Best News Talent

[TakeItFromMe]

When Don Riggs hung up his spurs over at KMPS it made this cowboy wonder who the best news person on commercial radio is in Seattle ??? Lot of time spent on these boards
talkin dirt about jocks and talk show hosts but there is a whole bunch of talent out there that lives on news. Been listening around to FM and AM stations just for the news honchos and here are my picks:

Tony Miner on KIRO: The voice, the delivery, yet personality
Bill Yend on KOMO: Doesn't have the voice, but is smooth and delivers news in a folksy Don Riggs way.
Jane Shannon on KIRO: Serious, yet without an edge.

Kind of tough to pick a good one of FM now that Riggs is gone. He was the last of the true news guys on FM outside of public radio of course. :'(

 

[djdan]

Would agree with your assessment. I would add Gina Tuttle to your list from KWJZ and KRWM. Excellent news delivery for the AC format.
Kaci at KZOK is a good fit for that format as well. Lots of FM stations have eliminated news or have the co-host do it to cut costs. Some are better
than others.

 

[machinehead]

Good call on Kaci from KZOK. She does a great job, always has. Definitely the kind of talent you want on your team.

 

[radiogeek40208]

Would agree with your assessment. I would add Gina Tuttle to your list from KWJZ and KRWM. Excellent news delivery for the AC format.
Kaci at KZOK is a good fit for that format as well. Lots of FM stations have eliminated news or have the co-host do it to cut costs. Some are better
than others.

I love Gina's voice!

 

[Bongwater]

Glen Harris from KWLE 1340 is criminally overlooked major market level talent and he does an outstanding job up here.

In Seattle, I go for Kacie on KZOK now. Followed closely by Eric Slocum and Lisa Brooks on KOMO.

CKWX 1130 also has some awesome news talent up north....

 

[talkerdjdude]

Gotta agree that Kaci is great, tho sometimes she gets into subjects that she doesn't know much about when Bob asks her more. Linda Thomas is the best. She's done a lot of stations, but I like her sexy voice on FM with Rivers. Jane Shannon is a good news reader but she never has anything to add besides an overly big laugh.

As for men, Tony Miner is probably the best because he's unflappable. Greg's good too, tho the rest of the guys on KIRO sound like little girls. With the exception of Chris Sullivan, all the male reporters have high-little-girl-voices. Am I the only one who notices that? Listen to a few of them and you'll know I'm dead on about that.

As far as Metro people. Gina is good at what she does. Steven Kilbreath is solid also.

 

[Bongwater]

I DO gotta hand it to Kilbreath. Don Riggs' news boots are some DAMN big ones to fill and not just ANYBODY can do it. I think he can. I hope his career at 94.1 is as long and legendary as Don's was.....

 

[KMan]

Gotta agree that Kaci is great, tho sometimes she gets into subjects that she doesn't know much about when Bob asks her more. Linda Thomas is the best. She's done a lot of stations, but I like her sexy voice on FM with Rivers. Jane Shannon is a good news reader but she never has anything to add besides an overly big laugh.

As for men, Tony Miner is probably the best because he's unflappable. Greg's good too, tho the rest of the guys on KIRO sound like little girls. With the exception of Chris Sullivan, all the male reporters have high-little-girl-voices. Am I the only one who notices that? Listen to a few of them and you'll know I'm dead on about that.

Agree on Linda Thomas - great voice, great delivery.

At KIRO, I like Tony Minor and, of course, Lan Archer. Its interesting that the morning show sounds better both when Tony is in for Gregg or Linda is in for Jane.


At KOMO, Manda Factor has a great voice and good pacing, but Bill Yeend is starting to sound like he's ready to go back to golfing full time. Bill Rice still sounds like the same guy I listened to 15 years ago on KUBE. Slocum and Lisa Brooks go well together in the PM drive - Slocum has developed into a pretty good radio news anchor (remember when KOMO first started and he was with Manda in the mornings? It was awful.) Art Sanders at night is solid - and whenever I watch the Price is Right I wish they'd picked him as their new announcer. Finally, the most surprisingly good anchor there is Herb Weisbaum. After years of Consumer Man reports and toy tests, who'd have thought he's sound as good as he does when he fills in for Bill or Eric.

