-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Bruce King
- Thread starter KMan
- Start date
Just days after we lost George Ray from KCTS, another Seattle TV legend gone. He was the one that covered all those UW Rose Bowl's, the Mariners during their glory days, Seahawks and about anything else in between that had to do with sports. He now joins Kathi Goertzen and Ken Schram in forever peace up in the TV newsdesk in the sky. RIP Bruce!
As a Seattle boy, I grew up with Bruce King on KOMO. If I'm not mistaken, he had worked at KABC in LA before moving north in the 60's. As mentioned, his talent gave him an opportunity in the bigs at WABC, but circumstances brought him back to Seattle after just a year or so. He was such a pro, and always had that quirky smile no matter what he was reporting on. A true Seattle legend.
http://komonews.com/news/local/former-longtime-komo-tv-sportscaster-bruce-king-dies
A few months ago I had posted the entire 1992 Rose Bowl postgame show from KOMO with all of the commercials and Bruce King's commentary with the UW players. Washington beat Michigan that New Year's Day 34-14, undefeated for the season! I ended up finding the *1991* Rose Bowl broadcast at the same estate sale but none of the play-by-play from the 1992, just the local postgame show. I'm glad the family didn't tape it over.
Pt 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvduBrTVMvg
Pt 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCXCnAbWEE
Pt 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvduBrTVMvg
Pt 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCXCnAbWEE
Certainly, for anyone who lived in Seattle from the 60's through the 90's, Bruce King WAS Seattle sports. He was a fantastic sports anchor and broadcaster, really among the best! He will be missed! As a side note, I got to watch Bruce King on the air in NYC. I went off to college that year and watched him at my relatives' house in Connecticut during Thanksgiving break.
Bruce was one of KOMO's stars. The station as a whole was well-stocked with talent in the 70's to 90's, even into the 2000's. Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, Steve Pool, and previously Jim Harriott, Ray Ramsey, and always the great Bruce King. Always competitive with KING, except for a period in the early to mid-80's when KIRO's "sensational" format got some short-lived attention.
You mean to tell me that you weren't a fan of KIRO's "news specialists", "Chopper 7", and the (get ready fro the jump-the-shark moment) "KIRO News Jet". Heck, I was waiting for the KIRO News Rocket!
Meanwhile, KING was actually trying to do more in-depth news by introducing "Top Story", a local version of Nightline that ultimately failed.
You mean to tell me that you weren't a fan of KIRO's "news specialists", "Chopper 7", and the (get ready fro the jump-the-shark moment) "KIRO News Jet". Heck, I was waiting for the KIRO News Rocket!
Meanwhile, KING was actually trying to do more in-depth news by introducing "Top Story", a local version of Nightline that ultimately failed.
Of course I was a fan of KIRO in the 80's! They were creating a whole new concept in the Seattle market and it definitely paid off. The "newsroom" format, based on WBBM Chicago, lasted throughout the decade, but then all hell broke loose with different managers, leading to the ill-fated "News Out Of The Box" in circa '93. That failed, but was actually a hint of the future, as most local tv eventually copied this format with standup anchors. But that is neither here nor there. KING tried to react with a new modern set in the early 90's, and KOMO just kept doing what they were doing, depending on talent over substance.
How we ended up today is anyone's guess. KIRO invested in a new major set a couple of years ago, as KOMO also did. KING seems to be in a state of flux with not enough space to provide for a good presentation, combined with a loss of talent, makes them the most vulnerable.
Back to the thread, there don't seem to be many "Bruce Kings" today. Instead we see some young folks who are trying hard, but nobody with that "it" factor. Too bad.
Part of the reason there are not any "Bruce Kings" today might be attributed the fact that local sports plays eight fiddle to everything else so talent can't be groomed for the long term. During part of Bruce's tenure you had the late Wayne Cody on KIRO who in his own right had the "it" factor.
Wayne was indeed popular. I didn't care for him as he was too much of a "homer", but I respect him for being a star in Seattle. Your point about local sports on local tv news is well taken. This segment, which at one time was quite popular and essential, now is relegated to maybe 1-2 minutes on most local newscasts, most late night after the results are in. Today, young sportscasters are generally avoiding local news and trying to get on college football and basketball broadcasts, which still seem to be thriving. And it really doesn't matter what level you start at, even high school. Just prove you can be good at it and you will move up. Especially with the advent of 50 college games being broadcast over a dozen networks on any given weekend.
You're right. Out here in Yakima/Tri-Cities, they still spend Friday nights covering HS football and basketball during the season, and other high school sports highlights throughout the week. SWX on KNDU/KNDO still cover some live events, mainly Tri-Cities. Most sports anchors in small markets don't last long. Alan Sillence on KIMA is an exception, almost 24 years now as sports director. In fact Alan and KEPR meteorologist Mike McCabe are the only ones left who worked there during the Retlaw Broadcasting days. Other anchors retired or moved on. Whenever I still visit Seattle I enjoy watching Paul Silvi on KING, and KCPQ's Aaron Levine isn't bad either, but it's been a long time since sports were an important chunk of all local newscasts.
- Status