KOMO-TV, then moved to afternoon anchor on what was KOMO Radio, now KNWN. She claims to have enough time-fillers lined up that she wonders how she had time for a job. Welcome.

Sad/happy. Sorry to learn my good buddy M.J. McDermott, former weather wonder at Q13, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma after leaving the station after 19 years. Happy to learn she’s handling it well with her chemo sessions. She put it well on her Facebook page, showing off the socks she wears. On the bottom, they say “Dear Cancer…You picked the wrong bitch.” So right.

Sold! Tracy Taylor spent 20 years reporting traffic on radio and TV here before stepping away. Now, she’s gone where a few other broadcasters have gone, into the auction business. She’s now working for Kilbreath Auctions, run by my replacement at KMPS, Stephen Kilbreath, who also does weather occasionally on KING-TV. And Taylor’s been replaced on KIRO-TV by new-hire Niku Kazori. 

Big in LA. Lisa White is the new News Director at KPIX, San Francisco. She’s worked there as Assistant for 22 years. She’s also spent ten years at KRON, in that city, and you may remember her for her six years at KING-TV.

Mending. Sorry to learn that Bob Rivers needs to take a medical break. He spent 25 years on Seattle radio, starting at KISW, ending at KJR. with nine years at KZOK in between, with his studio and the KMPS studio butted up against each other in the CBS suite. He gave me one of the more thoughtful and enjoyable goodbye interviews when I retired. And I didn’t have to go far for it. He gained even more fame with his Twisted Tunes features, and has since gone into blogging. He has many good things to say about his medical care at Virginia Mason. I wish him the best. He’s earned it.

The Biz. A bit of a format change…an addition…for AM 880 KIXI, playing music that older folks remember, at least those of us who still can remember. Not that many of us, which may be why station ratings have been barely above zero. So, they’ve added Bloomberg Radio during morning and afternoon traffic times so we older folks can keep track of our vast estates. (Yeah, I’m only half right.)

Powerful. The FCC has okayed a power increase for KGRG AM 1330, Enumclaw, run by students at Green River Community College in Auburn. The new 700-watts daytime power will make heard throughout the greater Enumclaw area, assuming there is one, with 250 watts at night, protecting stations in Portland and Saskatchewan.  Get an engineer to explain that to you, if needed. You may remember its former call, KENU, before changing in 1996.

Newbie. Hannah Knowles has joined the reporting staff at KOMO-TV. She comes from a similar job at WWMT, Kalamazoo. Her round trip has taken her to Idaho, Utah, Missouri and Michigan before returning to Seattle, after starting at several radio stations south of town.

Out the door. We’ll scoot over and make room on the couch at the Retirement Lounge for Keith Eldridge after 38 years of reporting for KOMO-TV, the last 23 as South Sound Bureau Chief. The tail end of a 50-year broadcasting career that wasn’t even on his radar until he was in college (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) playing basketball, and was impressed by the play-by-play announcer. He’s worked in Fresno and Denver before coming here. He’s got great future plans….a little golf, a little traveling, “whatever’s next.”  Welcome to our Fogey World, Keith.

Who’s where. A lot of changes for your address book. Carey Curelop is the new program director at KCFX, Kansas City. Highly respected, he ran KZOK for about twenty years and had sway over the other CBS stations in Seattle at the time, KJAQ and KFNQ, notably not KMPS, whose control room butted against KZOK. He’s spent time in LA, Detroit and Tampa, too….KOMO photographer Brad Baker retires after 38 years, taking a few awards with him…Gwen Baumgardner is new to KIRO=TV, after being a reporter-anchor for a news service in Omaha…KING-TV’s director of local programming, Lindsay Sieverkropp, is Bezos-bound, moving to Amazon after a dozen years at KING…Tony Russell, who co-hosted Fitz in the Morning on KKWF for ten years before moving to Portland, is now doing mornings at KFWR in Dallas.

Off ramp. We saw this coming. Traffic anchor Tracy Taylor quit her afternoon reporting at KIRO-FM, as noted below, and now has quit the other half of her day, reporting on the S curves et al in the morning for KIRO-TV. She reported for KING-TV before that. Future jobs to quit have not yet been announced.

Full spectrum weather. Former KING-TV meteorologist Rhonda Lee is now boss weather lady for Spectrum News New York State, based in Syracuse. She was at KING from 2016 to 2018.

Two to miss. Cancer has taken two more from our community. Cheryl Stewart was senior marketing exec at KING-TV, putting in 25 years at the station. She retired in 2016 and had been living in Montana…And Steve Oshin lost his long fight. He managed KKWF and KMTT for Bonneville to wind up a 20-year career. He then moved into the fund-raising game with Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, and then into marriage counseling on Bainbridge Island. Ever positive, he’d just sent out invitations to this 65^th birthday party.

Gracious. The 47^th annual Gracie Awards are out, from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. As you might guess, they salute “exemplary programming created by, for and about women in the media.” Local TV winner is Deborah Horne, who’s been at KIRO-TV for approximately ever, and KIRO-FM, for features on Gold Star moms, and the Figgy Puffing Choir. (Yes, two separate stories.)

Right talk. Answering the question posed at the end of the Sports Talk item below, we now have one less sports talk station and one more conservative talk station. iHeart has switched KFNQ to KPTR (1090 AM) and will brand it The Patriot, “Seattle’s Real Talk.”  You’ll be really listening to Premier Network stars like Glenn Beck (former Mt. Vernon and Seattle broadcaster), Sean Hannity, and others. Their logo is red, white and blue, and features stars and stripes. You don’t need to salute when you turn it on. We are now blessed with four stations airing similar thoughts, two on the left side of the dial, 570 and 770, and one, appropriately, on the far right at 1590…in order, KVI, KTTH, and KLFE, airing, in order, Talk, The Truth and The Answer, as well as KPTR. (May I suggest calling it For Pete’s Sake?)

On the road again. You’ve heard the song “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and the list of cities that goes with it. Greg Schieferstein has his own version working in TV news: Pocatello, Peoria, August, Missoula, Seattle, Toledo, Rockford, Montgomery, Rapid City, Reno. He’s just left KRNV, Reno, for the mystery job “to be announced.” His run through our town was at KSTW as Assignment Editor from 1991 to 1993. He’s a PLU grad and likely candidate for the Rental Truck Hall of Fame.

Also traveling. Jake Garcia may be another candidate. The sports reporter at KVUE, Austin, joins the sports staff at KING-TV. His road map includes 11 stops, all in the western half of the country, starting in Medford. Little grass has grown under the feet of this 26-year-old.

One more. Keisha Burns, a KING-TV weather anchor from 2009 to 2017, is leaving her job at KXAS, Dallas. She’s seeking stardom in another world, quitting TV and going into real estate.

It’s all good. Fox TV is rebranding morning shows in several of its markets, as “Good Day (city).” Expect KCPQ 13 to fall in line. They already have an excellent morning program, but this probably will work well.

A Seattle stop. Niku Kazori is new to the KIRO-TV staff. She’s done it all, anchoring, weather, traffic, and she’s done it all over, Lubbock, Knoxville, Charleston, San Antonio. She moved to the romantic isle of Okinawa (where I spent two long years wielding a microphone for Uncle Sam) to marry her Air Force sweetheart, and now she’s back in this country. She did her learning at a University of St. Thomas. Don’t know which one…there are several, none of which are in the Caribbean.

Shiver your timbers. Yes, KXPB is a real radio station….the first low-power FMer in Paciic Beach. It’s a former pirate station, the kind the FCC is more likely to fine than grant a license to. It began when James Preisinger was given a little FM transmitter usually used for around the house. He stuck an antenna on the roof, and voila…and aaargh. The feds checked it out, and told them to shut it down, which he and his brother immediately ignored. Somehow, through the wonders of government, they’re still there blasting…trickling….”boomer music” to the greater Pacific beach metropolis, and not much beyond…at 89.1.

They come, they go. Many find the job of TV reporter and anchor thrilling, interesting, relatively well-paying, and fun. Others find even more.. Liz Duweke took “vacation” from her morning anchoring at KCPQ. She called it a mental health break. Cole Miller is taking a mental health break from KOMO-TV, and the entire business. Jonathan Choe is out as a reporter at KOMO, for “not meeting editorial standards.” He made a few decisions on his own what stories to cover, not all of which were welcome by management. And, on the positive side, KIRO-TV meteorologist Claire Anderson is off to a more major market, joining WTTG in the other Washington as morning weather person. The Seattle native should get a moving-van platinum card, with a career that included Helena, Santa Barbara and Portland on the way back to Seattle. Ashley Elzinga is the new night host on KQMV-FM, coming from Cleveland. She replaces Julian Nieh, who moved to KPLZ.

With a cherry on top. Townsquare Media has bought Cherry Creek Broadcasting for nearly $19 million, on its way to becoming “the number one digital first local media company in markets outside the top 50.” Take a breath. Included are stations in Wenatchee and the Tri-Cities. It will have 356 stations in 74 markets when the paperwork’s done. That will include putting the two in Tri-Cities into a divestiture trust and spinning off  half dozen others in Missoula.

Where the heart is. I hope I get invited to the opening. KNKX, currently the number one button on my car radios, is moving to a new home…in the Madore Buidling at the Pike Place Market. The very building, then the Fix-Madore Building…don’t know what happened to Fix…where I showed up for work at KMPS for many years in the ’80s. Downside of the move then…giving up free parking at the old KOL transmitter site on Harbor Island. Upside…everything else. My favorite of the four places the station called home. It’s just a great part of town to be in. Manager Joey Cohn, I await your invitation.

Sports changes. Big changes in sports radio broadcasting. OK, not quarterback-change big, not even as big as the stations involved would like us to believe, but still change for the couple of dozen people who listen to them. The biggest of the two is at (now 100-year-old) KJR-AM, adding its broadcasts to the FM dial at 93.3, the former KUBE. They proudly proclaim the only sports format on FM. They also hint at another format change coming soon. The other big change (?) is at KIRO-AM, which has insisted on being called 710 ESPN. No more. It’s rebranded itself “Seattle Sports.” That’s it. Hosts stay the same. Teams stay the same. Just the name change. Still to be heard from is the third sports station, the totally wasted 50,000 watt AM signal at 1090. KFNQ. For “Fine Quality?” “Finicky?” Or the most logical, the least-favorite station of the King in the Wizard of Id comic strip?

Updating, maybe the folks at KJR (remember “channel 95”?) had second thoughts. They’ve dumped the call letters KFNQ for KPTR. I’m reminded when KPEG in Spokane had all women disc jockeys, all “named” Peg.  Will we hear sports from “Pete” at AM 1090?

A voice we won’t hear any more….John Clayton. The Hall of Fame broadcaster earned the nickname The Professor for his deep knowledge of the NLF, and was on the air at KIRO ESPN 710 AM Sports Around Here for 14 years. Clayton died after a brief illness. He was 67.

A century. One hundred years. A long time for any business to survive. And in the month of March, two radio stations in western Washington reach that mark….KJR and KGY. (KJR’s original paperwork named it KJAR, but that was quite literally a typo, quickly fixed.) There were a few early four-call-letter stations, including the first, KDKA, Pittsburgh, but three call letters are worth hanging on to if possible. A few here have, and a few others have died. (Name as many as you can. There aren’t that many.) Congratulations are in order.

HOF. The Country Radio Broadcasters 2022 Hall of Fame class has been announced. The seven inductees include Becky Brenner, co-founder of consultant firm Albright & O’Malley and Brenner. She’s spent 45 years in the business so far, 26 at KMPS. She started as the evening disc jockey. I remember after hearing her, then meeting her, the morning jock and I agreed “she didn’t sound so tall.” She went through several other positions up to PD and Director of Operations. She’s the one who presided over my retirement broadcasts. She’s won a pile of awards and held top spots in national trade groups. Well deserved. I couldn’t be happier (I know how important that is to everybody).

KINGly. New signatures on the paychecks at KING-TV. The new owner is Standard General, one of those suspicious-sounding names that doesn’t tell you a thing about what they do. For 5.4 billion dollars, they bought Tegna, a totally made-up name using letters from Gannett, which spun it off. They beat out Apollo Global Management, another one of those names, for the honor of spending all that money. There are 64 TV stations in 51 markets involved. Among other things, the new owners promise to “shake things up” That may keep a few folks awake at night.

In and out. Through the “out” door, KING reporter Amy Moreno, heading into a presumably cushy government job with Washington State. Her hubby, Joel Moreno, will keep on reporting at KOMO-TV. Not many married couples working on air for competing stations.  One less now. Also out of the biz, Jennifer Lawson, after 19 years in TV, the last eleven as News Producer at KOMO-TV. She’s now Content Specialist for Talking Rain beverage company….On the way in, to KING, photojournalist Nick Goldring,  coming from WHAS in Louisville, Kentucky.

Awards, maybe. The National Association of Broadcasters is out with the list of 50 nominated stations for Crystal Radio awards for best this or that in radio. Seattle nominees include FM stations KIRO, KRWM, and KJR. The hardware goes out in late April.

Wright out. One of Seattle’s better TV anchors, Mark Wright, has left KING-TV after 11 years. Before that, he was at KCPQ for eight years. He had the right capabilities, serious when needed, pretty darned funny when possible. He’s leaving the business, and, early on, not sharing what his next adventure will be.

Honors. The Academy of Country Music’s 57^th pile of awards has been announced. National Weekly Air Personality of the Year is B-Dub, Bryan Washington, afternoon jock at KNUC The Bull. The award is for his nationally-syndicated Saturday night show.. No other ACM awards in our part of the world.

 Changing tunes. iHeartMedia’s KUBE is no longer hip-hopping, changing to CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio, in case you forgot). No more yet on any further changes and who their stars will be, local or otherwise. By way of explanation, the station said “we periodically review our programming to ensure we’re meeting our listener’s needs and”…about then, I started to doze off.

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For Larry. I had the privilege of knowing Larry longer than many of you. We met in the mid-’60s when he was the Seattle Times Green River bureau chief in Kent, and I was news director and morning guy at KREN, Renton. Somehow I manage to convince Times management to allow Larry to provide very local news to me. It was the start of what became a mutual admiration society that just kept going. I suspect he was half of many of those. I fondly remember the high pay I got for writing the broadcast column…a glass or two of wine at the Newport Grill every summer. (He still owes me for this summer.) I will miss teasing him about his advancing years, especially since I’ve got him beat by about six months. I thank him for the opportunity to keep the creative sludge flowing and stay in touch with the business I love, by writing about it. Looking for the positives: he did not suffer for a long time and, thanks to his daughter and others, he leaves behind a legacy that will continue. He will be well remembered. RIP, LC.

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Do something else. KIRO-TV reporter Andrew Scheinthal is leaving the station after about six months, and leaving the business after about ten years at four different stations. In a lengthy Facebook announcement, he detailed everything he doesn’t like about the business…the unusual hours, the so-so pay, having to stand out in the rain…many other things that, while true, are worth it to most of those you see and hear. If it’s not, then you should get out of the business. That’s just what he’s doing, so he should be thanked. And the business should be grateful it’s shedding a less-than-enthusiastic employee. Both will be better for it.

Stuck on you. No, no, no, radio stations, you cannot do this on purpose. Keep telling yourselves that. Eric Lacitis of the Times has reported some Mazda drivers have found there’s a technical problem with their radio that sticks that radio on KUOW and won’t let go. You can’t change stations. As I understand it, there’s a glitch in the gizmo that jams the jimmyjohn and fries the foofram. There’s more to it, but that’s all you’ll get from me. Many people are trying to fix it, possibly even KUOW. Meantime, enjoy all your things considered, and question any future KUOW ratings.

More isobars. Look farther down this column to note all the changes of weather people lately. And, there’s more…much more. Fox TV, the news part, not the bloviator part, is adding full-time 24-hour weather to many platforms, including some of its owned TV stations. You can get a peak at it here on channel 22, Joe TV, or QTV jr., weekdays from 1 to 2, and Sundays from 3 to 5 AM. You may have that one all to yourself.

Out on a Lim. One of those weather people, Grace Lim, who left KCPQ in July, is back on the air on KNDO-TV, Yakima, and sister station KNDU-TV, Richland. And another former KCPQ star, feature reporter Ellen Tailor, has started a new podcast. Don’t know the subjects for sure, but based on past experience, I’ll bet food will be involved.

Well-suited. Former KIRO FM evening host Brian Suits is back on the air he mornings with sister station KTTH-AM. He left town in 2002 for the glitz and glamor of Southern California. A person can take only so much of that.

Fever. Worthy of note is the death of actor Howard Hesseman at 81, from complications of colon surgery. He had many roles, but is best known as Dr. Johnny Fever, the disc jockey on that fine documentary TV show, WKRP in Cincinnati, where people got a really good look at radio. It was less acting for him than other roles, since he had been a radio disc jockey at WQXI, Atlanta, in his wild youth. There are northwest connections to the show. Last I heard, Richard Sanders, who played my hero newsman Les Nessman, lives in Woodinville. Also actress Loni Anderson, who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, is married to my UW classmate Bob Flick of The Brothers Four. (It’s her husband four.) And Gordon Jump, who was clueless manager Arthur Carlson, looked enough like KMPS manager Jim McGovern, we were pretty sure they were the same guy.

More weather. Doing the weather back home is Christopher Nunley, from  KVUE in Austin, Texas,  joining the isobar watchers at KING-TV. He’s an Everett native raised in Mason County, where his family still lives. He says he’s happy to forecast the weather for the home folks. And he’s got some smarts, with a PhD after his name, although his announcement doesn’t say from where. Presumably he can spell it.

Fox-bound. After 14 years as a sports reporter at KJR AM, Curtis Crabtree has moved across town to KCPQ, to be Sports Digital Content Creator. He’s also spent nine years at ProFootballTalk.com and may keep in touch with them.

Add on. New on the reporting staff at KOMO-TV is Paul Rivera. He comes from WESH in Orlando. He’s a Puerto Rico native.

Good sport. The National Sports Media Association has named Ian Furness Washington Sportscaster of the Year. You can hear him on KJR and see him on KCPQ. To call him broadcasting royalty may be a bit strong, but it’s in his bones. His father Milt was a long-time reporter at KOMO-TV. That makes him one of the few second-generation people on the air around here, people with family names like Van Cise, French, and some others.

Crossing town. When Rebecca Stevenson first came to KIRO-TV several years ago, a co-worker of mine at KMPS referred to her as “the hot weather chick.”  While still true, that’s probably not the kind of thing one would say in these more enlightened times. She left for KING, took a try at the Al Jazeera attempt at a new national network, which hasn’t worked out as planned, and she returned to KING. Now, she’s on the move again, going to KOMO-TV to fill the weather hole left when Abby Acone moved over to KCPQ. We’re going to need a chart to keep track of all this.

News news. We could be getting a new addition to the local TV news wars  CBS is building what it calls a local news innovation lab at its stations in Dallas, with the aim of providing “hyper-local” news to its owned stations, which include KSTW here. Haven’t heard yet what it might mean we’ll be seeing Some years ago, before CBS ownership, the station had a substantial local news effort.

Ins and outs. Happy to make room in the retirement lounge for Glenn Farley, leaving KING after 35 years of science reporting, aviation, and apparently on a slow day, a nice interview with me on my retirement. 

Former KOMO reporter and recent freelancer Patrick Quinn is leaving town, to join WGCL, a CBS affiliate in Atlanta.

Aaron Wright, late of KENS, San Antonio, says he’s happy to move to Seattle to be a new anchor at KIRO-TV.

Two new reporters in town, Brady Wakayama at KING, Seattle-born and made smart at WSU, from Eugene most recently, and Dan Griffin, working the streets for KCPQ, last at WLWT. Cincinnati.

