Times Are Changing at KING

"When I started working at KING-TV, I was 26. Back then, that was kind of a big deal for someone so young to get a job in this market. Things have changed and a 20-something starting at the Big 5 isn’t so strange. What made me feel really strange — and old — was what happened at KING a few months ago.

"Our company, Tegna, implemented an early-retirement policy. Anyone 55 years old or older with 15 years at the company could qualify. This was not just for KING. It was companywide. We got the notice, however, just a couple of weeks after we moved into our new building. That put a big wet blanket over what’s been a very positive experience. A month or so later, our executive producer told us he was going to take the early retirement. I felt that loss deeply, as he’s been a mentor to me for my entire career. Then we got word just how many people, on-air and off-air, were leaving us. It numbered in the dozens. Part of what makes KING great was just how much talent and experience we could bring to bear to the everyday task at hand. A lot of that experience was walking out the door.

"It became hardest for me during that final week. On Monday, I made it through my workday with a big lump in my throat. I could have lost it at any moment. As the week went by, my emotions went on a rollercoaster ride. Then came Friday. I looked around the newsroom and I realized that in one fell swoop, I was certainly no longer the kid. With just a handful of exceptions, I was the most tenured newsroom employee. That hit me. And that lump in my throat felt like a boulder.

"Just recently, our local SAG-AFTRA chapter held a goodbye party for the on-air talent. I had missed the previous celebrations and it gave me a chance to honor all those great people. While it was just a few weeks after they left, I gave them all this standard and horrible joke: 'You haven’t changed a bit!'

"I want to thank everyone who put that together to give me one last opportunity to bid farewell to all those great professionals. As for the 20-somethings that I work with now, I really enjoy them. Those millennials are smart and hard-working and are carrying on the KING tradition very well."

This item was originally featured in the August 2016 local newsletter.