Over at KUOW, all of the anchors suffer from "I work for NPR therefore I don't have to sound good or worry about my delivery because people listen to me just because its news and its important" syndrome. That being said, Derek Wong in the mornings sounds alright (though if he would just tell me the forecast high rather than say it'll be "around" he'd improve 50%) and Jamala Henderson and Sarah Lerner both have potential.

 

[rw]

Over at KUOW, all of the anchors suffer from "I work for NPR therefore I don't have to sound good or worry about my delivery because people listen to me just because its news and its important" syndrome. That being said, Derek Wong in the mornings sounds alright (though if he would just tell me the forecast high rather than say it'll be "around" he'd improve 50%) and Jamala Henderson and Sarah Lerner both have potential.

I’m forced to listen to the talent at KUOW because I like the content. (Unless of course I download the podcasts of all of the stuff I really want.)

I agree that Derek Wong has potential, although he somehow manages to ad an extra syllable to the call letters. Listen tomorrow morning; you'll see what I mean.

Jamalah Henderson is decent, but I wish she'd make up her mind whether or not she should put that "point" in the frequency. Sometimes it is 94 point 9, other times just 94-9. I know it's a minor thing... but as a former radio guy, it just grates on me.

Bill O'Grady? He’s got smooth pipes, but someone should tell him he sounds like a pompous ass that should be wearing a tweed jacket with leather patches on the sleeves and smoking a pipe... lecturing on mid 16th century lit. He does really give KUOW that "we're a snobby NPR station and you're really too stupid to be listening to us" vibe.

“Support for KUOW comes from the endowment for the federation of guys that learned how to speak on the air by listening to 1950’s staff announcers. On the web at: Listen to my pear shaped tones dot com”

Oh, and Ms. Amanda Wilde? Love the name, but she sounds anything but wild. I really dig some of the stuff played on "The Swing Years", but her monotone delivery is a chore to listen to. But hey, if she is the one that picks the music, kudos to her.

Transmission ends.

 

[radioprofessor]

To bring the discussion back to commercial radio it is my humble view that only Dave Ross has the talent needed to really stand out as a news talent. I am surprised he
is not anchoring morning news. He has the delivery mixed with personality that would create a dominant morning show in Seattle. No other radio news talent in town is really
in his league in my humble view. Perceptual studies of any worth in this market come to the same conclusion.

 

[talkerdjdude]

In regards to Kman's comment above:

True. Someone should put Tony Miner and Linda Thomas together again. I liked them on KOMO. Gregg and Linda make a more pleasing combination than the current pairing.

Why is it NPR anchors always sound monotone?

 

[dunno]

Good topic. Prof, I met you in the summer of 1983, the tour you gave me is still one of the highlights of my time in brodcasting.
You are right about Dave Ross. Years ago it was Dave Galacy and Dave Ross afternoons on KIRO. Ratings giant. No doubt in my mind #1 in this market for a long, long time, Bill Yend.
Dave Ross has the pipes and could be a national news anchor.

Herb Weisbaum is the best news personality I've heard in this market.

By the way, Take it from me is not Fritz. He's the former night guy from KLSY before it became Movin.

 

[floradora]

This is a fun one. You never hear news talent discussed. Don Riggs never had the best voice, but what a writer! Who is a good writer these days?

As for anchors, I like Tony Miner at KIRO and Herb Weisbaum when he is on in the afternoons with Lisa Brooks. They have a real spark. Gina Tuttle has gold in her throat too. But what else makes a good news anchor? Voice, sure. But what about intelligence and that special something that just makes you want to listen? For that, my money is on Yeend, Brooks, Miner and even Hersholt. Love him or hate him, he makes me want to listen.

 

[reality-check]

Humble opinion. Lisa Brooks and Eric Slocum are 'gold' in this market. Tony Miner is TOPS. Bill Yeend and Manda Factor- TOPS. The Seattle market is lucky to have a LOT of news talent- on every level, every taste, every demographic. It's never discussed on this board-- because the board-ops who post are too busy talking about minutiae. Seattle beats Vancouver, BC- hands down on news voices. Again, humble opinion.

 

[ericslocum]

I see my name mentioned above. Lisa and I saw this post in the studio this afternoon.

Actually, I'm flattered to even get a mention. I must disagree with the poster who says I sucked when I first started with Manda. Well. Maybe I sucked. Yeah, I really sucked. But I've improved.

I don't know that I'll post often here- but I had to chime in on this one. Really, could anyone say their name on-air more times than I do in one day? All the best- Eric

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

It is my humble view that only Dave Ross has the talent needed to really stand out as a news talent. I am surprised he
is not anchoring morning news.