Finding a room. One of my favorite ex-co-workers, and one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet, Linda Thomas, has a new job. She part-timed at KMPS now and then, did four years at KIRO-FM, then left the business. She says she likes the idea of working for a founder-led business, and found one, Amazon, where she went as “director of story telling” or something like that. Now, she’s off to another world, at Air BNB, in a similar job. Whatever it is she’s doing, I know she’ll do it well.

Fab 50. The little station that could, and did, KEXP, is celebrating its 50^th year with special events all year long. The station has become a leader in music broadcasting, with a solid reputation everywhere. It began as KCMU, a ten-watt student-run station at the UW. It came into being because the current student-run station, KUOW, was getting too big and important, and has gone on to become a ratings leader in the market, Now we wait to see what comes along when KEXP gets too big and important.

Now on 4. Jackie Kent is now reporting for KOMO-TV. She’s a native of Huntington Beach, CA, and comes from KRQE in Albuquerque where she was an MMJ, a multi-media journalist, which means she has to bring her own camera and write her story for TV, on-line and any other emerging media, much more than the older among us ever had to do.

What’s in a name. One of the older and most respected set of radio call letters in Seattle is no more. KOMO is out, replaced by KNWN AM/FM. I remember when, noting the dial AM position of 1000, they marketed as “Seattle’s one grand station” for a while. That was then, this is now, and the split from KOMO-TV is history. Yes, KING-TV and KING-FM have separate owners (but no more KING-AM) and KIRO-TV has separate owners from the KIRO radios, but apparently KOMO-TV’s new owner, Sinclair, and Lotus, where it dumped its radio stations, could not consider sharing the call letters, old and respected as they are. You will be missed.

Jammed. There are only so many times you can talk about the traffic jams in the S-curves, so KIRO-FM afternoon traffic reporter Tracy Taylor is calling it quits…sorta. She’s been doing this for about five years, and at KJR before that. “Time to step away from the mic,” she says, and “work on recovery.” One thing that could slow that down…she’s continuing the reports on KIRO-TV’s morning news.

Investigating. KING-TV adds PJ Randhawa as Investigate Race and Equity reporter. She was doing the same sort of thing at KSDK-TV in St. Louis, and has a pile of awards to show for that.

Almost all new. It’s like having a new radio station in Seattle. KPLZ-FM picked up a new owner, Lotus Communications, and some of its top help left, as noted elsewhere here. The new year brought replacements. Seattle native Lisa Adams takes over as program director and afternoon host. Moug and Angie are the new morning team. They all come from Boise.  And Julian on the radio is covering afternoons. (No, he’s not from the large “on the radio” family. Last name Nieh.)

Matt on the move. Former KOMO TV reporter Matt Markovich has followed a few others up the path from Sinclair to Fox, joining FOX 13 KCPQ. He’s their new political reporter, a job that needs at least one full-timer any more.

Music won’t stop. Another exit from Sinclair’s KPLZ-FM is Alisa Hashimoto. You may not know the name, but you’ve heard the results of her work. She’s been music director at the station for 30 years. She rightly calls it “an amazing ride.” Don’t know of future plans, but she’s earned a rest.

Also on the way out, Jessamyn McIntyre, exeutive producer at KCPQ Fox 13, and WSU football sideline reporter. She had many thanks for all her co-workers, several of whom beat her out the door, and did not announce any future plans.

Coming in to 13, Katherine Barner, producing the 4 pm weekday newscast. She comes from KHQ, Spokane, where she spent the past 2-1/2 years learning the business.

Too good a deal. The latest to step away from a long broadcast career is Kent Phillips, PD and on-air talent at KPLZ-FM for 35 years. He’s not retiring (nothing to be afraid of, Kent) but joining radio research firm FMR Associates.  He’ll be taking his own consulting firm, TCCPRADIO, with him. He says it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Can’t say the timing, the sale of the station by Sinclair to Lotus Communications, had anything to do with it. Can’t say it didn’t, either. He’s had plenty of side hustles along the way….afternoon TV talk show host, a lot of stage work, things like that. A multi-talented guy moving those talents to the “broadcast adjacent” category.

New at Lotus. Veteran programmer Mike Abrams is now regional programming guy for Lotus, overseeing stations in Seattle and Bakersfield. His background includes stations in New York, Phoenix and Atlanta, along with Sirius and iHeart media.

New at Fox. Joining the traffic jam at the doors at KCPQ Fox 13, are reporters Alejandra Guzman, from San Antonio, and Dan Griffin, from Chicago. And, the station has two new Assistant News Directors, former Managing Editor Denise Guerrero and Kelly Hatmaker, from KHQ, Spokane. Check back in an hour. There may be more.

Staying in Florida. Another of my former bosses is moving up. Tim Murphy has been elevated to Operations Manager at Cumulus stations in Florida, and PD for country station WXBM in Pensacola. He was PD at KMPS from 1987 to 95.

Replacing Tom. John Curley has a new co-host afternoons on KIRO-FM, replacing Tom Tangney, who retired. Shari Elliker comes from Baltimore, where she was Communications Director for the state’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. She also worked at WBAL there and WHFS, Washington, and has considerable voice work.

On the move. KCPQ Fox 13 apparently is becoming one of those places where everybody works…for a while. Latest through the in door, Abby Acone, moving from KOMO-TV to fill in a hole in the weather department. The memo at KOMO did little more than the usual “best wishes” for her future endeavors.

Moving across Lake Union to Eastlake, former KCPQ morning host Travis Mayfield has been doing some co-hosting of KIRO-FM’s morning news.

And down the hall, Todd Herman has walked away from his morning hosting on KTTH-AM. He plans to move his morning efforts to a podcast, with greater emphasis on religion and less on politics. Note that there was a time when he worked for the Republican National Committee. Enough of that, he says.

And back up the street at Sinclair, Kara Kostanich ends nine years of reporting for KOMO. She wanted to spend more time with family, asked for part-time, got told “no,” so took this option.

Done, but not done. “At the age of 67, I just realized I’ve got a few others things I still want to do.” KIRO-FM’s Tom Tagney is the latest among us to say that.  So, the afternoon host (along with John Curley, currentl also trying to avoid baldness in TV spots) is moving on to retirement. Yes, we have room on the lounge. He’s been at KIRO for 27 years, doing news desk work, reviewing movies, probably cleaning ou the microwave now and then, and somehow thinks there’s more to life. Good luck in your new chosen field.

Aloha.. Being a disc jockey in Hawaii sounds like a pretty sweet deal, especially if you don’t care all that much about money. But, a year doing morning drive at KKOA, Hilo, was enough for Cory Edmondson, who’s off to unannounced plans. He went there from Idaho Falls. He’s also worked in Eugene, Portland, and KMTT, Seattle.

Staying on. I feel pretty good In knowing when everything goes south on us, our civilization has collapsed, and we’re wandering a post-apocalypic world., we’ll still be abte to share our opinions of the Mariners and Seahawks and other sports stuff on KIRO-AM 710 ESPN. The Bonneville station and FEMA have completed an all-hazards upgrade…the 14^th station in the country to do so…with increased sheltering, sustainable power and expanded capacity so it can keep on broadcasting through pretty much any hazard. It will be one of 77 stations that will be part of the National Public Warning System Primary Entry Point to keep us informed. Sleep well tonight.

New home. iHeartMedia San Antonio has named Alek Halverson as program director for KAJA-FM there. A career that began in Fargo brought him to Seattle briefly as PD at KKWF.

Moving up. KSTW TV has a new veep and station manager, Joe Freni. He’s moving down the hall from his old office as sales and marketing director. He’s been at the CBS-owned station for ten years.

Moving sideways. Former KIRO-TV reporter Matthew Smith is adding to the traffic at the in and out doors at KCPQ Fox 13, He’s joined the station for field reporting and some anchoring.

Look up. Here’s a neat job you may not have thought about…drone pilot and photographer. Matt Landers now has that job at KOMO-TV. He comes here from Syracuse.

A great EXPierience. Whatever has happened to non-profit music station KEXP in the past 31 years is pretty much the fault of Tom Mara, leaving his job as Executive Director next summer. He’s built it into an important venue for musicians, with a great performance facility on the Seattle Center grounds. He will assist in finding his replacement.

What a Wunda. A true Seattle TV Pioneer has died. Ruth Prins, a UW teacher and actor played the roll of Wunda Wunda on KING-TV from 1951 to 72 after the station hired her to develop children’s programming. Along the way, she won the station’s first Peabody Award. She was 101.

A big consult. What would KMPS do? Not a question that gets asked much anymore since my last employer shut the door. But there’s still a possible answer at the consulting firm of A&O&B. two founders of which, Jaye Albright and Becky Brenner, were former program directors at the station. (Mike O’Malley never achieved that status.) Now, the last PD at the company. Kenny Jay, has hired on. Rename to A&O&B&J? Dunno.

Two out the door. KOMO TV news anchor Ryan Yamamoto is heading south to join KPIX, San Francisco. He was five years in town. And Brandi Kruse has left KCPQ after seven years.

New in town, Erica Zucco has arrived in Seattle, signing on with KING-TV. She comes from three years at KENS, San Antonio.

Back and forth. Former KIRO TV reporter Patrick Quinn is now a former KOMO-TV reporter, and he’s back at KIRO. He left KIRO in 2017, put in three years at KOMO, and maybe likes the rut he seems to be in.

From Chicago. Jay Styles, former music director and afternoon host at WSHE-FM, Chicago, stayed with Hubbard, but has moved to KQMV here to do those two jobs and assistant program director. He put in five years in Chicago.

Grande exit. Twenty-five years reporting for one station is not unheard of, but it’s above average. Alison Grande has done that at KIRO-TV, and has called it a career. She’s moving on to one of those cushy government jobs many aspire to, joining the Justice Department. I don’t believe she has a law degree. Safe to guess it will be a PIO job of some sort. She may be leading a so-far short parade out the door at Broadcast House. Dave Wagner, investigative reporter and evening anchor, has been there since 2015. And Essex Porter, has been at the station for 40 years, lately as political reporter. Both are leaving. Way back in the way back when I was there, it was known for a fairly quick turnover of help. Losing long-time employees like these must be worrying somebody in the upstairs offices. Certainly should be.

Wary. As if TV station owners don’t have enough to worry about…paying the help, keeping the lights on, regulations…now comes a decidedly modern worry: ransomware. If you were watching KOMO-TV’s 4 PM news Oct. 17, you saw the results. The anchors opened by apologizing for “technical issues” that would prevent the usual offering. They managed to cobble together a half hour newscast, before filling with a prerecorded feature. Turns out an attack on Sinclair affected most or all its stations, messing with many if their capabilities and probably stealing some data.  It’s not the first time this has happened. Other operators, Audacy, Cox, Entercom, Salem, and more, have been hit, too, in the last couple of years. Some have paid…a half million, a million…others haven’t said. Sinclair noted a disruption of parts of its business, including “certain aspects of its provision of local advertisements by its local broadcast stations on behalf of its customers.” An overly wordy way of saying they couldn’t get the paid ads on the air. I recall a while back a weekend morning newscast on KOMO had the same issue, lasting only 15 minutes before bailing out. I don’t know if they’ve called that one ransomware or not, but it sure looked like it. And it’s not just TV. The only radio stations Sinclair owned, KOMO, KVI and KPLZ, also were affected. Lotus Communications just bought those stations for $18 million, and probably is going through the paperwork to see if there’s a refund clause or something. Unfortunately, it’s likely there will be more of this. I can remember when my biggest worry as a radio dj was a needle sticking on a record. Ah, good times.

Ta ta Travis. The exodus continues at KCPQ, now Fox 13. Morning co-anchor Travis Mayfield says it was contract renewal time, new management wanted him to do something he hadn’t signed up for, so he decided to leave. (A process with which I am familiar.) He put in about eight years there, most recently as the “live update” and goofy story anchor. No definite plans yet, except to stay in town, and, like every other early morning type, to sleep in.

Everett to Seattle. Many of our local TV weathercasters happily talk of spending all or most of their lives here, so they know our local weather. Mike Everett can make no such claim. The newest meteorologist at KING-TV comes from NBC in Palm Springs, and has worked in Orlando and Colorado. He learned stuff at the University of Central Florida, and taught stuff at U-Cal San Bernardino. He’s referred to as a “great weather storyteller.” And yes, I think he should be driving at Toyota Tacoma.

Give an assist. The latest ringmaster at the three-ring-circus that is KCPQ-KZJO TV news is Jake Wiederrich, assistant news director since July of ’21, now moving up to replace news director Eric Breon, who left about the same time after 16 months at the station. Wiederrich has worked at KIRO-TV, and stations in Portland and San Francisco. He got his smarts at the University of Portland, and says he “caught lightning in a bottle” by getting this job. The way things have been changing around there, he may go searching for something else in a bottle.

Back on the air. Sports broadcaster and writer Jim Moore, longtime host on KIRO-AM-call-me-ESPN is back on the air now at KJR, joining Jason Puckett for mid-days. He put in ten years at the other place, ending with the big staffing sweep last November. He’s glad to be joining a fellow Coug. Some might think that’ll make for great radio. Others might suggest two Cougs together might equal one Husky. Join in.

Tracing Tracey. No word yet why Tracey Leong is no longer co-hosting KIRO-TV’s morning news. She started there in October, 2019. She’s not mentioned on the station web site, but her tweet hints at sunshine and beaches. This could end the confusion….I doubt there was any…with traffic reporter Tracy Taylor.

In public. Cascade Public Media is what happened a few years ago when several organizations decided they’d do better together than separately. First was channel 9, KCTS-TV (I was there in the announce booth when it started in 1954…,yikes), which joined with Crosscut Public Media, which then acquired Piranha Partners (fish involved? No) which then created Hive Media Lab (bees? Again, no). Now, it has acquired David Lee to be Executive Editor of all that. He’s been news director at WFRV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for the past two years.

Of isorbars and cumuli. It’s important to an on-air person to be able to say goodbye to viewers or listeners, and, when retiring, it’s nice to be able to introduce your replacement. KCPQ morning weather lady MJ McDermott got to do both, welcoming Brian MacMillan to take her chair. (“It’s nice and warm,” says he.) He grew up in Lynnwood, went to WSU, and started his career standing in the rain in Bend, Oregon. Says she: everything will be OK.

Mattless. Below is a mention of Matt Lorch leaving KCPQ. He had a nice “goodbye” video on his last day. And, another Matt, Markovich, has left his reporting job at KOMO-TV after being there since 1994. No word yet on his next stop.

She’s special. KNKX-FM has announced that Mayowa Aina has joined as a special projects reporter and producer. The UW grad has worked at KUOW, and most recently as an education reporter for Alaska Public Media.

Big in Missoula. Never-stale Jubal Fresh has entered the broadcast wars in Missoula, with the syndicated Jubal Show now on KXDR there. The station is owned by Cherry Creek Media, owner of stations in Wenatchee and elsewhere in this quarter of the country.

Long trip. New on the KIRO-TV reporting staff is Andrew Scheinthal. He’s from about as far away as you can get, last at WSVN in Miami. He got his smarts at Suffolk Univ., in Boston, and says he was excited about moving to Seattle, after seeing somebody’s survey calling it the most neighborly city in the country. He may or may not believe the survey. Miami came in 4^th, and he said no, “I lived there, and people are mean.” So much for his possible next job with the Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Foxy. Bill Wixey joked about $13 fines when he said Q13 instead of Fox 13 on the first day of a rebranding for the station. Or was he joking? And channel 22 is no longer JOE TV. It’s Fox13+. Some new graphics and a few new things to say, but a relatively minor new look. The non-media person with whom I share a life asked if it was worth the trouble. Of course it was, to some consultant’s bottom line. It’s also a move in a direction I don’t like..,.elevating the network name above the station name…..ABC 15, CBS 4, like that. Of course, three of our other locals have the advantage of pronounceable call letters, KOMO, KING and KIRO. You can’t pronounce KCPQ without involving a sneeze or something. Other media writers have mentioned troubles at the station. On the day this was written, the station website listed 17 job openings, on air and off, management to worker bees. I don’t think that’s a good sign. And Bill, pay up and say it right.

One of those openings may be filled now. Grace Chapin has made the not uncommon move from Spokane to Seattle, coming from KHQ to join the Fox 13 (no fine for me) weather team. She’s a Kansas native who went to Belmont University in Nashville, and interned at a couple of sports teams

On ice. Former KRWM morning co-host Ashley Ryan has moved to KJR to executive produce the morning show and be affiliate coordinator for the Kraken Audio Network. And Mike Benton has been hired to host pre-mid-and post-game shows for Kraken broadcasts. He was PR guy for the Everett Silvertips.

Outs and ins. I’m happy to make room on the couch at my almost-real Retired Broadcaster Lounge and Paint Shop for Channel 13 weather wonder MJ McDermott (Mary Jane? Martha Joe? Muriel Jim? I never found out.) who’s sliding into retirement after 19 years there. None of this “more time with the twins” or such stuff. She’s tired of getting up so early. Many of us can relate. Brian MacMillan comes up from KPTV, Portland, to fill her comfortable shoes.

Afternoon anchor Matt Lorch is also leaving, getting out of the business to concentrate on raising money for non-profits (which most stations try hard not to be). He’s been there over ten years

Charmin Flojo is coming through the “in” door, joining Q13 as a digital producer. She’s done Emmy-winning work at KIRO TV

KOMO AM reporter/anchor Charlie Harger is moving a few blocks west to take over as News Director at KIRO FM. He’s put in 19 years at KOMO, and 20 as an instructor at Green River Community College.

Greg Otterholt takes a whack at those early morning hours, co-hosting with Lynette Morgan on KWPZ-FM, Lynden. He spent 17 years on the air in various jobs at KVOS-TV, Bellingham.

KING-TV marketing executive Casey Anderson is back in the office after a 14-month self-imposed sabbatical. He’s been with the company since 2012.

A little mention of two potentially big deals. The FCC has cancelled Sinclair’s license to cover for KOMO-FM. And Apollo Global Management, which is at the front end of the list of owners of KIRO-TV, is making an $8 billion offer to buy Tegna, owner of KING and KONG. They’ve tried before, and failed. This time, they got Standard General to be on their side to try again. SG already owns a small chunk of Tegna, and tried early to make some changes at the company. So it’s a second chance for it, too. This is where we start shaking our heads.

Time to go. More than one broadcaster around here remembers Tom Evans Krause, the instructor and man behind KGRG AM and FM at Green River College in Auburn. After 27 years of molding young minds who still wanted to get into the business, he’s retiring. The station claims it helped spawn grunge music in the 80s, for which I suppose we should thank them. We’ll make room for him at my still-hoped-for Retired Broadcasters’ Lounge and Massage Parlor.

Solid Ground. The building that houses KIRO-TV, called Broadcast House…no points for cleverness…has been sold by Cox Media Group to Essex Property Trust. Although first pronouncements were that no changes were planned except where the check goes, it is a mere three-story building plus parking, in a growing part of town. Let the speculation begin.

You bet. Keeping up with Femi Abebefe: the former KOMO TV sports director whose name sounds like it could have come from the mouth of a former president, has signed on with VSIN, the Sports Betting Network, as it expands its programming. He’ll anchor weekday mornings and take part in weekday shows. The company also is adding Dave Ross, but not our Dave Ross of KIRO. Yes, Dave, there’s another you, with a big background in sports broadcasting in the midwest and Washington, D.C. (No, I haven’t seen them in the same room together. Just sayin’…)

More out. KING5 weather man Craig Herrera is gone, joining Fox weather’s new streaming service…Seattle Times Sportswriter Danny O’Neill has left his side-hustle as a co-host on KIRO-FM, and, according to his newspaper-length blog, apparently is OK with it…KNUC-FM’s midday host-music director-assistant program director Wingnut has left all those titles behind as he heads out…In the other direction, former KEXP-FM producer and project manager Kelsey Brannan has been named general manager of the Univ. of Wisconsin (the other UW) station WSUM, the largest college radio station in the country.

