Seattle SAG-AFTRA member and long-time KOMO-TV broadcaster Dan Lewis recently announced he is stepping down from the station’s head anchor position, which he has held for nearly 30 years.
Lewis, who came to KOMO from WJLA-TV in Washington D.C. in 1987, shared co-anchor duties with the late Kathi Goertzen for nearly a quarter-century, making them one of the longest-running anchor teams in broadcast history. Previous to his time in the nation’s capital, he was a reporter for Milwaukee, WI station WISN, encompassing a career that has spanned four decades. Lewis joined the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists in February, 1982.
Holly Gaunt, KOMO-4 news director, lauded Lewis for his consummate professionalism. “He was a patriarch, a leader, a compassionate man who guided all of us through that incredibly painful day," said Gaunt, citing Lewis’ reporting of his long-time colleague’s passing in 2012. Sinclair Stations Seattle general manager, Janene Drafs, a colleague for most of Lewis’ Seattle tenure stated on KOMO’s web site, “We all love Dan and can't imagine him not returning to KOMO from time to time for special projects,” leaving open the possibility of his return to the airwaves in some capacity.
In acknowledgement of his decades of broadcast excellence, Lewis also recently received a special “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented by the Western Washington Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at their annual gala on May 17, 2014.
Lewis will officially step down from the anchor chair at the conclusion of tonight’s 11 p.m. broadcast.
On behalf of the staff and members of the SAG-AFTRA Seattle Local, his colleagues, and fellow broadcast shop members at KOMO-TV, we salute Dan for his many years of service to the community, to his union brothers and sisters, and for exemplifying the highest qualities of professionalism, dedication and integrity in the broadcast industry.
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