It would be a total waste of Dave's talent for him to be an AM drive anchor. He's best at what he's doing right now - and KIRO was really smart to move him back to middays.

But what about intelligence and that special something that just makes you want to listen? For that, my money is on Yeend, Brooks, Miner and even Hersholt.

Tony Miner is the radio equivalent of a good rental car: Reliable, consistent, and bland. He's as exciting to listen to as watching paint dry. When he tries to show some personality (during "The Big Story") it comes across as forced and insincere.

I WILL add to the kudos for Lisa and Eric, however. Probably the best pairing on AM 1000 - even better IMHO than Bill & Manda or Gregg & Jane.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Totally agree w/ reality-check ... this market has always had great news people. Perhaps because it started that way and has always set the bar of expectation pretty high. We've had great researchers (Bryan Johnson, for example) and great presenters (Lan Archer, Gary West, Dick Curtis, Liz Sommars for example) ... and sometimes both at the same time. People who are great at writing (Bill Rice, Riggs) ... and people who do a marvelous job at fitting into their format (Ty Flint, Chet Rogers). Newer breed shows potential...but I don't think they take the research commitment as seriously -- just package and present 3 minutes. Anchors on both KIRO and KOMO are all well-suited -- but for the "whole package" I definitely like Dave Ross. Has credibility AND writing ... and able to form a sentence on the fly while keeping his chatter to the issues and not about himself. That ad-lib ability not always something expected of the news talent...major emergencies aside.

Too bad the national TV networks have pretty much eliminated their overseas expenses...means most americans share the Brit's (ITN) and we get the drooooooonnnnnnnneeeee monotone delivery that they seem to think is so credible in both the UK and Australia (sometimes Canada). I hear those reports and get that feeling that it's someone I would DEFINITELY avoid at all costs at a cocktail reception (NPR may not even take them).

 

[Bongwater]

Totally agree w/ reality-check ... this market has always had great news people. Perhaps because it started that way and has always set the bar of expectation pretty high. We've had great researchers (Bryan Johnson, for example) and great presenters (Lan Archer, Gary West, Dick Curtis, Liz Sommars for example) ... and sometimes both at the same time. People who are great at writing (Bill Rice, Riggs) ... and people who do a marvelous job at fitting into their format (Ty Flint, Chet Rogers). Newer breed shows potential...but I don't think they take the research commitment as seriously -- just package and present 3 minutes. Anchors on both KIRO and KOMO are all well-suited -- but for the "whole package" I definitely like Dave Ross. Has credibility AND writing ... and able to form a sentence on the fly while keeping his chatter to the issues and not about himself. That ad-lib ability not always something expected of the news talent...major emergencies aside.

Too bad the national TV networks have pretty much eliminated their overseas expenses...means most americans share the Brit's (ITN) and we get the drooooooonnnnnnnneeeee monotone delivery that they seem to think is so credible in both the UK and Australia (sometimes Canada). I hear those reports and get that feeling that it's someone I would DEFINITELY avoid at all costs at a cocktail reception (NPR may not even take them).

Not every British news voice is stuffy. Wanna hear stuffy? Listen to Northwest Public Radio. Straight outta Pullman! Even the most drab British BBC delivery will sound as perky as a KPLZ jock by comparison!

Aussie accents are fun and American radio can use more of them!

 

[KMan]

Seattle beats Vancouver, BC- hands down on news voices. Again, humble opinion.

Really? I've always thought News1130, at least, has some great voices. I don't listen much any more (now that I'm no longer in Bellingham) but they had some great sounding women (Tammy Moyer, Dianne Newman) and men (Brian Brenn, Ben Wilson, Stone Phillips, and Andy Walsh - who I'll listen to for hours just to hear that smooth voice).

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Aussie accents are fun and American radio can use more of them!

Yeah...kind of. Except I find myself wishing KOMO would add subtitles when Jenny Hogan is doing stuff. I seem to understand about 60% of the narrative...the rest comes after replaying a phrase in my head to reprocess ... reprocess ... reprocess .... OH YEAH...THAT's what she's saying!

O'Day brought in a British jock to KJR as soon as the Beatles became popular, and he was kind of popular for that "novelty".

Just like us Yank's .. in the 1700's we can't wait to get the Brit's out ... and these days we keep inviting 'em back (as a novelty act).