Making changes. Some smaller stations in our area are doing what they can to get noticed. Jodesha Broadcasting as asking to make some changes on KJET-FM, 105.7, in the almost-big city of Union, wanting to lower power but do something with the tower on North Mountain. They want to give up some Kitsap Peninsula coverage and increase the signal toward Olympia.

And Bicoast Media has made a dial swap of its two AM stations in Longview, conservative talk and sports talk KEDO 1400 and country station KBAM 1270. Yes, there’s a reason, having to do with their translator stations and signal strength that only engineers are supposed to understand, and I’m not one.

Jobs jobs. Many of us retired folks are actively NOT looking for work, but if we were, the jobs are out there. KNDO-KNDU in Yakima-Tri Cities is looking for a TV news director to replacing retiring Jennifer Hardy… And several of our local TV stations are short in the weather department. That’s why you’ve been seeing the “chief” or top forecasters working weekends or other-than-usual shifts Three of our four local news operations seem to have some openings. Here’s your chance.

On the other hand, quoting from Insideradio.com: using synthetic voice technology to create radio advertising might actually represent a major step forward. Quoting what I expect to hear from most every freelance voice talent I know: uh….but…

Eye on ratings. CBS TV has made much of its “new” morning show, still trying to dig itself out of third spot among the networks. Gayle King is still queen, Anthony Mason has been sent back to reporting arts and entertainment. And former Seahawks (and Vikings) star Nate Burleson has joined the table. Should help the ratings here, since he has family in the area. CBS is promising more in-depth stories. They didn’t ask me, but I wonder if that’s what early morning viewers want. They are in new studios. They’ve borrowed heavily from CBS Sunday Morning for the opening trumpet and graphics heavy on yellow and orange. And, they’ve made a name change for the program. Somebody got paid big bucks to change CBS This Morning to….wait for it…CBS Mornings. That’s the kind of forward thinking that’s going to bring in new viewers, I’m almost sure.

It’s DUN. Updating from farther down in the column, KDUN in Reedsport, Oregon, is back on the air, at 1030 AM. Yes, it signed on at 10:30 AM on Labor Day. It’s the labor of love for Delilah Rene, the syndicated Seattle personality who began at that station way back in her high school days, and recently bought it. Yes, she’ll be heard on it, from six to midnight. (Along with 130 other stations.) Just to be safe, they started with two branding messages, “The Heart of the Oregon Coast,” and “The Voice of the Oregon Dunes.” She’ll continue her syndicated broadcasting from her home in Port Orchard. (No, not “The Heart and Voice of the Kitsap Peninsula.”)

As promised. We all believe in truth in advertising, right? Of course we do. (A moment here for snickers and guffaws.) So try to get into the mind of Marty Bender. The veteran radio programmer in Cincinnati has stepped away from broadcasting, and gone “adjacent,” with his new company, called “Worst Consultant Ever.” I haven’t seen his client list. If there is one.

Eventful. Lisa Keil has left her job as marketing manager for KCMS-FM to join Christian Music Broadcasters as Events Manager. Events include bringing such broadcasters from around the world together to help spread their message.

HOFer. More names are going into the Radio Hall of Fame, including a list of 33 Legends, an award literally to die for. Included: Pat O’Day, famous for deejaying at KJR in the 60’s, promoting concerts, and then moving into peddling real estate in the San Juans. (If there’s a real estate HOF, he’ll probably end up there, too.) One reason Pat was admired and liked by many is that he knew he was famous, enjoyed it, and was the first to laugh at how absurd it was. He died in August of 2020.

And the Radio Wayne awards list is out for this year, including Roger Nelson of Morgan Murphy Media in Spokane. He’s in the Streetfighter category. No cages involved (usually). The awards are for managers and sellers.

Camel back. Farther down in this column is the story of Drew Bland, former program director at KKWF in Seattle, leaving his job at Monument Records in Nashville, for “an opportunity to be announced soon.” Now we have passed “soon,” and here it is: he’s returning to KMLE, Phoenix, as local brand manager and executive producer. He put in seven years at the station a while back.

Listen here. Much has been written here about Bustos Media’s various moves around here, even though many of us couldn’t actually pick up their signals. That may change with FCC approval to move the license for KZTM-FM from Centralia to McKenna, a wide spot in the road near Yelm, with a population closing in on 900. But, if the Feds okay the second part, the transmitter will move to the Olympic Peninsula, giving it coverage over much of King County. The company programs mainly Mexican music.

NY to WA. If you really miss Syracuse….and who among us doesn’t?….this should make you feel better. Farah Jadran is new reporter and weekend anchor at KING-TV. And Niko Tamurian has taken over as sports director at KOMO-TV. They both come from CNY Central, which provides coverage for several stations in Syracuse, NY. And yes, they are a couple, expecting their first child soon. And yes, they brought their three dogs. They have overcome one challenge for married TV stars, moving from one market to another, together.

Murrows. A couple of broadcasting’s highest awards are coming to Seattle. The Radio Television Digital News Association Edward R. Murrow awards will be handed out in New York City in October. KOMO-TV picks up one for feature reporting, for its story “Boy Who Loves Cars.” And Dave Ross picks up an Excellence in Writing award for work he does at his side-hustle for CBS Radio. He spends most of his time at KIRO-FM. Huzzahs to all concerned. (Look it up if you have to.)

Morning Mason. You may remember Susan Moussette from her 13 years at KQMV Movin 92.5 in Seattle. By her middle name, Morgan, the single name she used on air. She left the Factoria broadcast palace in 2020 to do other stuff, and now is back on the air, as the morning host on KLIF-FM in Dallas. She’s big on social media, with 287,000 followers on Tik Tok, but now says “being a very famous, talented and beautiful Tik Tok model isn’t the lucrative future I had imagined.” She hopes waking up Dallas will be.

Eyes front. Mr. Hi Tech here (how do you turn this thing on?) keeping up with the latest way broadcasters are trying to get into your mind. Some 900 stations are now toying with a method that will bring visual elements to your car radio dashboard. It’s called Visual Quus. (Get used to it, spellchecker.) The tech firm Quu is behind it, this will bring information about what you’re listening to, and even not-so-subtle reminders of sponsors. Yes, visual ads. On your car radio.  I hope I don’t have to be the one to remind you. If you’re the driver…DON’T LOOK!

New job. Audacy Brand Manager Leslie Scott gets a new title (they seem to have plenty) as VP Audacy Exclusive Stations. (I’ll need a little more research to figure out just what that means.) She’ll oversee company stations in five west coast cities from her office at KNDD-FM in Seattle.

Turn it down. Intelli LLC, operator of KKOL AM 1300, is asking the FCC for authority to operate at lower power, 3.2 kW, at night. Apparently there’s been interference in homes near the transmitter site. Maybe that means those folks were hearing the station on their toasters or tinfoil hats or dentures…don’t know. The station wants to test out various power levels to see how low they need to go.

Morning shifts. Curt Cruse is back as the KPLZ-FM morning man. He was given the heave-ho in March of 2020, along with his co-host and producer, because of budget cuts. He returns just in time for the station, and sisters KOMO AM and FM, to be sold by Sinclair to Lotus… And KCMS-FM is moving its new afternoon team, Erica Parkerson and Steve Sunshine, to mornings, swapping with Sam Kelly, who now gets to sleep in.

The out door. We’ll squeeze over on the sofa at the Retired Broadcasters Lounge and Massage Parlor  (which I’m sure will be built some day somewhere) to make room for Paula Wissel. She started over 30 years ago at what was then KPLU, is now KNKX. She picked up a small trailer-full of awards along the way, including time as the station’s law and justice reporter.

Warm up the whip. KING-TVs new local sales manager is Jesse Wilson. The Shorecrest High School grad began his career as a photojournalist in Mississippi before sliding over to the money side. He started at KING in 2018, and is now responsible for training, managing and supporting the sales team. We can only hope is background included herding cats.

Unsettled. It hasn’t been easy keeping track of Ryan Takeo. He’s now Senior Manager of Investigations at KSHB, Kansas City, fresh from KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri, where he was managing editor. He’s also been a reporter in San Francisco and Grand Rapids. You may remember him from when he passed through KING-TV several years ago. And, he’s an actual assistant professor back there at the U. of Missouri journalism school. Join me in feeling inadequate.

Take a break. Simone Biles took a mental health break from the Olympics, inspiring some, and following the path of others. Those others here would include Ali Bradley and Grace Lim from KCPQ TV, Brit Moorer, from KING-TV, and Colleen O’Brien from KIRO-FM. Add to the list Shelby Flick. The KOMO-TV news producer says it’s time to “focus on my mentals and take time to figure out what’s next.” She spent five years at the station. (I’m in the 13^th year of my break.)

No Larry and Curly. The new face reporting on KOMO-TV belongs to Mo Haider. The 2012 Univ .of Houston grad could be a U-Haul Platinum customer (there should be such a thing, especially for broadcasters). After interning around Houston, he worked in Sioux City, Iowa, then Albuquerque, Green Bay, and Nashville, where he put in three years. His last name is pronounced High’der. His first name is….oh, you can figure that one out.

Hit ‘pause.” You can almost feel the ground shaking on Westlake with all the changes inside the KCPQ13 studios, some mentioned elsewhere here. Add these: News Director Erik Breon, who was placed on administrative leave a while back, says he won’t be coming back. A mutual agreement sort of thing. He’s had some health issues. And, two of the station’s popular programs have been “paused.” Washington’s Most Wanted is hosted by anchor David Rose. Brandi Kruse hosts “The Divide,” a political feature. In both cases, lack of staff is the main reason…a shortage of producers and writers, the people who make the anchors look good. It would seem job opportunities abound.

Tomorrow is closer. We’ve noted some TV commercials including something like “Hey, Siri, remind me to buy….watch…” whatever. Now comes the next step, with Alexa getting in on the action. Some stations are toying with using the digital assistant to request a song on the radio, or chat with the dj. iHeart radio is trying it out on several stations…none here that I know of, but just wait. Alexa could find herself involved in contests, surveys, conversations with actual radio stars, and other things rolling around in devious minds everywhere.

A sports loss. Enough is enough for KOMO-TV Sports Director Mike Ferreri. Choosing not to renew his contract, he leaves after 21 years at the station. He promises “a new adventure” in Seattle, after taking a little time off. Will he ever be able to go to a ball game like a civilian?

New owners. KOZI AM/FM and KZAL-FM have changed hands. Chelan Valley Media Group is buying from Icicle Broadcasting Company. The group is made up of Seattle-area broadcast and media pros. Karen Heric is president of the company. Others involved are Allan Mayer, Matt Peters and Melissa Durfee Davis. KOZI has been on the air for 60 years, and was owned by Icicle, which is owned by Harriet Bullitt, not an unfamiliar family name in broadcasting.

Gripe number…who knows. Among the things I don’t like hearing from reporters, variations of “you can imagine.” No! Don’t make me work that hard. Tell me or show me, so I don’t have to “imagine.” Besides, you can’t trust me to do that part of your job for you. I may “imagine” the wrong thing.

Graceful exit. KCPQ13 weekend weather anchor Grace Lim has left the station after two years. She wants to “take some time to enjoy married life in Oregon.” Not an uncommon goal.

Another move. Let’s follow the career of Drew Bland. He could be forgiven if he chose to use an air name. Or, if that is his air name, what was he thinking? He was PD and night jock (an unusual combination) at KKWF The Wolf in Seattle until middle of 2020, when he joined Monument Records in a promotions job. Now, he’s leaving that, for “a new opportunity to be announced soon.” Not a dull life. He’s worked in radio in Orlando and Phoenix.

Out a while. KIRO-FM morning anchor Colleen O’Brien is on medical leave. She hopes to be back in August, refreshed in body, mind and spirit. She’s not the first around here to take such a break, showing the business is not all the fun-and-games some people think it is.

Beep beep. Before you hit the road, check out KING-TV;s new traffic reporter, Shantee Sumpter. She was last at WACH-TV in Columbia, South Carolina., where she was a reporter, anchor, and host.

Changes at 13. The anxiety level at KCPQ may be higher than normal right now, with several moves. They’ve got a new manager, the news director was put on leave and apparently isn’t coming back, and now the assistant news director, Sean Kennedy, is, according to the station staff memo, “no longer with Q13 News.” Jake Weiderrich comes up from sister station KTVU San Francisco to be temporary deputy substitute fill-in acting assistant news director. (Okay, only the last four words are in the memo.)

Up the ladder. The morning man at KIOK, Tri-Cities, Adam Lamberd, is adding to his titles. He’ll take over the program director job, keeping the “Adam and Jen in the Morning” duties.

Down the hall. Rebecca Perry has made an in-company in-building switch in studios. The KING-TV producer has taken that title to New Day Northwest. (I still question “New Day” at 11 A.M. Seems to me the day is beyond “new” by then. This may be why they didn’t ask me.)

Farther and wider. Two Skyview Network-syndicated deejays from Seattle continue to expand…listener numbers, not waist size, that we know of. Fitz has just added stations in five states to bring his total over 300. And B-Dub (Bryan Washington on his paycheck) has now topped 85 stations around the country, including in Yakima and Spokane.

Back to Florida. Assistant news director and managing editor Lisa Blegen has left KIRO-TV after about six years. It’s an in-company move to Cox Media’s WJAX and WFOX in Jacksonville. She had been at WFTV, Orlando, for three years before coming to Seattle.

That’s the spirit. The new afternoon team at Spirit 105.3 KCMS-FM is Erica Parkerson and Steve Sunshine. It’s a return to the station for Mr. Sunshine (hey, it could be his real name). He hosted a syndicated morning show. She was on a morning show in Charlotte, N.C.

Unwanted.  A suspicious update to the story below about Lotus buying Sinclair’s Seattle radio stations. Reports now indicate the deal includes KOMO AM and FM, but does NOT include those call letters or programming associated with it. To which I say: ?.

To LA.  The Seattle-to-Los Angeles job train rolls on. KIRO-TV reporter Jessica Oh is the latest on board, going to KTTV. She started at KIRO in 2017.

He’s back. Good to know that Kevin Calabro, former voice of the Supersonics (the basketball team, not the airplane*) is back on the air in Portland as play-by-play guy for the Portland Trailblazers. He left the broadcast booth in July of last year for health and family reasons. He followed the bouncing ball in Seattle from 1987 to 2008, and started in Portland in 2016. (*Heard on a radio station near me when Boeing cancelled the SST program: Great. Now we have a basketball team named for a Russian airplane.)

New at 7.  Latest to join the reporting ranks at KIRO-TV is Elle Thomas, coming off three years at KSTU, a Scripps Howard station in Utah. The Arizona State U. grad has worked in Arizona and Colorado, and for CNBC. Her welcome to Broadcast House included a technical problem that froze the first story I saw her doing.

Bull hit. Bryant “Ryder” Konold is new to the morning show at KDBL “The Bull” 92.9 in Yakima, joining two others. He was co-host on “Fitz in the Morning” on KNUC “The Bull” in Seattle. He’s “extremely excited,” calling Yakima “a fun and exciting place.” I spent three years there way back. I don’t recall using those exact words.

Going to Chicago.  You can go home again. KCPQ weather guy and staff gardener Tim Joyce is going big time, moving to WGN, Chicago as weekend morning weather anchor. He grew up in nearby Oak Park. He put in 10 years at Q13, after working at KIRO and at stations in Portland and Eugene.

Heading south.  Jeetz (there’s probably more to his real name) is joining the morning show at Audacy’s KGON, Portland. He’s spent much of his career at sister station KISW, Seattle. Earlier, he was program director at KZND, Anchorage.

More hardware. [Also see Emmy post] The trophy makers are keeping busy filling orders for the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. (That needs a big business card.) Elisa Jaffe has been inducted into the group’s Silver Circle…25 years of more of good stuff. She’s currently the KOMO radio afternoon anchor, but the award goes for her many years down the hall at KOMO TV as reporter, anchor, host, whatever was needed. And, NATAS has handed out regional Emmys. KGW, Portland, gets the overall excellence honors, and there’s a good chance your favorite reporter or anchor picked up some sort of honors.

Going Greene. New at KCPQ 13 is Chynna Greene. You may be thinking like I am that you’d expect to find a name like that on screen doing wrestling or something, but she’s signed on as a quite capable reporter and anchor. She comes from KEZI, Eugene. The Las Vegas native went to U. of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Not leaving. Hubbard Radio says Seth Hughes has signed a new deal to stay on as morning man at KRWM-FM. Maybe to sweeten the deal, they’ve added music director duties. He came to the station in 2019 from way down the hall after a year as mid-day host at KNUC.

Get the picture. New duties for Gloria Angelin at KING-TV. She trades the editor-photojournalist job for editor-photographer. Yes, there’s a difference. She moves from the newsroom to the set of New Day Northwest. She’s been with the station since March of 2020.

Crossing town.  It’s a fairly short move for Cody Miller. The now former KOMO-TV reporter has moved to KING-TV as a digital content producer. He came to KOMO in September, 2020, after a couple of years at a Sinclair station in Las Vegas.

Highs and lows.  Add this to my list of personal gripes. Some of our local weathercasters have taken to calling temperatures in the “upper” or “high” 50s or 60s or whatever number, as being in the “late” 50’s, etc. I don’t see a time factor involved in the heat. I may get used to it, but right now, I don’t plan to.

RIP Bru. Longtime KOMO TV anchor Bill Brubaker has died. The Wazzu grad, who grew up in Spokane, joined KOMO in the ’60s and was there into the ’80s. He went on to be a member of the Snohomish County Council and an assistant secretary of transportation for the state and was big into flying. I ran across him often “in the field,” as well as at one unplanned social afternoon in Spokane where we were at a big company picnic for a firm we both had relatives working for. Highly respected and well-liked are terms that fit him perfectly. His daughter did not announce the cause of death but says he died peacefully in hospital surrounded by family. Bru was 85.

KING-size changes.  The door’s been getting a workout at KING-TV. In: Angeli Kakade as a multi-skilled journalist, often meaning carrying their own camera. She comes from WISH in Indianapolis and there’s a good chance you’ll mispronounce her name on the first try. Out: producer Mike Elias, at the station since 2004, and checking out new opportunities in the Tri-Cities. Other producer Ruben Villaescusa, after four years. Future plans not reported.

Done with radio. The grayer amongst us can remember back when KING ran TV, AM and FM under one owner and in one building. Same for KIRO. Then, they weren’t any more, leaving only KOMO with that distinction. Until now. When Sinclair Media, a major TV owner, came in and bought KOMO TV, the deal included KOMO AM-FM, KVI AM and KPLZ FM, the company’s only radio stations. Until now. Lotus Communications has taken those off Sinclair’s hands in an $18 million deal. Lotus is headquartered in Los Angeles, with radio stations in four western states….now five. Watch for moving vans outside Fisher Plaza.

No rush. There will never be another Rush Limbaugh (responses to that will vary), but you can’t have three hours of air time just sitting around empty. KTTH, Seattle, will fill that void with syndicated talker Dan Bongino, nine till noon. He’s been a cop and a Secret Service agent, and is described as a conservative commentator, radio host, author, perennial candidate and conspiracy theorist. Responses will vary, but not among those who keep listening.

Big rush. More feet will fill the Limbaugh shoes. Premier Networks, which syndicated his show, will offer “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” (no wasted creativity in that title) in its place, featuring…well, you can figure that out. And Cox Media will offer “The Erick Erickson Show” (not much creativity in the family naming him that) to its stations in that same noon-to-three time slot. If you’re not doing anything that time of day, you might want to jump in.

Hey, sport. Alyssa Charlston brings an impressive background to her new job as sports reporter and anchor to KCPQ 13. She grew up in Sammamish, graduated Eastlake High School and University of Idaho, played basketball in college and in Luxembourg, and worked in sports offices at UW and Gonzaga, and did TV in Spokane at KXLY.

Quinn quits. Reporter Patrick Quinn has left KOMO-TV. He’s worked there before, with time at KIRO-TV in between (for four months, about as long as I was there way back when). He’s done sports reporting in North Carolina and Wyoming, and interned with sports teams in Nashville and Washington, D.C. No word yet on future plans.

New boss. The search for a new news director at KING/KONG didn’t have to look outside the company. Julie Wolfe will take over, moving from three years at Tegna’s WHAS in Louisville. She joined the company in 2006 and worked in Buffalo and Atlanta stations, after beginning her career in Cheyenne. She says she got interested in this sort of thing after taking a public tour of CNN at age 14 and buying a tape of herself pretending to be an anchor (for $14.99).

Non-petting zoo. Radio stations love animals. Audacy’s K-Frog, KFRG, Riverside, CA, has a new afternoon team, Heather Froglear (maybe a coincidence…not sure) and Anthony Donatelli. The Heather & Anthony show is also heard on sister stations The Wolf KKWF, Seattle, The Wolf KKWJ, Portland, and Camel KMLE, Phoenix. No bull…so far.

Up your altitude. KING reporter Vanessa Misciagna, who promised free food to co-workers who could pronounce her name correctly, is heading to Denver, joining the Scripps National team. She says she’ll be able to travel the country telling thought-provoking stories. She was at KING for three years.

Even greater. You may not know the name Emily Cantrell, but you know her work as writer and executive producer for Northwest Cable News and KOMO-TV. She’s moved back out of the business to join Greater Seattle Partners, a public-private economic development corporation where she’ll be a vice president. She pushed tourism before, working for Visit Seattle.

Having Fitz.  No such thing as bad publicity, but KNUC 98.9 The Bull probably would rather not be associated with a fatal traffic accident. You may remember seeing coverage of the wreck on I-5 south of Seattle that involved three semis, in the backup from a fatal accident. The freeway was closed for several house to clean up spilled packages, milk and cream, and fish. One semi was a part of KNUC’s so-called “meat fleet,” trailers wrapped with station promotion. The back half of that semi highlighted the logo and call letters. But the front half promoted “Fitz in the Morning.” Oops. He’s no longer doing that. Oh well, that trailer’s going to need some serious bondo, duct tape and repainting anyway.

She owns it.  The self-proclaimed “most listened to woman on radio,” Delilah Rene, began her career while in junior high school in Reedsport, Oregon, reporting school news and sports on 50,000-watt KDUN-AM. She went on to work at several stations in Oregon before coming to KLSY, Seattle, in 1984 to begin the kind of thing she’s doing now. But, who says you can’t go home? She has just bought KDUN for $60,000 from Post Rock Communications. The station does not carry her syndicated program now. No word yet on if that will change. It has an oldies format. And no indication she’ll move from Port Orchard to be closer to it.

New desks at KING.  A couple of changes at KING-TV. After eight years as a producer, Joseph Suttner has been promoted to executive producer for New Day Northwest. And after a couple of years as a news assistant at the Seattle Times, Yasmeen Wafai leaves the world of ink-stained wretches for the glitz and glamour of TV as a digital content producer at KING, using her Wazzu degree in Multimedia Journalism.

Parting ways. Many years ago on my KXA morning show, I interviewed banker Joshua Green on the occasion of his 99th birthday. He told me one of the things he did for himself once a year or so was check into a hospital for a few days of pampering. Well, I just spent five days in a hospital, and yes, there was some pampering, but I came away about seven grams lighter, missing a gall bladder. Yes, I slept through the worst of it, but there was plenty of unpleasantness in the poking, prodding, slicing and wa-a-ay too much time to watch television. Many friends and neighbors have gone through this parting-out process and are thriving, which gives me hope. I’m wondering if there’s a big warehouse somewhere where all these used pieces are being stored. And future pampering plans involve a beach, a pool, sunshine, pretty much anything but a hospital. Sorry, Joshua, I don’t get it.

WGUru. Skilled storyteller John Sharify has a new story to tell, about Western Governors University (WGU). He’s been hired as communications manager for its Northwest region, covering nine states. His TV work has included WPIX, New York, and KING and KOMO here. No awards cabinet for him….he needs a whole awards room. He picked up the duPont Columbia award for a documentary at KING. He’s got nine Murrow awards and 79 Emmys. He’s run the Seattle Colleges Cable Television system and the Seattle public access station, making good use of his masters’ degree in film directing. Don’t ask about his spare time. Good move for him—and them.

Out the door. Jim Rose wraps up 21 years at KING-KONG, starting off in sales, ending up as president and general manager. He’s accepted “a new role outside of Tegna,” which he told staff will be announced shortly. That’ll be two empty offices for now, as they also look for a new news director.

It’s an honor. Farther down in this column, we noted the pendiing NAB Crystal Radio Awards for continuing community service. At KIRO-FM, they’re in the “it’s an honor to be nominated” phase. Howard University’s WHUR-FM in the other Washington was the big winner of the Heritage Award. Other winners included two in Salt Lake City, KSL and KRSP. There were eight others, but those two were the closest to us.

In the haus.  Classical KING-FM is the newest affiliate of VuHaus Group. No, they don’t sell German cars. It’s a network of public and listener-supported stations—19 so far—aimed at supporting local music groups. The goal is to get that music on NPR Live and other venues, including classical, jazz and urban alternative stations.

More Dub.  Radio shows syndicated in Seattle continue to take over the world. You won’t have to drive too far out of town to hear Brian B-Dub Washington. He’s just added KDRK, Spokane, and KZBG, Lewiston, Idaho, to his list.

In good health.  KIRO-TV’s self-proclaimed “ass-kicking” consumer reporter Jesse Jones (you kinda hafta half-shout the name to make it sound right) has done an up-close and personal investigation of the doctors and nurses at Swedish hospital and deems them awesome. He might not usually get this involved in his work, but he made it through quadruple bypass surgery (doesn’t get much bigger than that) and is happy that an early diagnosis helped him avoid “the big one.”

Jon Crossland, 68.  Audio-tech salesman Jon Crossland has died. He’s been working in Toronto, but his background includes sales management at the Entercom/Audacy stations in Seattle, and in radio in Tacoma before that. While at Wazzu, he began his radio career in Pullman.

Black out. The exciting, colorful, challenging world of TV reporting isn’t for everybody. Tony Black gave it a go for more than six years before deciding to move on to do something different. He spent the last three years at KING, after coming over from KREM, Spokane. On the way out, he tweeted thanks to his camera people, producers, writers and all those who make a reporter look good.

Add one.  Bustos Media seems to get mentioned a lot here. It’s been busy buying, selling, and otherwise messing around with radio stations. The company just added KXXP in White Salmon (population 2500+) to its list of stations playing “younger” Latin music. The “Urbana” format includes such stars as Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, and others that some of us may have missed. The station not only covers all of the greater White Salmon metro-plex, but will count Portland as its main target.

Audacy-ious.  Audacious means extremely bold, recklessly brave and fearless. Not sure if that fits the big move by Entercom to change its name to Audacy. It’s been in the works for a while, and is now official. The company owns CBS Radio and radio stations KKWF The Wolf, KNDD The End, KWSD The Sound, KISW and KHTP here and plenty of others. It’s also deep into podcasting, production, gaming, and much else. You can add these to your daily intake of Board Room Bullspeak. Boss David Field: “Time to embrace a new name, which better reflects who we have become.” Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman: This is not “just a change of sign, but a sign of change.” (Write that one down.) “We are bringing it to life across all touchpoints inside and outside the organization.” Average unidentified listener: “So?”

That’s just Wright.  Back in the day, those of us learning broadcasting at the UW were advised to say we graduated from WSU, because it was thought to have a better program. Just a joke, of course. Hah hah, now. WSU does honor some of its stars with Hall of Achievement awards. Winners this year are Mark Wright and Janie McCauley. Wright worked in Spokane and Salt Lake City before coming to Seattle, first to Q13, then to KING-TV, where he’s a top anchor. McCauley’s working for AP in the Bay Area. Congrats to both. Be proud of your school. Great broadcasters, great agriculturists, so-so football.

Career path. Broadcast publications saw fit to cover the death at 90 of G. Gordon Liddy, convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping in connection with the Watergate affair that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Liddy served four years of a 20-year sentence before being pardoned by President Jimmy Carter. He went from the cell block to the big and small screens, acting in several movies and tv shows, almost always as a bad guy. Go figure. His mustache became as famous as Tom Selleck’s. He also went on to a 20-year sentence…excuse me…career as a syndicated talk-show host. One headline I saw said what there is to say about much of today’s talk-show business, identifying him as “burglar turned radio host.”

Full Court Press.  KBKS and widely syndicated morning guy Jubal Fresh (nee Flagg) is adding to the Yachts-for-Attorneys fund-raiser, suing his former employer, Hubbard, for wrongful termination from KQMV in April, 2020. Radio Insight reports the company’s letter of kickout cited “inappropriate, unprofessional, offensive and insubordinate conduct” in some Facebook and YouTube posts. Fresh says they just didn’t want to pay him because of the business downturn. He says they also wanted to enforce a non-compete clause, even though they fired him, and he went on to…compete. Don’t know what he’s asking for. Probably something appropriate and professional.

Round trip.  Former KNUC afternoon host Corey Dillon has returned to Houston, now in the mid-day slot on KKBQ. Earlier he had worked across town at KILT.

On site.  The FCC is looking at allowing AKAL Media to change the license for KKDZ AM 1250 from Seattle to Kent. It has to do with the station losing the lease on its transmitter site and having to move it. Some might recall when that frequency was held by one of the oldest stations in town, KTW, owned for a long time by the Presbyterian Church.

COVID cuts.  The coronavirus axe is swinging at Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of KOMO and TV stations in 88 other markets. They note a 7% drop in revenues in last year’s fourth quarter, so here comes a 5% cut in staff. That amounts to 500 or more jobs company- wide. Those invited out will be given severance packages and help in finding the next place they’ll be fired from.

Hockey hookup. When the puck drops for the Seattle Kraken’s opening hockey game, you’ll hear it on KJR-AM. The station will be the flagship for the new team. Select games will be heard on co-owned KJAQ JACK-FM. (I’m guessing those “selected” games would conflict with other team broadcasts already under contract, maybe Huskies or Sounders.) We know Everett Fitzhugh will be the slap-by-slap announcer. Don’t know yet who will fill out the broadcast team. I-Heart plans to make the games available to its other stations in northwest markets.

Back to Florida. One of the good reasons for watching KING-TV on the weekends is leaving. Weathercaster Jordan Wilkerson is heading to a Tegna sister operation, WTLV/WJXX in Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a return to her home state after 10 years here. She’ll be co-hosting a morning feature show similar to KING’s New Day NW. And she says she may whip out her meteorology degree, if needed for the occasional hurricane.

Get the picture?  The talents needed by radio and television reporters are pretty much the same, with one major difference…pictures. TV reporters can rely on the pictures to tell much of their story. Radio reporters have to use their words…not necessarily 10,000 of them as some do…to tell their story. This is true in sports, too, as will become very apparent for Toronto Blue Jays fans this year. Citing COVID restrictions and other costs, the team will not air separate radio and TV broadcasts of its games, but instead will simulcast the TV feed. There’s a reason some of the most celebrated radio broadcasters are the baseball play-by-play people. Given the nature of the game, they’ve got a lot of dead air to fill. Next time you watch a Mariners game, close your eyes for a bit to get a feel for it. You’ll be listening to plenty of crowd noise. This is not something I’d like to see become a trend.

Rush to judgement. Much has been said about the death at 70 of Rush Limbaugh. His impact on broadcasting and politics cannot be overstated. It’s been said there would have been no President Trump without Limbaugh. He led the way for the likes of Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, and other dispensers of hate and fear.  It is disheartening to many that they were able to amass such huge audiences and make so darned much money doing it. I recall getting to listen to Limbaugh for an extended period one morning when I was driving to Tacoma, because I had only heard bits and pieces before. I didn’t like anything I heard him say, but, as a broadcaster, I was impressed by the production quality of the show. Disturbing ideas, well delivered. I’m sorry he died. I’m not sorry he’s off the air.

Call him veep.  Entercom’s latest version of “what’s your job today?” finds Dave Richards moving up to senior VP of programming.  He’s spent the past 19 years overseeing KISW and has been a format captain for the Rock format. It’s part of a flurry of title-swapping in the company.

Another loss.  We note the passing of Daryl Summers, most recently a producer at KVI. Her 30 years in the biz included on-air hosting at The Mountain, The Wolf and Warm 106.9, as well as a couple of stations in Portland. The WAZZU grad has done a lot of voiceover work in her 30-year career, and, like some others in broadcasting, had a side job in real estate. No other details available yet.

Mile-high prof.  KIRO AM 710 ESPN’s John (The Professor) Clayton adds sister station KKFN The Fan, Denver, to his duties. He’ll be writing about the Broncos for DenverFan.com. And, like here, he’ll be popping up on the airwaves every now and then to add the wit and wisdom gained in nearly 50 years of covering the NFL. Begun, I’m sure, when he was in kindergarten.

Cherry on top. Some of us have been around long enough to remember when there were mom-and-pop radio stations scattered in the sagebrush of Central Washington broadcasting to the jackrabbits. Cherry Creek Media, now headquartered in Colorado, also noticed,  buying up 53 radio stations around the country, mainly in small and teensy-weensy markets. (Not sure if that’s an official designation. Now, they’ve added iHeart’s Armstrong and Getty morning show to KONA, Tri-Cities, KKWN in Cashmere and KWNC in Quincy. Co-host Jack Armstrong goes All-American Boy on us saying “we’re not beltway pundits. We’re patriots more than partisans.” Mom and pop, meanwhile, probably headed for Arizona or Florida.

Arch-bound. KING-TV morning anchor Michelle Li is heading back to her native Missouri, joining another Tegna station, KSDK in St. Louis. She’ll be what they call a multi-skilled journalist, meaning writing, editing, digitizing and other “ings” on air, online, and if necessary, on the street corner. She’s won a ton of awards in her 18-year career, doing turns as reporter, host, anchor and innovator at KING. According to the news release, she considers KSDK her “dream station.”    

I dub thee…  KNUC afternoon host Bryan B-Dub Washington now gets his third mention in this column. First was when he joined the station. Then, he started a syndicated show for weekends which moved to nightly. Now, a big add to those numbers. Summit Media is adding his show to its six country stations in the Midwest and Southeast.

Fresh markets.  The Seattle-syndicated Jubal Fresh (nee Flagg) morning show, with wife Alex (Fresh/Flagg) and English Evan, has added three more not-yet-major markets. That’s six new ones since the beginning of the year. Hear them now on KFFM, Yakima, as well as in Kalispell, Cheyenne, Twin Falls, Austin and Reno. They’re not done adding bigger markets, either. WWPW, Atlanta, joins the list. They replacing a local team taken out by budget cuts.

So many candles.  Congratulations to KISW (The Rock of Seattle), celebrating a 50th anniversary. Not that many stations last that long in one format. The station is actually 71 years old. Ellwood Lippincott started the station. He was a Weyerhaeuser electrical engineer who, I suspect, wanted his own toy to play with. He set it up in a house at 92nd and Roosevelt in Seattle, Washington often called a musical bus stop, since there was one right outside the station. Fond memories for me, since it’s the first place where I got a paycheck for talking publicly, while still at the UW. That should get me a piece of that birthday cake, but it probably won’t.

A tweak and a shift.  KOMO AM/FM, all news and some sports, has added talk to the mix. The syndicated Jim Bohannon talk show, heard on over 275 stations, is now heard here from midnight to 2 AM. We can presume the dozen or so people listening at that time are OK with the change.

Bigger change up the dial at Salem’s KNTS 1680 AM. It’s changed from a Spanish Religious format to a Regional Mexican Music sound.

Leaving town.  KOMO-TV News Director Bill Dallman heads for Minneapolis. He’ll be president and general manager at Tegna’s KARE-TV. It’s a return to town. He was news veep at KMSP there. His impressive track record includes running news at KCBS-KCAL in LA, a 185-person news team, a big step up from his first job as the one-person news department at KAAL, Austin, Minnesota. He spent three years at KOMO. Always good to see news guys in management roles.

Out of business.  Many of us who have been in the news biz around here for a while remember Lou Dobbs as a pretty decent reporter for KING-TV. Then he went off to bigger and better things at CNN, then ending up on the Fox Business Network for 10 years, and going way off in one direction politically. He became one of the strongest supporters of President Trump, giving air time to some pretty outlandish ideas. Some of which led to a whopping lawsuit against Fox and three of its hosts, including Dobbs, over claims of corrupted voting machines. We will hear no more of that. Fox has cancelled Dobbs’ program. He still has his contract, but it’s unlikely he’ll return to the air. Fox says golly gee no this has nothing to do with that lawsuit, but that they’re always thinking about programming changes. Dobbs is now loose change.

More awards. Add a duPont-Columbia University Award to the KING-TV trophy case for work by reporter John Sharify and photojournalist Joseph Huerta. Their documentary “Bob’s Choice” dealt with Bob Fuller’s death-with-dignity choice.

Done with it.  Former KKWF Program Director Lance Tidwell is out of the same job at two Cumulus stations in Detroit. He says it was not a happy ending. His career has taken him to, in alphabetical order, Boise, Fort Collins, Hartford, Kansas City, Memphis, San Antonio, Seattle, and Tucson, since 1985. He says he is now considering a different line of work. Cartographer, perhaps?

Sent Pack-ing. And now Part Two of a story down below. The head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Michael Pack, kept the job for two hours into the Biden administration, then resigned, as requested by the new boss. Voice of America executive Kelu Chao will take over for now. Pack said the request was a partisan act, and the agency is meant to be non-partisan, which is how he was running it. (A moment here for head-shaking and guffaws.) He intimidated, demoted and/or fired reporters whom he accused of anti-Trump bias. He managed to appoint pro-Trump board members before heading out the door. A lawyer suspended during his tenure says Pack seemed to know only how to destroy. There was considerable tomfoolery and malarkey. (Wow! Didn’t take long to start talking like that.)  Now, many of the suspended executives will be getting their jobs back, and new board members will be appointed. Pack’s replacement will have to be approved by the Senate, where he’d caught flak from both parties.  Should move through like greased lightning. 23 skidoo. And get off my lawn!

Meanwhile over at the FCC (often called the Federal Confusion Commission) there is conf….uncertainty. Chairman Ajit Pai’s term has ended. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel takes over as interim chair. Issues that are critically important to broadcasters are a mere blip on the administration’s radar right now, so nobody expects much change for several months at least. Your radio and TV will sound and look the same TFN.

On ice.  The Seattle Kraken hasn’t slapped a puck yet, but the team’s been busy. They have a multi-year deal with Root Sports to telecast their games. And they’ve signed John Forslund as their TV voice. He’s been a hockey broadcaster since 1995, mostly with the Hartford-then-Carolina team. As noted elsewhere here, Everett Fitzhugh is the team’s radio guy.

Very classy. Seattle Times reviewer Melinda Bargreen has written about plans by KING-FM to become a bit more enlightened. Typical listeners to classical music are thought to be mainly white and wealthy. The station has decided that has to change and has instituted plans to play music by composers of color and women, back educational efforts, and try to make its audience more like our region in general. Among efforts, when playing Wagner’s “Ring” cycle by Seattle Opera, it will include chat sessions to explain what is going on, something always welcome and often necessary for opera listeners. Board President Jim Duncan says the mission is to introduce people to classical music, with programming that is “warm, welcoming and inclusive.”

More Jubal-ee.  The syndicate-from-Seattle radio show starring Jubal Fresh (nee Flagg) and his crew have added two more station to its growing list, KHFI in Austin, Texas, and KTPZ in Hazelton, Idaho. In Idaho, morning man Joey Bravo has moved to afternoons to make way. I’m sure his mother, Mrs. Bravo, is proud.

An earful.  Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Seattle radio stations will be taking part in a new audio technology. You’ll be able to hear KOMO, KVI and KPLZ on ATSC 3.0, which, as we all know, is based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing modulation with low-density parity-check code. OK, you might have missed that in your educational adventure, but that radio engineer you know is now visibly excited. It’s basically what’s called Next Gen TV, for radio. And the engineers are breathing heavily because they think this will allow their programming to be heard in your car!..if the automakers add the necessary doodads. I don’t doubt this is progress, even though in my two vehicles, 12 and 18 years old (I’m cheap), I can listen to those stations right now. I have the proper old doodads. (Yes, that IS a technical term.)

Take a break.  A couple of items here that have nothing to do with broadcasting, COVID or politics. Sort of a cleanser for the brain.

Among problems you may not have pondered: unneeded rock stacking. There’s a PSA out saying don’t be a cairn. (Not Karen.) Cairn is the “art” of stacking rocks. The government does that on purpose as trail markers and such, and doesn’t like others doing so unofficially. It’s called vandalism, selfish and destructive. So quit it!

Among part-time jobs you may not have pondered: gopher trapper. There’s a water district near my winter hideout in Yuma posting such a job, to keep those critters out of their water ditches. Hey, it’s 12 bucks an hour, plus a commission, I presume on a per gopher basis. And all the fresh air a water ditch can provide.

No Heartache.  Another U-Haul favorite is Jared Fallon. He worked in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania before spending a year and a half as program director at KBKS-FM in Seattle. After getting the boot in I-Heart’s revamping, he’s now in Nashville, again with I-Heart, as VP of marketing. The company says he’ll lead efforts in “user lifecycle marketing, organic and paid acquisition strategy and digital advocacy.” Did just one person create that sentence? I doubt it. Reminds of the saying: a camel is a horse designed by committee.  But good for Fallon. Bounced out, then bounced up.

Ja$$.  The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has spread some bucks around for a Jazz Media Lab. Grants of $275,000 over three years will go to five non-profit jazz radio stations, including KNKX, first button on my truck radio. Others include KMHD in Portland. Quoting the deep thinking behind this benevolence: “Jazz radio plays an essential role in supporting jazz.” And, they’re dangling another 50K in the second year for special projects like boosting new artists, using new platforms, and, of course, increasing revenues.

Blackout.  A while back….farther down in this column….I wondered if KIRO-TV would be covering the story of Leon Black, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, which owns Cox Media, which owns KIRO, which owns….nope, that’s as far as that line goes. There were questions about his business dealings with the late and generally disgraced Jeffrey Epstein, involving some “larger-than-expected payments” from Black to Epstein. About $148 million, in fact, plus $10 to his charity. Now, they’ve decided Black got his money’s worth, as much as $2 billion in “tax savings.” Nice way of putting it. But…burying the lede here…it may not matter that much. Black is stepping down…giving himself a 70th-birthday present later this year. It should be noted that he was the one who asked for the investigation in the first place. Apparently even he wasn’t sure his dealings were legit. And no, I don’t know if KIRO covered any of this.

Golden.  A birthday cake big enough for 50 candles was needed for the January 25th celebration at KNHC C89.5 FM, Seattle. It’s the Seattle Public School’s radio station, with studios at Nathan Hale High School. (Nathan Hale Communications), and claims to be the world’s oldest remaining dance-music station. I’m not going to argue that. An overly picky person would point out they were on the AM band for a couple of years, low power at 1210, before moving to FM in 1971, but I’m not that person. They can just enjoy the cake, then crank up the tunes to dance off the extra pounds.

Alpha omega.  Count Portland-based Alpha Media among the latest COVID-19 victims. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which means it will keep broadcasting while it tries to find a sugar daddy, or armored car that lost its load or some other bailout. It operates 207 stations in 44 markets, along with podcasts, entertainment venues and such. The company launched in 2009.

Bull hits. Hubbard’s KNUC “The Bull” went looking for a replacement for morning guy Fitz, who went off to the world of syndication. Maybe it’s fitting that they ended up with a syndicated show, rather than a local host. Bobby Bones (nee Bobby Estell) brings his gang for the 5-9 AM show. He says Seattle is one of his favorite towns. I’m gonna guess he says the same about Nashville, New York, Austin, Hot Springs, Arkansas (where he began) and the other 150 or so markets he’s in.

Praiseworthy.  We note the passing of Jim Bouma, operations manager and morning host at KWPZ Praise 106.5, Bellingham, run by Crista Media. After marrying his college sweetie, they moved to her hometown of Lynden, and he went to work at the station. That was 40 years ago. The company says his legacy will be “forever etched in our history.”  He was 61.

Sleeping in. Jim Pearson doesn’t have to get up so early for his morning shift at Townsquare Media’s KDBL “The Bull” in Yakima. He’s out after less than a year there. He takes the title of brand manager with him. “No floater,” as they say in the job wanted ads, he spent 16 years at KTOM in Monterey, CA. The station’s director of content, Brian Stephenson, is filling in while they look around for replacement. Syndicated or local? Dunno.

Early riser. What ever happened to Cayle Thompson, I hear you asking. After four years reporting for KOMO-TV, he’s gone back to Sinclair HQ for its new morning national news program, called…ta da…The National Desk. Jan Jeffcoat  is the anchor, Cayle will be butting in regularly from “The Live Desk.” If indeed it’s “live,” it’ll be at three in the morning here. Otherwise, apologies to KING’s erstwhile Almost Live! The company promises “commentary-free news coverage from a local and national perspective.” Again, the company is Sinclair.

Hizzoner. You may have known him when he managed KING-TV from ’89 to ’92, before being blown out by the Tegna takeover, or from running stations in San Francisco and Hawaii, but now you can call him the Honorable Rick Blangiardi. He’s now the mayor of Honolulu, after retiring from a 40-year career. He’s hardly the first broadcaster to go into politics (Royer, Rice, Reagan, Riggs…) and spent about a half million of his own bucks on an 11-month campaign for the open seat. And yes, another newsroom had to figure out how to objectively cover the campaign of a person they know and like. [Personal note: after I decided not to seek reelection to the low-level position I held in Bellevue, my then teenage son noted that mail to “the Honorable…” would stop, and now he figured I could be called “The Scumbag Don Riggs.” That was the day his allowance ended.

Send him Pack-ing.  Ah, a new year, full of hope and wonder. Especially wonder. Like, I wonder how the world will view the U.S. now. Among the things that I hope aren’t too far down your worry list is USAGM, our country’s Agency for Global Media. That’s the organization that runs Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Liberty, all telling our nation’s story around the globe. As noted farther down in this column, Michael Pack was named to head this agency. He has no background in broadcasting, but he does have a background of being a Trump buddy. There was a bi-partisan group running the three operations. He tossed out some of them. All the replacements seem to be strongly in favor of Trump and various far-right forces. Now, NPR reports he’s working on new contracts with top managers to somehow insure they can’t be fired by any new upstart president. (How many of us in broadcasting wouldn’t like some kind of deal like that?) Pack’s management style has been described as “paranoia.” NPR points out that being able to manipulate what news is reported is the dream of every autocratic regime. This is damage that’s happening and is going to take a while to undo. I wonder how long. A recent example is VOA White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara—as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was winding up a VOA interview: Her harassing questions had to do with what he would do to repair our country’s reputation and if he regretted saying there would be a second Trump administration. Her prize: She has been demoted and taken off the White House beat. That’ll show her.

Texas bound.  Long-time KVI talk host Kirby Wilbur is calling it a career. He got his start at the station as a listener calling in. He then gave up working in real estate to begin taking calls—instead of making them. He spent 20 years at the station, with a break to become chairman of the state Republican Party. He’s moving to Texas to spend more time with family.

Another change. With conservative talker Michael Savage retiring, KVI went shopping for a replacement and picked Dana Loesch for the 9-11 PM slot. The Fox News regular has appeared on several network TV shows providing commentary. The station says she will “shine a bright light on the issues.”

Boss of the morning. KCPQ news writer and producer Bobbie Nickel has been upped to executive producer of their fine morning-news broadcast. It’s her second time at the station, with time in between in New York City.

Scratch one station. Seattle-based radio host Delilah, the “most listened-to woman in radio,” is losing some of those listeners. KMGA, Albuquerque, has shifted format a bit, with mostly syndicated shows and moving its two live deejays out of mornings to daytime slots. John Tesh’s syndicated afternoon show will move to evenings, giving Delilah’s show the boot. She will survive.

Bustos adds. Bustos Media has bought KZGI-FM, Sedro-Woolley, from Gerson Infante-Reina of Burien. If the wind is right, its 700-watt signal will reach into Mt. Vernon. The station will run Bustos’ La Gran D Mexican format. On the other side of the ledger, Bustos sold KZXR in Prosser to Inglesia Pentecostal Vispera Del Fin, which, near as I can tell, is a Seattle financial outfit.

Not lost in Austin. Former KKWF “The Wolf” afternoon host and music director Alek Halverson is now afternoon host at KASE, Austin, Texas. He spent a couple of years in Seattle before being blown out in the big Entercom layoff spree late last year. Making it easier for him, both stations are at 100.7 on the FM dial.

Bull sitting. Since Fitz left the morning show on Hubbard’s KNUC “The Bull” 98.9, the station has taken to using leading country music stars as fill-in jocks. KKGO in Los Angeles has been doing the same thing on a mid-day shift. Pretty good deal all around. It gives the station some name power while taking some pressure off finding a new host. And it gives the stars some air time and recognition in big markets at a time when they’re not all busy touring and such.

The question is…  Glad to see local boy Ken Jennings getting more involved with the TV show Jeopardy, where he’s the all-time big winner. Now he’s helping to produce and filling in as host after the death of Alex Trebek. In the two interviews I had with Jennings, he seemed to be really enjoying his new-found fame, and was an absolute delight to spend time with. The show is on-air auditioning several big names as permanent replacement. Jennings will stay involved with the show, in any case, but my vote is for him to be host. The answer is “the guy who doesn’t get a vote.” The question…”who is Don Riggs?”

New Day, indeed. KING-TV has had some sort of local morning talk show pretty much forever. Remember Bill and Cheri Corcoran? If so, I hope you’re enjoying fogeyhood as much as I am. The latest version has been New Day Northwest. (I always questioned the title for an 11 AM program, but…) Margaret Larson brought big-time network credentials to the show for the past 10 years as she wound down her career. Guest hosts have rotated through what looked like on-air

auditions for a replacement. The winner: Amity Addrisi. She’s been at KING for five years, as weekend anchor and health reporter. Her rapport with weather anchor Jordan Wilkerson has been the kind of thing that’s worth watching; I call it an excellent choice. Addrisi is unusual in that her college work was in English lit and geology, not broadcasting. She scored an internship at a TV station in L.A., and the rest…you know. A career that is at 18 years and now taking a big step forward.

Not shy, but retiring.  KOMO-TV consumer reporter Connie Thompson is calling it a career. She started at the station in 1974. The University of Portland graduate can sit around the house and stare at a bookshelf full of awards, although she probably won’t. Somebody probably has figured out how much money her consumer reports have saved us, but I haven’t seen that number. An impressive enough number is 46 years at one station. Governor Jay Inslee and King County Executive Dow Constanine proclaimed Thursday, Dec. 17 as Connie Thompson Day in the state and county, respectively. And KOMO-TV featured her in a half-hour special at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19.

Iced Income. Speaking of KOMO, Christmas and cold go together. Maybe that’s why Sinclair Broadcast Group chose a few days before the holiday to go all Bah Humbug on the staff and announce that it’s freezing all salaries for the new year. A “difficult but prudent” move, according to the company, with the email subject line: “We are all in this together.” Sinclair owns KOMO-TV and radio, KUNS-TV and KVI and KPLZ radio here and pretty much more than anyone else around the country.

Two fewer.  Another couple of names to add to the list of broadcasters we lost this year. Dick Curtis was one of the gang of disc jockeys Pat O’Day brought on board during KJR’s halcyon years in the ’60s. Curtis then went across the West Waterway to KOL and worked at several other stations before landing at KVI, where at one time or another, he held most of the available titles, including station manager. He also was heavily involved in the Concerts West promotion company, with O’Day and others. A career that began at KREW, Sunnyside, in 1957 ended with retirement in 2001. Curtis died just after Christmas at his home in Seattle. He was 87.  And Ed Bremer, the first and often only employee of independent public station KSER in Everett, has died. His title was public affairs director, but he also did just about everything else that needed to be done. Cancer beat him at age 68.

RIP Gertrude.  One of the best-known Seattle TV characters has died. You may not remember the name Bob Newman, but if you grew up here, you knew Boris S. Wart, the second meanest man in the world, clumsy handyman Leroy Frump, and many others on the J. P. Patches Show on KIRO-TV in the ’60s and ’70s, most notably Patches’ girlfriend, Gertrude. He was all of them, and more. We crossed paths wa-a-ay back when we were getting started at KUOW and later at my two quick stops at KIRO TV and radio. He went on to work at KCTS in off-camera positions. Patches and Gertrude are memorialized in the sculpture, “Late for the Interurban,” in the Fremont neighborhood, since 2008. He was slowed by multiple sclerosis but not particularly slowed in his yellow Corvette. “Fabulous Bob” Newman, a nickname he gave himself because he didn’t think he was, was 88.

More news news. Another KIRO-TV executive producer has hit the road. Erin Newman is heading for the Carolinas. The news release didn’t narrow it down any closer than that. She started at KIRO in 2016.

Getting schooled.  Lisa Van Cise (now Mathieson) of the Van Cise family broadcasters’ group (brother Taylor and father Rick, both at KOMO radio) is on the move again. She was at KING-TV from 2009 to 2013, reporting on our weather, and since then she has been following an unusual path: the last five years watching you drive as part of her job at WSDOT; now she’s gone to the Edmonds School District to blab publicly for it.  

By the dozen  We’re number 12! We’re number 12! The Seahawks have made that number special around here. Now, the Nielsen Company, whose ratings broadcasters live or die by, has moved the Seattle-Tacoma market up to number 12, swapping places with the now 13^th Tampa-St. Pete. They count my house, probably your house, and 2,035,798 other homes to justify the ranking.

Back to the West. Time-zone whiplash may be hitting Corey Dylan. The former KBKS midday host went to WKHS, Atlanta, but has returned to the West Coast to be the first actual live person on the air at KFBG, San Diego, working mornings. She’s also worked in Tampa, done voice-over work and has appeared on assorted TV shows, including the Home Shopping Channel. No, I don’t know what she was selling. KFBG PD Garett Michaels is “excited to bring her back” to this side of the country. He programmed KNDD in Seattle a few years ago.

Quitin’ time.  Ken Kohl is the latest to make a graceful exit, heading into retirement after 50 years in broadcasting. He began as an all-night deejay in New York City and went on to program news and talk stations, including KOMO and stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. He moved up through sales and management spots and picked up a couple of sports Emmys and a Marconi for the Dan Patrick Show. Retirement is well-earned and, with a resume like that, may be only temporary.

News moves. KIRO-TV’s Senior Executive Producer Brian Kanziger has gone to WGCL in Atlanta to be number two in the newsroom there. He’d been at KIRO since 2013.
And former KUOW-FM News Director Jill Jackson has gone broadcast-adjacent, signing on with Monument Advocacy, a public affairs and government relations company. Her background includes covering Congress and other politics for CBS News.

Un-Fitz  Maybe he was feeling overworked. KNUC’s Fitz is leaving the morning show to concentrate on his nationally  syndicated weekend countdown show, and “the creation of new projects.” No hint what those might be. He’s been there a year, after spending 12 years at KKWF. The countdown show’s heard on KNUC, so he’s not completely abandoning it.

Major traffic.  Seattle’s famously terrible traffic at least means work for radio and TV traffic reporters. KOMO-TV’s been without one in the mornings for a while. Tyrah Majors takes care of that, joining the morning team, moving up from Sinclair’s station in Bakersfield. She’s got the smarts, with degrees from Cal State and USC. And she’s written a children’s book, Granny and Me.

Pool’s place. Call Steve Pool a Pacific Northwest “icon.” In fact, that’s the word they use on the plaque outside the newly named Steve Pool Weather Center at KOMO-TV. The highly popular TV personality retired about a year ago to go up against prostate cancer. He came out a winner in that battle—and many other ways. Well-deserved.

The Stein away.  One more for the couch at the Broadcaster’s Retirement Lounge and kite shop (which will be real any day now). Dick Stein calls it a career after three decades at KNKX, nee KPLU. Because of the music, the station was No. 1 on my car radio. He worked at being the kooky personality in a format that didn’t make that sort of thing easy. His humor, at times obscure or groan-worthy, improved my day. No joy for his “jazzoids,” but best wishes and thanks for what he called “music and merriment.”

More heartaches.  The hits keep coming at I-Heart Media, with the latest round of staff cuts including Scott Vanderpool. He spent the last 17 years of his 30-year career at KZOK as afternoon host, along with several other titles. Interesting to note he was the last Seattle native on the air at the station. That’s always a nice plus, even if it’s not terribly significant any more.

Bye Pai.  As one U.S. president leaves office, so does the head of the FCC. Ajit Pai is stepping down on inauguration day, after four years at the top of the agency. Broadcast owners give him generally good marks for cutting red tape and for trying to improve prospects for AM stations. Some of his efforts made it easier for broadcasters to streamline their operations. Yes, that’s a management euphemism for really huge layoffs.

Shipe ships out.  Hanging up the headphones after a 40-years-plus career, Gary Shipe announced his retirement to his afternoon audience on KIXI. He spent 18 years at the station, including as public affairs director and host for their AARP-approved music. He thanked many involved in his career, adding that he guessed he’d have to get a real job now. He wrapped it up playing The Beatles’ “Take Me Away.” My advice to him: forget looking for a real job. After all this time in broadcasting, you’re probably not qualified for one.  

WA to CO  It must be all that fresh air. The latest Washington broadcaster to head to Colorado is Gillian Coldsnow. For the past 27 years, she’s been with Northwest Public Broadcasting, providing material to several radio and TV stations around the region from the Wazzu campus. She’s been the program director since 2014. But now she’s off to Colorado Public Radio to work her magic there. In the news release, they are “tremendously excited” and she is “deeply honored.”

Taken down.  Going viral is good when you do something remarkable or stupid and everybody watches. Going viral is bad when it’s COVID-19. The big bug has put Ed Hill in the hospital. He was program director at KMPS from 2011 to 2015, and still runs a business training podcasters and producing programming. He calls the disease a “terrible and perplexing beast.” His wife also has it. Best wishes from here and elsewhere to both.

America’s voice.  Farther down in this column, I noted that our next ex-POTUS had hired film maker and Trumptoady Michael Pack to take over the U.S. agency for global media. His job was to “shake it up” (their view) or destroy it (my view). This is the agency that, for governmental pocket change of a couple hundred million bucks, runs the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and several other projects telling this country’s story to the world. He started off firing top executives, a few others quit. Now, in what I’ll call a happy update, a federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit filed by those executives that Pack could no longer make personnel decisions or directly communicate with any employee or comment on editorial content or any work by individuals.  Taking away a manager’s ability to manage is usually a bad thing. But sometimes it’s a good thing. Chalk up a win for the First Amendment. And in a world where politics has devolved into yellable three-word slogans, expect to hear chants of “send Pack packin’.” Something else for Joe Biden’s growing to-do list.

Out the door. Time to squeeze over and make room for one more on the couch at the Broadcasters’ Retirement Lounge and Bar (not a real thing…yet). Marcie Sillman joins us after 35 years at KUOW. In that time, she’s done just about everything there is to do, anchoring, writing, producing, possibly sweeping up. She’s spent the last several years reporting on the Seattle Arts scene, and doing other things public radio is meant to do, which commercial radio hardly ever does. My message to her: what you’ve done is great. What lies ahead ain’t so bad, either.

 

As the door revolves.  The gory details of ESPN and KIRO-AM layoffs can be found a few stories down. But for one person, it didn’t last all that long. John (The Professor) Clayton is back already, in a slightly different role. He won’t host, but will “contribute” to morning and afternoon sports-talk shows and return to running an expanded Saturday morning show, from 8 to 11. He points out that there was a time when that show was the highest-rated sports show in the country, and he wouldn’t mind making that happen again.  P.S. He also is a regular on KING-5’s 5th Quarter after all Seahawks games.

Home again again. Imagine my surprise when I learned channel 13’s outstanding morning anchor, Liz Dueweke, began her on-air career at KYMA, Yuma, AZ. I spend about five months a year there, and watch that and other local stations, all served by the same newsroom. I’m sure they are all good people who try hard. The results aren’t always what they, or we, deserve. Yes, my wife and I are “snowbirds,” although the local business community decided a while back that the term was offensive (I don’t think so, but they didn’t ask me) so they now refer to us as “Winter visitors.” Doesn’t sound as catchy. So, stare at these words all you want, you can’t tell I’m actually in Yuma as I write them. We make the 1,400-mile trip from Issaquah every year to hide from the rain. We stay in an RV resort, even though we sold our motorhome (second “happiest day” after the first, when we bought it), in what’s called a Park Model home. Fancy name for what elsewhere is called a single wide. 400-square-feet of decent comfort, easy to keep clean and lots of time outside. On our trip south, we make three stops at hotels that include breakfast. Thanks to the virus, the first and third offered Breakfast in a Bag, just as delicious as it sounds, eating in your room without a sufficient table. The second offered limited food and drink in their dining room. We made it to the Guiness Book’s “sunniest city in the world,” and, thanks to live streaming, I still can watch Liz, Bill, MJ and Adam every morning. And maybe, some day, Jasmine Arenas, who just left KYMA. The station is advertising on-air for a new anchor. I have not checked the line at the door.

Two on the move. Former KING Engineer Adam Sturgill is now news operations manager for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. He joins three others who made the same move from Tegna to Sinclair, as mentioned below. And former KRWM afternoon host AJ Battalio, who says he loves the outdoors, has gone to Ft. Collins, Colorado, where there’s lots of it. He’s part of a new morning team at the county station KUAD-FM.

Heartless. Call it I-Heartache Media. The latest batch of more than 40 layoffs around the country include Jared Fallon, out as PD at KBKS, and Shawn Garrett, digital director for stations in Seattle, Portland, Spokane and Anchorage. And, even higher up the ladder, Robert Dove, president of the northwest region stations listed above, plus Fairbanks. On the plus side…or is it?….the FCC has okayed I-Heart taking on more foreign investors, above the currently allowed 25%. It’s being done “in the public interest.” And, searching for more positive news, I-Heart’s podcasting business is now the nation’s most popular, topping NPR.

Those layoff numbers pale in comparison to ESPN, laying off 300 employees nationwide and not filling 200 vacancies. That’s out of 6,500 employees worldwide. It’s mostly behind-the-scenes folks, the ones who do most of the work. Locally, though, five will be gone from KIRO-ESPN 710 AM. John (The Professor) Clayton was a high-profile NFL reporter for ESPN TV for 23 years before coming to KIRO in 2017. Jim Moore joined the station in 2010.Tom Wasell came on board after five years at ESPN HQ. Also gone are two who did much of the work although you never heard them, Matt Taylor and Scott Blumenfeld. The musical chairs game is on for some of the remaining hosts. I could give you the lineup, but it’ll probably change before you’re done reading this.

Another generation.  Tegna is pretty excited to announce it has “partnered with GatesAir on the technological infrastructure for the launch of NextGen TV, or ATSC 3.0.” Got it? First of all, Bill Gates has nothing to do with GatesAir…yet. The above-mentioned whatever goes to KONG first, then KING. Engineers probably understand this. The rest of us don’t have to. If there’s somebody between your TV set and the station, like cable, satellite, carrier pigeon, you don’t have to do a thing. If you still use that clothes hanger on the roof, you’ll have to rescan your TV. Instructions are probably buried somewhere in the fine print in your manual. This, in case you don’t recognize it, is progress.

’Tisn’t the season.  This year’s Rushing the Season award goes to Entercom’s KSWD 94.1 FM The Sound, with its November first debut of Christmas music. Stow your “bah humbug.” In the past, the early switch to seasonal has worked for many stations…listenership numbers go up. The first time this station did this was during its conversion from KMPS-FM. Right after the on-air promise from a disc jockey that it was just temporary, and that KMPS would stay Country “forever.” We know how that worked out.

Not hunky-dory.  It takes a lot to get suspended from two broadcasting jobs for one comment you didn’t even say on air. But KIRO-FM’s Dori Monson managed to do just that. During the televised gubernatorial debate, he took to tweeting about our state, “Where I could go to Olympia and change my birth cert to say I was a girl on 10/2/61. HAHAHAHAHA.” Even with five “HA’s,” that wasn’t the least bit funny. But in these more enlightened and occasionally touchier times, it was enough for KIRO to take him off the air and the Seahawks to yank him from his part of game broadcasts. The Seattle Pride group wants him to apologize, to learn something and to be terminated. I’ll go along with the first two. I’m no fan of his air work, but I’ve set a high bar for what I think is a firing offense. I’m not sure this reaches that level. I am sure there will be those who disagree, and I respect that. It’s been done before. Station and team managers haven’t commented yet, but, given the sensitive nature of this, we’ll soon know where they’ve set their bars. Update: It took about three weeks before he was back on the air. He was spewing apologies, sorry that many misunderstood him and praying for forgiveness. I don’t know if this suspension was unpaid (marginal punishment) or paid (vacation lite), but maybe he’ll learn the difference between funny and foolish. I’m not putting any money on that.

Sprung.  Here’s a guy you might rather not work with. Radio sports talker Craig Carton is back on the air at WFAN, New York, after a three-year time-out in a federal slammer for fraud charges connected to his gambling addiction. He talked about his time in rehab, almost committing suicide and being sexually abused. As for those broadcasters bitter about him getting a second chance while they’re still out of work, he said they’ve had three years to get better at their craft, and if they haven’t, “that’s on you.” It’s radio, so you can’t actually see him thumbing his nose.

No Harms.  Andrew Harms, who spent 14 years as afternoon guy at kNDD The End before heading for the big time down south, is out after five years at KYSR, Los Angeles. He says he’ll take time away “to properly appreciate everything that’s happened here.” Maybe for everything except that very last thing.

Boise bound.  KING-TV Sales Director Jessica Hagan is out the door—but climbing the corporate ladder. Tegna’s moving her to president and general manager of KTVB, Boise, and KTFT, Twin Falls, Idaho. The Wazzu and Seattle U. grad began at KING as a newsroom intern in 2003. She’s found time to get involved in Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Talking it up.  KIXI AM, which plays music I actually remember, has added more talk to its weekend schedule. “Around the house” and “Our Auto Expert” take the 9  to 1 slot on Saturday, with “BBQ Nation Sundays” on from 11 to 1. They’re all provided by Sun Broadcast Group’s Smart Talk Radio Network. KIXI says the content will be “ideal for both our listeners and our advertisers.”  But, you won’t be able to hum along.

Not so quick.  You can’t blame Jordan Steele for being excited when he left KING-TV last February to be weather forecaster for the exciting new app, Quibi, for quick bites. With some big-name backers, it was going to provide small doses of drama, comedy, weather, news and whatever else, designed to be viewed on your smartphone for about five bucks a month. He considered it the future of viewership. But, “quick” can describe the whole operation, which, after six months of trying, has tossed in the towel, pulled the plug and shut the doors. Sure, they can blame the pandemic for the demise, since it was designed especially for people on the go. Others have suggested that pandemic or not, there just wasn’t a market for this sort of thing. I’d say this service will be missed, but looks like I’d be wrong.

D or R.  From the “no good deed goes unpunished” file: early voting. We’ve been harangued from right and left to vote early. The payoff for those of us who did: a sharp rise in political advertising. A great part of the zillions of dollars raised goes to radio and television spots. Yes indeed, broadcasters love political $ea$on. And now we have to sit through them when it doesn’t matter to us any more. We can only make so many trips to the fridge or bathroom. What are we to do? You want to use the old line, “I’ve made up my mind…don’t confuse me with facts.” Although, facts are often in short supply here. I have the solution…right after this break. (Spoiler alert: I don’t have the solution.)

Minus two.  A pair of passings to note, one too early, the other a little less so. A behind-the-scenes guy you’ve probably never heard of but whose work you saw, KING-TV’s Tim Morris, has died at 63 from cancer. He was at the station for 37 years as a lighting designer and technical whiz. He was a major part of the success of New Day Northwest…The other is a man we all can envy. If you’ve ever been to Minneapolis, you may have listened to Sid Hartman on WCCO. He lived the line: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” He began writing a sports column in the paper there in 1945 and began broadcasting sports about 10 years later. He was still writing three or four columns a week and co-hosting a Sunday radio show when he died—at age 100!

On the plus side, Ruth Prins has breezed past her 100th birthday. If you said “who?’ then you’re younger or newer in town than some of us. The UW drama teacher was hired by KING-TV, then the only TV station in town, to host a program called Wunda Wunda. It was aimed at little kids getting ready for school, basically two hours of preschool. The Peabody Award winner was on the air from 1952 to 1972.  Also turning 100 this year, KDKA radio in Pittsburg, generally considered America’s first radio station.

Jubal-ee.  After just a couple of months of having the Jubal Show to ourselves on KBKS-FM, we’ll have to share it now. It’s been syndicated to stations in Colorado Springs and Lubbock. The show stars Jubal Fresh (nee Flagg), his wife, Alex Fresh (nee unknown) and ‘English Evan’ Omelia. You don’t actually hear the knife being twisted, but Jubal is happy “to be back” in Colorado Springs, where he replaces Brooke and Jeffrey (nee Brooke and Jubal).

New look.  TV stations change their on-screen look every now and then, possibly just to keep designers employed. KCPQ 13 is the latest. White letters on blue, or blue on white, all caps. Looks good. KING-TV has tinkered with its look, too, adding purple to the blue, white and black scheme. Near as I can tell, the jackets are still yellow. And David, Lester and Norah have updated intros for their nightly newscasts. Also, the CBS logo has been tweaked…the eye is smaller, right next to the letters and some unidentifiable music.  Next?

Lights turned off.  It’s a joyous adventure, this business of ad agencies and their clients. The Richards Group, one of the biggies, came up with that “leave the lights on for you” line for Motel 6. They’ve worked together for three decades. This year, as noted earlier, Richards won the Mercury Award for advertising creativity for its “Motel 6 feet apart” ads. There is no “what have you done for us lately” category, but if there was, they might have won that, too. Motel 6 dumped the agency after founder Stan Richards reportedly called a new ad pitch “too Black” for the motel chain’s “ white-supremacist audience.” I don’t have details on that particular campaign, but another big client, Home Depot, says it, too, is shopping around for a new agency. Enlightenment arrives at different speeds. Noting a few other big-name clients backing away, Richards said, “If this was a publicly held company, I’d be fired.” It is not, so he, in effect, fired himself…left the firm he founded. Don’t’ know if their new logo will be a sinking ship.

Unkaged.  The only reason for this story here is to use the picture. Jesse Kage says he’s quitting radio after WXTB, Tampa, quit him in a revised format. The 20-year broadcast veteran says he’s going into real estate instead. He may want a new promo pic.

KING-sized awards.  The Murrow Awards are out for the year, and KING-TV took two in the Large Market category. Excellence in Writing went to John Sharify for his work, and the News Series winner was “Veterans for Profit.” The top award, Overall Excellence, went to KMGH in Denver, headed by former KOMO-TV news director Holly Gauntt.

Weather newcomers.  Just in time for the rain and wind, Adam Claibon joins KING-TV’s weather staff. The Florida State U. grad comes from four years at WCAI, Champaign, Illinois. Before that, it was three years at WBKB, Alpena, Michigan. And, the Arizona-Washington weathercaster pipeline is still in operation. Walter Kelley left KCPQ13 a while back to go to Phoenix to be with family. Now his replacement has arrived. Lisa Villegas spent the last few years at KOLD-TV in Tucson (also channel 13). Her bio includes being homecoming queen in high school.

She’s back. Tara Finestone is the new news director at KIRO-TV. She leaves a truly big-time job as news director at KCBS, Los Angeles, for the past couple of years. The UW grad worked at KIRO as a producer from 2000 to 2003. She’s also worked in Salt Lake and Spokane. She replaces John LaPorte, who left to go back to Milwaukee. Reportedly she was unhappy about staff cuts ordered by Viacom/CBS. Here, she’ll be competing with the guy who hired her there before he left, Bill Dallman, currently news director at KOMO-TV. In her new job, she’ll be facing a roof leak, noted elsewhere, and COVID-19 getting into the building with one employee testing positive. A lot of cleaning up to do.

North to Alaska. Soap operas are made-up stories aired on television…or real ones happening inside the station. The mayor of Anchorage, Ethan Berkowitz, has resigned after a questionable on-line relationship with Anchorage TV anchor Maria Athens. His Honor will now have time to explain his less-than-honorable activities to his wife, saying he’s embarrassed and ashamed and sorry and all. Meanwhile, Maria and her manager/boyfriend got into an argument about this while driving. He stopped, ordered her out of the car, and told her to never come to the station again. She, however, did, and allegedly began pounding on him, resulting in the cops showing up. It’s reported that while in full restraints, she tried to kick out the back window of the police car with her high heels. Yeah, I’m trying to picture the contortions involved, too. Anyway, there are now two job openings in Anchorage.

Rainy days and Sundays. News leaks are one thing. Leaks into the news studio are another, and that’s what KIRO-TV had after our first heavy October rainfall. Anchor Siemny Kim and weather woman Ilona McCaulkey did the news from among the buckets and trashcans catching water from a roof leak. Fortunately, they did not die with their boots on. Gave me a flashback to my Army days. I was anchoring an Armed Forces TV newscast on Okinawa during a typhoon, and noticed a crew mopping up water that was coming in under the service door. I suggested pointing the camera there to show how serious it was. Afterward, the Brass congratulated us on our quick thinking, then chewed us out because the mop-up crew wasn’t in uniform. Gotta love the military.

 

New in Yakima.  Lara Thomas is the new program director and afternoon host at Classic Rock KRSE-FM in Yakima. She’ll also program the oldies AM sister station, KTCR. She comes from being morning host in Springfield, Illinois. Another U-Haul Platinum roamer, she’s worked in Honolulu, El Paso, Grand Junction, CO, and a few other medium markets.

By the bay.  A new broadcasting empire is here—PacNW Broadcasting. (I can’t believe that name hadn’t already been taken, either.) Off to a modest start, its first purchase is classic rock KPPT-FM in Depoe Bay, Oregon, for $170,000. World headquarters apparently is in a house on Lake Tapps. Jeffrey Montgomery is the only name I’ve seen on the paperwork. Seller Xana Oregon, based in Walla Walla, will keep sister news-talker KCUP-AM in its own empire.

$$$$.  Howard Stern calls himself the King of All Media, It’s getting tougher to argue. He’s working on a new five-year contract with Sirius for….wait….sit down for this….hold your breath…$120 million…a year. Gasp now. It proves that there is a market for hearing about the size of body parts and the “F” word a lot. Also worth noting, and I think we can be proud of this…he’s had no significant presence in this market.

Far flung.  Let’s try to keep track of what happened to the five people blown out by Entercom  Seattle recently. Afternoon guy Walt Flakus has returned to Chicago to be midday host at I-Heart’s WCHI-FM as part of a new lineup there. And midday gal Alyssa Page (identified in the story farther down as Alyssa Boccuzzi) has gone broadcast-adjacent, joining Lori Lewis Media as vice president, Social + Innovation. Fancy name for consultant. As for the other three, we’ll let you know where they land when we find out.

Again.  My list of little gripes includes the phrase “and also.” A bit redundant? You can say that again. Here’s how to make it worse, courtesy of, among others, a weekend weather forecaster (not the one mentioned above). “And also (clouds ‘n stuff) as well.” Enough! Plenty! Stop!

Who’s on first.  Not much time or space is spent in this column on radio ratings, since they change so often. But September’s numbers caught my eye, making me think back to my days at KMPS. The station ran ads in trade magazines showing the Seattle skyline and asking what was wrong with this picture. Answer: a Country station was No.1. The general thinking was this just wasn’t a Country Music market. But we had our share for several years. The latest numbers show how much that’s changed. The top Country station in the market, KWFF, came in at 15^th. KNUC was 22^nd. We want our information in these challenging times. KIRO-FM was second, KUOW fourth, KOMO fifth. And we want our mindless diversions. KZOK topped the list, KISW was third. We also want some soothing. Classical KING-FM had a big jump, up to ninth. Sports? Not so much. Top one was KIRO-AM, 22^nd. KJR 24^th. KFNQ 30^th. It’s kind-a like watching the stock market. If you watch the numbers too carefully too often, it’ll make you crazy.

Heading north.  KIRO AM Executive Producer Jessamyn McIntyre is heading from Belltown to West Lake Union, taking the same job at KCPQ-TV. She spent 11 years at Broadcast House. The job of executive producer is to control the overall product that gets on air, to take all the blame when it fails and to share the credit when it works. Compare it to how good it feels when you quit whacking your head with a hammer.

No worries.  Adjacent headlines from a recent day in The Seattle Times: “Smoke again headed to Seattle area, but don’t panic.”  Just below that: “Wildfires affect wine grape harvest in Yakima Valley.”  Note:It does not  say, “don’t panic.”

Back home.  Newest reporter at KIRO-TV is Lauren Donovan. She says she grew up clam digging on the tide flats of Lopez Island and is glad to be back home. She’s a U. of Missouri grad. Other than that, she’s succeeded in keeping her private life private. She’s worked in Columbia, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa.

Eye on Ion.  The Scripps name has been around in newspapers since 1878. It has spread into TV, radio, cable, and podcasting over the years. Now, it is de-spreading (a word?) by getting rid of most of that and buying more TV. For $2.65 million, it’s buying Ion Media, which has stations in 62 markets. That includes KWPX, Channel 33, licensed to Bellevue. It airs a mix of infomercials and old network reruns. Maybe you shopped for some jewelry at three in the morning from them. Or watched NCIS when Gibbs was much younger. No specifics yet on any programming changes.

More dollars.  Let’s face it. Those of us who got into the radio news business did it for the feeling of helping the community, keeping people well-informed, no heavy lifting and free hats. Notice I did not mention money. The Radio-Television-Digital News Association is out with its latest salary survey, finding radio news pay went up 4.5% last year, about three times better than the previous year. News director and sports reporter salaries are the only ones that went down a bit. Starting pay at non-commercial stations was around $10,000 a year more than for commercial stations, continuing that trend and making me re-think some of my past choices.

At random… …  I’m sure KOMO political consultant Ron Dotzauer thinks he looks good in that huge, black cowboy hat he insists on wearing on-air. Anybody else think so? Just as I thought. He calls it “his brand.” I call it a distraction from the worthwhile stuff he says… Slip of the tongue…or mind…heard recently on a TV newscast near us: “The President’s late brother has died.”

Staying close.  Crista Ministries operates religious stations in the Seattle and Bellingham markets, and, about 10 years ago, for reasons that probably were good at the time, decided to spread out a bit. They bought KFMK in Austin, Texas. Now, world domination will have to wait. They’ve sold the station, to “streamline operations within our deep roots in the Pacific Northwest.”

Out at home.  The loss of local ownership of TV stations has been bemoaned here and elsewhere. Same for radio. And now even more, loss of local air personalities. Entercom’s latest budget-whacking means jobs lost for Alek Halverson, Deanna Lee, Alyssa Boccuzzi, Walt Flakus, and Tim Taylor, daytime jocks at KKWF (first two), KNDD (next two) and KSWD. Taylor also handled duties at two Portland stations. The same shifts are being targeted at other Entercom stations. Their replacements? Company talent voice-tracking from New York and Los Angeles. KNDD morning man Greg Shishman will be heard on company stations in Portland and Sacramento.

Quotes from company CEO David Field include such phrases as—“an innovation venture,” “fresh thinking,” “a better listener experience,” and staying “local, first and foremost,” “elevating their best personalities.” (Sorry, Alek, Deanna, Alyssa, Walt and Tim. You didn’t make that cut.) The company already has done the same thing to the seven-to-midnight shift on its Country and Alternative stations. As for the above-mentioned and their counterparts, the company is “grateful to them for their service.” And just like that, five more parking spots became available. Meanwhile, in Factoria, Hubbard Radio has hired Total Traffic and Weather Network to provide NBC Radio news for its two AM stations, KIXI and KKNW. Apparently traffic and weather will come from elsewhere, possibly local, probably not in-house.

New peddler in town.  Bonneville Seattle has named Jim Richmond as director of sales, taking the seat previously sat in by Cathy Canglano, now moved up to the market- manager chair. He’s been the head sales guy for Entercom San Francisco.

Staying free. Trying to explain court decisions is never easy. I tried to explain to the non-news person nearest me why the four local TV news stations and the Times not wanting to give unaired and unprinted information to the police is such a big deal. Seattle Police want the media to be forced to hand over material from recent protests. “Don’t they want to help the police?” she asks. “No” is an inadequate answer. It’s a door they don’t want to open. The term “slippery slope” fits. Quoting part of Supreme Court Commissioner Michael Johnston’s seven-page ruling, “The media’s concern about invasion of their constitutional newsgathering rights and perception of independence outweighed the police’s public-safety concerns.” I’m reminded of a time when I was covering a labor protest, and a police official I knew and respected suggested if he could drive over to the group in a marked news car— mine—maybe he could learn some stuff. I suggested there have been times I wished I had lights and a siren on that news car so I could get somewhere faster. That was it…our conversation went on to other things. Same general issue, just no courts involved that time. And I’m not sure my answer to that non-news person near me was satisfactory.  The press and the government necessarily work together, but they must remain separate. It says so in some important government paperwork. Update: A quick way to solve things, of course, is to take it to the State Supreme Court. That’s what the involved media did, and it worked. During the ensuing weeks, there were arrests made, without  the pictures, so Seattle Police decided to drop the subpoena. You won’t find the media saying, “So, there!” or sword-thrusts stuff… publicly. They just report the win for the free press calmly…publicly. Around the water cooler, could be different.

Goodbye, good sport. “Always be a good sport. Be a good sport all ways.” Those words ended every sportscast by Bob Robertson, and they were words he lived by. He called 589 WSU Football games between 1964 and 2010. He called Cougar basketball for 23 years. He was state Sportscaster of the Year 12 times. His career was full of superlatives. I got to know him well when we worked at KVI. One of the most positive people you’ll ever meet, Bob died at 91 at his home.

Zero stars. The current federal administration’s war on the free press has found a new battlefield—the Stars and Stripes newspaper that has served the military since the Civil War. It’s independent editorially, but gets its money from the Defense Department. That’s the target.  Senators from both sides of the aisle have written to Defense Secretary Mark Esper asking him not to kill the paper. They said, in part, the paper “is an essential part of our nation’s freedom of the press that serves the very population charged with defending that freedom.” Anybody who ever served in the military probably read it. The government seems to have a bone to pick with it, and is trying to spur its demise. Yes, I used a couple of those words on purpose.

News Flash… Almost before the ink was dry (oh, wait, this is online…), the paper was saved. The fact that current presidential buddy, Sen. Lindsay Graham, was among those saying what a bad idea this was, and realizing that those in the military he reportedly called “suckers” and “losers” had been strong supporters, the president went into full retreat with, of course, a tweet: ”The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding ….under my watch. It will continue to be a wonderful source of information for our Great Military.” The funding, by the way, amounts to government pocket change—$15.5 million. Equal to a few feet of border wall.

Seeing Dub-le. KNUC afternoon jock Brian “B-Dub” Washington has been picking up some side money syndicating a Saturday night show through Skyview Networks. Now, they’ve decided he’s so good they’re expanding to weeknightsl. This speaks well for the caliber of air talent in Seattle, many of whom have syndicated shows airing around the country, and even farther.

CMA SOY.  The Country Music Association’s annual award fest comes up in November. Hubbard’s KNUC is among the finalists for major market Station of the Year honors. And their morning hero, Fitz InTheMorning is one of six finalists for personality honors.

Untrusted.  Worship 24/7 Media Broadcasting is buying KTDD-FM from iHeart. The station is licensed to Eatonville, and was in a trust fund set up after iHeart ended up owning too many stations here. Price tag: $320,000. As you might have guessed, it will broadcast a Christian format of Talk and Music.

Add three.  The “most listened-to woman on radio,” Seattle-based Delilah, has even more listeners now. Stations in Eugene, Bakersfield and Tallahassee have her seven-midnight show.

Aloha.  KKOA-FM on the Big Island of Hawaii has picked Cory Edmondson as its new morning man on the country station. His past includes time at KMTT in Seattle, and at stations in Portland, Eugene and Idaho Falls. He says “it’s all good vibes, man.” Why not? Other than relatively low pay, probably, and very high cost of living, it’s Hawaii, man.

To a T. If you make so much as a dime off radio advertising, you should give a nod or hat tip next time you drive by the magenta-lit buildings at the intersection of I-90 and I-405. An organization called GroupM, which keeps track of these things, says T-Mobile, headquartered in those buildings, tops the list of spenders on radio ads last year, at $220 million. (Check your T-Mobile bill to figure out how much of that you paid.) However, that could change. This time we can’t blame COVID-19. T-Mobile is assessing all of its advertising now after buying Sprint. Could be bad news for either or both ad agencies involved, Publicis and Horizon. The “un-carrier” brand might be a little harder to maintain after picking up another “carrier.”

Back to work. The always delightful Ellen Tailor calls it “temporarily coming out of temporary retirement.” The former feature reporter at KPCQ13 is back on the tube, filling in as guest host on KING’s New Day Northwest, the job temporarily available after the retirement of Margaret Larson.

Off the job.  Brian Michael has left his job at KOMO-TV after 10 years as assignment editor. That’s the tough job of answering the newsroom phones, listening to the police scanners and mainly telling reporting crews which stories they’ll cover today, the part of the job that occasionally leads to some acrimony. (Wow, that’s a gentle way of putting it.)

Another loss.  Those who drove to work in the ’80s and ’90s had some help from Debbie Deutsch. The Kent-Meridian High school grad went to work for AAA, providing traffic reports for radio stations, including KJR. She then went to work for that station, then on to KLSY. After leaving the air, she did voiceover work and was a storyteller at Pacific Science Center, among other things. She was 68 and living in Woodinville with husband Jim Bulger when she died of cancer in late August.

Three at random.  It will be interesting to see if KIRO–TV covers the story of Leon Black. He’s being questioned for business dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, known pervert. Black is the founder of Apollo Global Management. Which owns Cox Media. Which owns KIRO-TV.

We know Goodyear Tires is currently on POTUS’ naughty list after not allowing MAGA hats in the tire factory. And we know he and Sinclair Media are heavily in like with each other. And, I saw that story on Sinclair’s KOMO-TV with Sinclair’s Sharyl Attkisson doing a feature story on concerns for injuries and deaths caused by faulty…Goodyear tires. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.

To the lady whose picture I saw wearing a sweatshirt saying, “Defund the Media”—you’re late! That process is already well underway.

I knew Pat as a worthy competitor who I ran across only occasionally, before both of us had left the airwaves. I got to know him much better at the annual MARKETING Awards EVENTS that this publication held from 2011 to 2017, as we sat off in the corner with the rest of the MARKETING IMMORTALS in attendance. That’s when I learned what a delightful person Pat was, easily able to laugh at himself and some of his occasional personal and professional excesses. I learned he was a Bremerton High School Class of ’52 grad (real name, Paul Berg), then peddling real estate in the San Juans, after a remarkable career in radio and concert promotion. Pat O’Day’s was the epitome of a life well-lived.

Movin’ In. The new 7-midnight host on KQMV Movin’ 92.5 is Julian Nieh. Don’t worry about pronouncing his last name. He prefers being called “Julian on the Radio.” Should remove any doubt. Possibly a U-Haul platinum customer, he’s worked in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco. The company is “thrilled,” Nieh is “beyond blessed.”

Short stay.  KIRO TV News Director John LaPorte has left the building, heading to WDJT in Milwaukee to be assistant news director. Leaving Broadcast House after just 14 months on the job would suggest it wasn’t a smooth ride. One report says dealings with the union, SAG/AFTRA, left him stressed. Leaving the top newsroom job at a station in the 14^th market for the number two job in the 35^th market may relieve some of that. And, for him, it is a return to Wisconsin.

Redstone. Sumner Redstone may not be a household name for most, but in media circles, he was legendary. He joined his family business in 1954, running drive-in movies. By the time he died in August at 97, he had built the company into ViacomCBS. He was sidelined by health issues that come with being that age, but never really let go of the company. His daughter, Shari, has been, and remains running the show.

Mile-high Karl.  Remember the Seattle Supersonics? We called it the team named after a Russian airplane. Mildly clever at the time, since Boeing had just dropped its SST program. Remember George Karl? Coached the team from ’92 to ’98. The 6^th winningest coach in the NBA. He’s signed on with KKFN-FM, Denver, to be game analyst for its broadcasts of Denver Nuggets games, He coached that team from 2004 to ’13, has popped up on various other telecasts and podcast, and wrote a book with a great title, My Forty Years Surviving NBA Divas, Clueless GMs, and Poor Shot Selection.

Well-earned win. KING-TV investigative reporter Chris Ingalls is one of four to get the Don Bolles Medal from the IRE (Investigative Reporters and Editors) group for coverage of hate groups. It’s the kind of work that gets your family threatened and death threats for you. It happened to him. The award “recognizes investigative journalists exhibiting extraordinary courage against intimidation and efforts to suppress the truth.” Bolles was killed in 1976 by a car bomb in retaliation for his Arizona Republic reporting on hate groups. Ingalls’ reporting last year centered on a small extremist group based in Arlington that led to an FBI roundup of members in Florida, Texas, Colorado and here. It’s called Atomwaffen, German for atomic weapon, and it gets its inspiration from the likes of Adolph Hitler and Charles Manson. In February of this year, the FBI warned Ingalls that he had been targeted by the group. Ingalls is “enormously grateful” to the law officers involved. This is the first time American journalists have received this medal. KING News Director Pete Saiers says Ingalls’ work is inspiring to everyone at the station. This kind of story is why reporters get into the business. The threats are a very unwelcome side issue. Congratulations to Chris.

Kraken the ice.  You’re likely to run across Everett Fitzhugh in the next few months. He’ll be going to service clubs, random large groups of people (hard to find right now) and other speaking engagements in relation to his new job. He’s on the radio team for the Seattle Kraken, the not-yet-real hockey team., A hockey fan since third grade in Detroit, he’s been calling minor league games in the Midwest, and even more minor teams before that. An article about him in The Athletic brought him to the team’s attention. With a name like that, it sounds like he may have lived in some British castle or something, Hardly. The team is noting that in the very white world of hockey, he will be the first Black team broadcaster in the National Hockey League. Although, stare at your radio all you want, you probably won’t be able to tell. His duties are a little unclear right now, like everybody else in the office. That’s why the plan is to get out in the world and promote the team to anybody who will listen. That will give us a chance to say to Ev (is it too soon to begin calling him that?), “Welcome to the Kraken house.”  (It’s not too soon to begin calling it that.)

Cruising.  Throwback Nation has hired Chris Cruise. night-time disc jockey at KMPS from 2014 to 2016. The Sun Broadcast Group syndicated show features hits of the ’80s and ’90s. Cruise will be doing fill-in work and “future brand-extension projects,” a title that may have come from a “make it sound important” committee meeting. He’s worked in Detroit, Boise and assorted other markets. A man of few words, Chris says, “this is heavy.” Okay, many words, including, “an absolute dream come true,” “can’t wait” and others.

Weather—or not.  Public radio station KNKX, in a news release, says it values regular commentators and their points of view, when it comes to sports, food and the weather— within limits. Apparently, weatherman Cliff Mass has gone beyond those limits. In his blog, he wrote about what he saw in downtown Seattle after recent events, noting some comparisons with 1938 Germany. Even though these comments were not aired on KNKX, but on his personal blog, that was enough for the station to cancel his weather features.

Kissed off.  KBKS (Kiss FM) morning host Carla Marie states a truism as she heads out the door, that you’re not really in broadcasting until you’ve been fired. Her co-star, Anthony, probably is mumbling the same thing. It’s been tough to keep up with these two. They came to Seattle in 2016 to launch KPWK Power 93.3, but it went back to being KUBE and they moved to nights on KBKS for a year before moving to mornings. I-Heart continues to whack away at the employee numbers, also tying the can to midday host Molly Mesnick, whose other claims to fame include being a contestant on The Bachelor.

Program Director Jared Fallon takes over that slot, and a familiar name takes over monings. Jubal Flagg/Fresh/whatever, late of Brooke and Jubal on Movin’ 92, returns to KBKS ten years after being given the boot there. He says when he left he didn’t get a chance to clean out his desk and he wants his favorite pen back. You start thinking like that after being in and out of a few stations. He’ll be joined by his wife, Alex Fresh/Flagg/whatever and probably a few more newly available co-hosts.

Who’s counting? People in broadcasting live or die by the Nielsen ratings. You may not realize how big a company it is. And, like everybody else, looking for ways to save a buck or two. So, they’re planning to save $250 million by cutting 3,500 employees. And that means no more ratings from them for nine smaller markets, such as Yakima and the Tri-Cities in our state.

Keeping it country. The Country Radio Broadcasters has elected, or kept officers for the next year. Kurt Johnson stays on as president of the volunteer group that advises country music stations. Board members include my favorite consultant (words I don’t often use together). Becky Brenner, the B in the A&O&B consulting group.

Less news. There’s a good chance you listen to Westwood One news on one of your favorite radio stations (like KIXI), although you wouldn’t know it since they don’t identify the network. It’s basically CNN news without the name. And soon, without anything. Cumulus Media, which owns it, is shutting it down “due to extraordinary circumstances,”  leaving more than 900 stations to look around for a new national network source. Right now, that’s pretty much limited to ABC Radio, CBS Radio and I-Heart radio. This is part of a three percent cut in the overall Cumulus staff. WWO will continue its News/Talk network and most other services.

operation as I-Heart division president. His past includes program director jobs at KLSY and KRWM here. They promise all their news will be written with Black listeners in mind, apparently even including traffic and weather. The company says this effort has been in the planning stages for quite a while now, but the timing of events has made it more important than ever. They expect other stations to join in soon.

A capital idea. Although sometimes it may be hard to tell, newspapers do have standards. Editors and writers agree to a set of rules on what’s the right thing to do for them in print. The Associated Press Style Book is the standard, with occasional local tweaks. In this day of increased racial concerns, the AP has decreed that when writing about certain ethnic matters, black can be Black, with a capital B. It’s good to know there are people actually worrying about this sort of thing and taking it seriously… so the rest of us don’t have to.

Almost famous. The Radio Hall of Fame nominees list is out. Bob Rivers of KJR-FM is in the long-time local category. Glenn Beck, whose very early career included Mt. Vernon and Seattle, is in the Spoken Word category. There is no category for crying on air. Beck would have a lock on that. The new HOF class will be announced Aug. 17.

Another voice gone. Puget Sound Media reports the death of Pat Hurley, long-time broadcast engineer and disc jockey, using the name Pat Henry on air. (Odds are Henry was his real middle name. That’s how it often happens.) Former co-workers indicate he was an engineer first and sometimes seemed to think disc jockeying was an interruption of his day. Most of that was at KPUG, Bellingham, with engineering at many other stations. Hurley was 78.

Signed off. Kevin Calabro has broadcast his last Portland Trailblazers basketball game. You remember him. He was the voice of the Seattle SuperSonics (you remember them?) for 21 years, before they left town and he chose not to go with them. He picked up a few other jobs before taking the Portland gig four years ago. The team, like many others, has been laying off staff, but Calabro says this was not part of that, he just decided it was time to leave and spend more time with his family. That’s the way that ball bounces.

Jones takes over. There is very little white space on Kevin Jones’ new business card. He is now operations manager of Stephens Media Group, Spokane, program director of KEYF and KBBD, and morning host of KEYF. He comes from a 31-year stint at KOMA, Oklahoma City. In this business, that’s darned near a steady job.

More sun. First Twisp, then the world. Okay, the world may be a bit away yet, but Resort Radio is extending the reach of its Twisp station, KCSY “Sunny FM,” by adding KEYG FM, Grand Coulee, to the classic hits mix. KEYG AM will move to a Country format. The company brags that the new setup will be heard from the Cascades to Spokane and from the Columbia Basin to the Canadian border. That’s a population base of 275,000, along with several million jackrabbits. Resort Radio’s list of top brass includes Kent Phillips, longtime Seattle disc jockey, occasional TV host and actor.

Raibs retires—almost. One of the most important things on an air person’s mind on his last day, other than the vanishing paycheck, is what’s going to be said. It’s nice to have the time to ponder it, instead of finding out on Friday morning this was your last day because of a new format. (I’ve been through both.) You’ve spent years building up a relationship with your listeners or viewers, and you want to go out with head held high and with mutual good wishes. Steve (Raibs) Raible had plenty of time to ponder his words, which he shared ending his 39 years at KIRO-TV—the majority as an anchor. He’ll still be calling Seahawks’ games and may do a few specials for the station, but he also plans to spend more time with his wife, and maybe travel a little. He pointed out retirement is not the end of the road, just a bend in it. He’d been broadcasting from home lately because of social distancing (another term we’re getting tired of), but he deigned to occupy the studio anchor chair for his last evening. When I left KMPS, they played “Happy Trails” for me. Corny, schmaltzy, and entirely appropriate. Steve, happy trails, buddy. See you ‘round the bend. Pub. Note: Raibs and Don are fellow members of the MARKETING IMMORTALS pantheon for their outstanding careers in the broadcast field.

Those of us who love the free press are understandably worried about what’s being done by a man who clearly does not. The president has brought on board documentary-maker Michael Pack to slash, burn and dismantle the Voice of America, currently broadcasting America’s story in 47 languages around the world, as it has been since just after WWII. Pack has fired several top officials, and two at the very top have quit. A few details I’ll save you the bother of looking up: it is government funded, but not government run—at least on paper. It’s 1,000 or so employees are paid from a $218 million budget that comes from the bucket of money running embassies and consulates. It’s now using radio, television, digital and any other medium it can think of to get the story out.

I first got to know about VOA way back in the wayback, when I was protecting your honor and defending your freedom in uniform. I was assigned to a PsyOps unit, producing propaganda radio dramas for the Voice of the United Nations Command. VUNC was smaller and more narrowly focused that VOA. We weren’t supposed to call it propaganda, but that’s what it was. “Selected truths” was the preferred name, or “white propaganda,” on a color scale that included gray and black, the sort of thing that would get a Wendy’s torched today. I came to admire Willis Conover, a Virginia disc jockey and jazz promoter. He was able to do both on VOA for around 40 years, with a nightly jazz show.  No politics…just music. He became the most listened to DJ in the world, with up to 30 million listeners. None of them in this country, since VOA was not allowed to broadcast here.

This little trip down memory lane just makes me feel angrier and more worried about what’s happening to this long-time beacon of truth about America’s life. I don’t understand why there’s a target on its back. It’s not like it was started by Obama.

Emmy honorees. Bragging cases are filling up after the Northwest regional Emmy awards were handed out for the 57th year. All four of our Seattle stations won many, many golden statuettes. I will list them now. Ha ha, just kidding—but you can see all the winners at www.natasnw.org. Top award, for overall station excellence, went to KGW in Portland. Individual honors of note went to Jim Dever, Sebastian Robertson, Chris Egan, John Sharify, Michael Crowe and Taylor Mirfendereski of KING, Kevin Beatty of KOMO, and Michael Driver of KCPQ. High schools with winning efforts included Ballard, Fife, Newport and South Kitsap. Congrats to all, and thanks from the statuette makers.

Another New Day.  Time to squeeze over and make room for one more on the sofa at the Retired Broadcasters Lounge (which still exists only in my mind). Margaret Larson, host of KING-TV’s New Day, says she’s “pulling the cord” on the program and calling it a career. She plans to move to North Carolina. I’ve been there. I ask why? Ok, to be with her son and family. She says she may wander back this way some day, but no promises. Universally liked, her career has included network news, along with side gigs working with World Vision, Mercy Corps and other groups, including one dealing with treatments for childhood cancer. Here’s a wish for good luck in the wonderful world of retirement.

Bellevue—and disbelief. News people love riots. News people hate riots. We relish the idea of covering something that’s more important than the day-to-day stuff. We don’t like having to be the bearer of bad news, but it can’t be ignored just because of that. Some thoughts on TV coverage of our protests and violence on the last weekend of May. I’ve only got one TV set, so I bounced around among our stations and may have missed some really good reporting, or otherwise. Most of my time was spent with KIRO, watching Linzi Shelton “grow up” as an anchor before our very eyes, sitting socially close to Monique Ming Laven, a tough act for anybody to follow…or be next to. She’s that good. Reporter Jessica Oh did good work under very difficult circumstances. Matt Markovich was a major plus for KOMO’s coverage. Both KING and KCPQ did the kind of great reporting we’ve come to expect from them. I didn’t watch them enough to catch the kudo-worthy jobs I’m sure were there. Once again, as I look at coverage from other cities, I try not to be a home-boy, but I think Seattle broadcasting is still a cut above anywhere else.

I particularly watched the coverage from Bellevue, where I grew up from sixth grade on, before it even was a city. I took the attacks and looting almost personally. I ached for my life-long friend Kemper Freeman, as his masterpiece, Bellevue Square, was trashed. I ached for Police Chief Steve Mylett, on one knee talking with protesters but acknowledging how difficult it had been for his department not doing better. I volunteer with that department, and I’m sure my fellow volunteers really wanted to jump in and do something, anything, to make the situation better. It’s probably best all around that we weren’t called in. I called the whole incident a damaging chuckhole along the road to greatness that the city is on. I’m hoping the ride gets smoother. And broadcasters have some really good stories to tell. We love that, too.

Scott free. When Janene Drafs left the GM job at KOMO to head south and run the oldest TV station in the west, KTLA, she had to say goodbye to many good friends and co-workers. Now, she can say ‘hello again” to one of them. Scott Altus is taking the same trip, leaving as KOMO’s creative services director and becoming KTLA’s senior director of creative services. (That’s the creative part….put the same words in a different order and toss in another one. I’m on to you, Scott.) He’s held marketing positions with the other three big stations in town and has a few other plaques on the bookshelf. Another good move.

Brother Bender.  Jodi Brother has been on Seattle’s air for 20 years co-hosting morning shows with Marty Riemer and Bob Rivers. Bender Cunningham hosted the morning show on KBKS (KISS) with various co-hosts for almost that long before being blown out in 2018. Now, Bender and Jodi have hooked up (just on the air, so we all can listen) on KJR-FM for the new “95.7 The Jet Mornings with Jodi and Bender.” Again, no creative juices wasted on that. I-Heart Seattle manager Robert Dove, the same man who fired Bender, says his new team will “shine a light on the good things happening” here. Bender is an unusual first name. Maybe that’s why his Seattle history has been as part of “(her name here) and Bender.” Fair warning, Jodi.

Wider fame. Keeping up with small-town radio:  Icicle Broadcasting’s stations in Chelan, Leavenworth and Manson have posted on their websites pictures of local high school graduates. And the Clallam County health officer will be a guest on the Sunday morning talk show on KSQM, Sequim, as noted in the Sequim Gazette. (I used to get excited when my Sunday morning guests were listed in The Seattle Times.) Good work from good stations, I’m sure. The surprise is where I came across this information….in the online version of a national  trade magazine, Inside Radio. No disrespect to the stations, but I didn’t know it was getting that tough to fill space in publications. And yet, it just happened here.

Gary Lockwood. Ask around. Who were the best disc jockeys in Seattle radio? Gary Lockwood is sure to be on that list, maybe in the top five…or top one. An unfairly large number of people on that list come from the “glory” days of KJR, channel 95. Lockwood was there from 1976 to ’91, after being lured over from KING radio. He was taken out of the game by a change to a sports format. Lockjock was described as one of the funniest and best-prepared people on radio by those who worked with him. I did not know him, but recognized him as a worthy competitor. He was in his early 70s when he died in his sleep in late April.

Steve West sent this remembrance. “Such a true talent.  When Gary was at KING, I felt he was the only one there who was a threat to KJR.  I tried to get him out of the market and had a number of conversations with Paul Drew at KHJ.  One day Paul said, “He’s so much of what Seattle radio is about.”  From that remark, I decided I was going to get him to join us at Channel 95.  It took a while as he was leery that we were serious.  Finally happened, and his connection with a listener (thousands at a time) created the memories we all share today. His humor (and laughter, sometimes for minutes at a time) was infectious and took us away from whatever else was going on in our lives.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him.  RIP LJ!”

And this from Klem Daniels: ”I worked with Gary for several years; he was probably the best jock I ever heard. I was KJR’s production director and Gary was KJR’s afternoon jock. He was incredibly prepared for every shift on KJR. It was routine with him . . . he’d have a cigarette hanging from his mouth, ashes all over the typewriter’s keys, as he’d bang out every word of his daily Police Blotter and Lockwood’s World Famous Eye Witness News. You knew to never interrupt Lock Jock while he was prepping. KJR listeners would often share their love of Gary and Police Blotter. There were many listeners who had to pull their car over because they were laughing so hard. Gary was a fabulous writer, so sharp and he understood radio and his audience as better than anyone. He will certainly be remembered and missed. 

By any other logo. Those who create logos for a living can appreciate all the work and planning that goes into it. The rest of us will continue to try to understand. Cox Media Group, owner of KIRO-TV (now owned by Apollo Global Management), ran a contest, mainly in-house, to come up with a “new look.” After looking through 250 submissions, one from the art director at their Jacksonville station, Kim Columbero, came up as the winner. According to the company’s words, which may have come from a committee, it is “composed of the brand’s collective bright hues and formed in an artful manner that plays to the company’s legacy of competition, collaboration, diversity and inclusion.” A lot of work for three letters.

Weather or not. KCPQ 13 meteorologist Walter Kelley is packing up his isobars and cumuli and heading south to be with family. He’s been with the station since 1997. Morning news weather wonder woman MJ McDermott calls it the end of an era, pointing out that Kelley is the last of the on-air team that launched their newsroom. I don’t know if he’s looking for work, but forecasting in Phoenix generally consists of one of two words— “sunny” or “haboob.”

Bye bye Bilte. KIRO-QTV General Manager Greg Bilte is heading to new adventures, retiring after 41 years in the business, 25 with Cox Media. He began in sales at KXLY, Spokane. He’s worked in Los Angeles, and his time at Cox has taken him to San Francisco and Tulsa. Cox says nice things about him, and he says nice things about Cox. Pat Nevin is the replacement. The WSU grad began his career at KHQ, Spokane. He spent 14 years at KSTW here before heading to KOIN in Portland. Now he’s back in town.

Clancy’s change. Thirty-two years after beginning as an intern at KIRO-TV, and moving up to producer, anchor and top-notch reporter, Amy Clancy has “hung up her notebook.” I often ran across her in the field at news stories, and particularly at a few Seafair Parades, and she has been a force to be reckoned with. She did a lot of police reporting, but she has moved to the other side of the mic now, signing on with the Seattle Police Department as a strategic communications adviser. She’s hardly the first reporter to switch to media-type jobs with police, fire, and other public agencies. Almost always a good move. And the station is to be credited with being right on top of things. A half hour after co-workers wished her well in the evening newscast, she was nowhere to be found on the station’s website staff directory.

Years to forget. Appropriate promotional kudos to KNDD 107.7 The End, for its Memorial Day special, the “Top 107 Songs of Last Decade, Because This One Sucks.” I hear no argument.

Minus one.The highly-popular Seattle-based Brooke and Jeremy show has lost one of its 50-plus stations, perhaps because of the departure of Jubal Flagg/Fresh as cohost. KWYD-FM in Boise says the breakup of the team “became an opportunity to invest in …local.” Nathan and Rebecca Fast have begun Fast in the Morning on the station, able to “tell the stories of our listeners in a way no syndicated show can.” Let’s not go into the personal and professional challenges of having a husband-wife team together on the air. I’ve seen more not work than work.

The Groz.  Seattle Times sports columnist Larry Stone has written a long and laudatory item about Dave (The Groz) Grosby, a sports-radio talker for 19 years in Seattle—twice each at KJR and KIRO-ESPN. The story deals with his fight against Parkinson’s disease. Anybody who’s seen it in a loved one….my father had it…knows it’s tough to watch. He saw his mother go through it. Groz is 59, on the young side for this sort of thing, but he is maintaining as positive an attitude as possible, using his notoriety and contacts to increase awareness. He has a long history of health issues. Two notable sentences quoted in the article: “I should have taken better care of myself. I don’t regret having a good time.” By all accounts, he shared those good times with co-workers and listeners, and even now, probably, on his daily walks with his wife.

More Medved. KTTH afternoon talker Michael Medved is getting a bigger audience. CRN Digital Talk Radio will peddle the program around the country, along with the Medved Entertainment Minute. He already has more than three million listeners on various platforms and stations. CRN calls him one of radio’s best storytellers.

Classical cuts. Blame C-19 for cuts at classical KING-FM. Three full-time and several part-time jobs are gone for now. The station gets most of its income from various arts groups, and those groups are hurting big time.

$inclair. Some of the numbers look pretty good for Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of KOMO and KUNS TV and 189 other TV stations, and three radio stations, all here. In the avalanche of figures coming out: Consolidated operating income up 248% to $327 million. You’ll get 20 cents dividend for each share you own. And Sinclair is No. 1 in another category, although I doubt there will be balloons and cake in the breakroom for this. It has been hit with the largest fine ever from the FCC—$48 million. The money covers three violations, two involving the failed acquisition of Tribune Media. The other is for 1,700, yes, 1,700 instances of not identifying the sponsor of reports on local stations and newscasts. (Huntsman Cancer Foundation is that sponsor.) In rejecting calls for yanking the license, the FCC chair calls this a cautionary tale for licensees. Meanwhile, in another part of the building, KOMO Radio has picked up several awards from the Associated Press in competition among stations in the 13 western states. Sports guy Bill Swartz picked up three of them, sharing one with Gaard Swanson. Other awards were for coverage of Boeing’s troubles, the February snowstorm and the Best Newscast honor for the morning news. Congratulations. As you put your trophies in the case, try not to smirk knowing there is no trophy for “Highest Fine Ever.”

More backslaps. The Radio Television Digital News Association has handed out this year’s Murrow awards (named for Edward R., but you knew that). In our western region, KING-TV picked up 11, for excellence in social media, sound, video, writing, multimedia, investigations, hard news, new series, sports reporting, continuing coverage and overall excellence—the big one. KOMO-TV got two, for newscast and news documentary (Seattle is Dying). On the radio side, KUOW hauled in seven, for hard news, feature reporting, writing, multimedia, news series, sports reporting, and the equally big overall excellence.  KOMO was awarded for breaking news, continuing coverage and newscast.. KIRO earned two, for sound and social media, and one for KNKX, for investigative reporting. Good work all around.

Scrambled Ratings. This column doesn’t spend much space on radio ratings, since they change quarterly, and usually don’t change much. But the March numbers are worth noting, although not surprising. KIRO-FM moved to number one. KUOW, usually in the top few, came in second. Biggest change was all-news KOMO, often mired in the middle, came in at third. Often top-rated KQMV slipped into a tie for third, offering a musical getaway from all the virus news. This is not unique to Seattle. Same sort of thing is happening in many major markets. And in some markets, the big news stations have taken to providing short news updates for music stations, as KIRO has done here for Hubbard stations. Sports stations have cratered, KIRO-AM doing the best, at #18. KNUC topped Country stations, at #14. You want inspiration? Crista Ministries’ KWPZ came in #30. We’ll see how long this “new normal” lasts in the books.

Raked over. Not unlike plucking a weed from a garden, “Gardening with Ciscoe” has been pulled from KIRO-FM’s Saturday schedule. Real-life garden gnome Ciscoe Morris wants it known he’s not retiring. From his website: “if anyone knows of a radio station looking for an extremely intelligent, good-looking and buff gardening host (it’s all those brussels sprouts I eat), let me know!” I can’t imagine it will take long. He’ll keep up his sporadic TV appearances, book signings and other events. Visiting with him in the confines of a radio studio, as I’ve done a few times, can be exhausting. The ooh-la-la is real. (One time, he indicated that’s what his wife would say after….you know what.) It’s good to know the mulch-master will continue to dazzle on the tube, in the store and probably pretty soon back on the radio.

Hubbard Happenings. The door’s getting a workout at the Factoria headquarters of Hubbard Radio Seattle. The new market manager is Wheeler Morris. He’s a fourth- generation broadcaster, so apparently he doesn’t know any better. He’s been with Hubbard in other capacities. And stepping in to run one of the more successful operations in town is not a bad move for him. He replaces Scott Mahalick. who’s been interim manager for a while. He moves up-down-sideways…not sure which…to operations manager for the cluster. He had been directing content and branding for their country station, KNUC The Bull, and did his interiming (?) replacing Ann Marie Mulholland, who had been invited out.

Also invited out, Corey Dillon, afternoon host on KNUC for the past couple of years. He told his listeners he’d planned to be here for years to come. Hearing the word “planned,” God then laughed. His replacement is Bryan Washington, who prefers to be known as B-Dub. Not too many points for creativity there. He also wants to be known as Captain Smile, a superhero type going around helping people pay for gas or groceries. He’s been at stations using The Bull format in Denver, Sacramento, Phoenix and Portland, so, whoever he is, he should feel comfortable with that, if not his name.

Scott Jones of FTVLive, the first to report on Janene Drafs’ departure as KOMO-TV GM, says that the nationwide search stayed in-house at Sinclair Broacasting. Chad Conklin, who manages two stations in Flint, Michigan, is the replacement. He’s been with Sinclair for a couple of decades, including the last nine years in Flint. Also see Drafs Successor? below.

Alpha almost Omega. Portland-based Alpha Media is making some cuts because of the virus. CEO Bob Profitt  says they’re positioning the company “to weather this challenge” through furloughs, reduced hours and eliminating some jobs. Among those shown the door, KUPL PD and afternoon host Mojoe Roberts. Company execs have given themselves pay cuts. The company has 199 stations in 44 markets, including five stations in our state, all in the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area.

A new NoDak. Moving from the Seattle market to Fargo, North Dakota, isn’t necessarily a step up. But moving from unemployed to employed definitely is. Former KBKS morning show producer and co-host Gordon Hultengren now has the same jobs at KLTA-FM in Fargo. Right now being promoted as “Jesse and Amanda, with Gordo???” Not especially comforting.

No Jubal-ation. You remember Jubal Flagg, who teamed with Brooke Fox on Hubbard’s KQMV Movin’ 92.5. The Brooke and Jubal show spread to Portland, then nationally to more than 50 stations, winning all kinds of honors along the way. Then…there must have been a reason….he changed his name to Jubal Fresh. Then, he disappeared. He wasn’t on the show for nearly three months, with no explanation. Then, word that he’ll stay that way…gone. Executive producer Jeff Dubow moves up to “Brooke and Jeffrey in the morning.” Not sure how Brooke and Jubal will divvy up all the awards.

Sports-less. KXLY-AM, Spokane, sports radio hosts Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens have signed off their afternoon show. No floaters, these guys started the show on KXLY-TV in 1984. Sad to note this was the last locally produced sports talk radio show in Spokane.

Battling the bug.  We’re all doing what we can to make it through this viral disaster. It’s tough being a TV reporter, either out there where the bug is, or broadcasting from home where your pets, your kids, or—in one case—your half-naked father can derail your train of thought and disrupt the report. Management is doing its part, with the stations putting all sorts of information on their websites, including where to donate. The company we love to hate, Sinclair, through KOMO-TV, is putting some money where its electronic mouth is, marketing a fund-raising partnering with the Salvation Army and promising to match funds up to $100,000. If other stations actually are spending money this way, they’ve been a little more reluctant to tell us. If they get shamed into thinking it’s a good idea..that’s OK. The radio world is doing a part, too, although the numbers are a little smaller, as you might expect. Former Seattle morning disc jockey Bender Cunningham, finding himself with time on his hands, being “former,” teamed up with Oberto in an online contest to pay the winner’s rent, up to $2,000. If other out-of-work jocks, or working ones, like the idea of doing good while getting a little publicity, that, too, is OK.

Exitcom? The job slashing continues at Entercom stations, with the blame laid on the Big Virus. Smokey Rivers is out after two years as program director and afternoon host at KWSD The Sound. Ryan Gibbons is out as morning producer at WXSS, Milwaukee. He’d been producing Danny Bonduce’s morning show at KZOK. Former KMPS program director Kenny Jay is no longer PD at country stations in Chicago and Milwaukee. And everybody in the company making more than $50k is getting a 10 or 20% pay cut. Chairman David Field is taking a 30% cut in his seven-figure salary. And no bonuses for now. Their other stations here are KKWF The Wolf, KNDD The End, KISW and KHTP. Call it Exitcom?

No cuts. You might have heard the sigh of relief from the Eastlake Avenue radio studios of KIRO and KTTH. Owner Bonneville International says there are no plans to cut jobs because of the virus outbreak. In fact, the company, saying it “puts purpose above profit,”  is encouraging its 22 stations in six markets to find new ways to serve their communities. Some are the kind you’d expect…highlighting businesses that help healthcare workers, encourage letter-writing to seniors (we love getting mail that isn’t a bill or an offer for products we’re not likely to use) and some you might not expect, like paying employees to do volunteer work, and matching employee donations to certain charities. I don’t remember either of those from when I worked for them way back in the ’70s, so that’s an improvement. So is staying gainfully employed.

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