KOMO-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KOMO-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Working 4 You
station_branding = KOMO 4
analog = 4 (VHF)
digital = 38 (UHF)
other_chs = 11 [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K11EZ K11EZ] Cashmere/Leavenworth
55 [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=K55AQ K55AQ] Neah Bay
affiliations = ABC
network =
founded =
airdate = December 10, 1953
location = Seattle, Washington
callsign_meaning = unknown, yet it's pronounced "Como"
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Fisher Communications
licensee = Fisher Broadcasting - Seattle TV, LLC
sister_stations = KOMO (AM), KPLZ-FM, KVI
former_affiliations = NBC (1953-1959)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
810 kW (digital)
HAAT = 247 m (analog)
223 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 21656
coordinates = coord|47|37|55.6|N|122|21|14.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.komonews.com/ www.komonews.com]

KOMO-TV, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is affiliated with the ABC network. It broadcasts on analog channel 4 and digital channel 38. It is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios are located in Fisher Plaza along with sister stations KOMO AM, KPLZ-FM and KVI, directly across the street from the Space Needle. The station's transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.

In addition to programming from ABC, KOMO also carries syndicated programming such as "Live with Regis and Kelly", "Wheel of Fortune", "Jeopardy!" and "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper".

It is one of five local Seattle TV stations seen in Canada on the Bell TV and Star Choice satellite providers.

History

KOMO-TV began operation on December 10 1953 as an NBC affiliate, owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with NBC radio. In 1959, KOMO swapped affiliations with KING-TV and became an ABC affiliate, which it remains today. For most of the last quarter-century, it has waged a spirited battle with KING for first place in the Seattle news ratings. It is currently in second place in most time slots.

KOMO-TV has set many broadcast "firsts" in the industry. In 1954, a KOMO news photographer discovered a way to develop color film in a new process that took just a couple hours instead of days. His discovery allowed KOMO-TV to become the first TV station in the nation to broadcast in true color.

Such well-known ABC shows as "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family" originally aired on KOMO during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In 1985, KOMO became the first TV station to broadcast daily programming in full stereo sound. [http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/archives/Komonws.html]

In 1994, KOMO applied for the first test license for broadcasting new high-definition signals. KOMO [http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,1645,00.html began broadcasting HDTV] in 1997, and on May 18th, 1999, KOMO became the first TV station in America to broadcast its daily newscasts in HDTV. [http://www.guidetohometheater.com/news/10437/index.html] This statement, however, comes into conflict with a claim made by WFAA-TV (sister station of KING-TV) that it is the first station in the nation to broadcast its daily news programs in HDTV, on February 28, 1997. [http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2002/wfaafifty/sets4.html WFAA-TV Fiftieth Anniversary ] ] dubious|Newscasts in HD??

KOMO nearly lost one of its own in the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. Dave Crockett, who had been with KOMO since 1975, had been covering the mountain every day for three weeks until being rotated out a few days prior. On the morning of May 18, he woke up at 3AM in Seattle on a hunch that he would get some impressive video that day, and loaded up his news car and headed towards Mount St. Helens without anyone at KOMO knowing about it. He arrived at the mountain just as it was erupting. [http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=36900 His news video] , which shows an advancing ash cloud and mud flows down the South Fork Toutle River, was made famous by its eleven-minute long "journey into the dark", six of those minutes of which were recorded in "total darkness" as Crockett narrated to what he thought would be his "last day on Earth."

His video made worldwide news and was used in a movie remake of the disaster starring Art Carney. The car he drove, with the remains of KOMO lettering still visible, is now a part of a Mount St. Helens Volcano Museum just outside Toutle.

KOMO also has an almost forgotten distinction as being the first station in Seattle to broadcast a television signal. Whereas crosstown rival KING 5 was the first to air "wide audience" television (of a Thanksgiving day high school football game), KOMO broadcast a television signal nearly 20 years prior. On June 3, 1929, KOMO radio engineer Francis J. Brott televised images of a heart, a diamond, a question mark, letters, and numbers over electrical lines to small sets with one-inch screens. A handful of viewers were captivated by the broadcast. KOMO would likely have held the distinction of being the first television station in Seattle, and perhaps the nation, were it not for a depression and World War II. [http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=1982]

Past personalities

During the 1960s, local television personality Don McCune became well known for two programs. Mr. McCune was known to thousands of Seattle-area children who came to know him in the role of Captain Puget, hosting a children's entertainment program. KOMO and Don McCune also produced the "Exploration Northwest" documentary series, which explored many of the places and people of the Pacific Northwest.

Former NBC Nightly News weekend anchor John Seigenthaler Jr. was once a reporter and anchor at KOMO-TV. He married Kerry Brock, another KOMO News anchor and reporter in 1992, left the station and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Current NBC reporter John Larson was a reporter at KOMO-TV from 1989 to 1994, winning several Emmy Awards.

Bill Brubaker was a long time newscaster with KOMO-TV for 25 years from 1962 to 1987.

Keith Jackson, now retired after a long career with ABC Sports, had his start at KOMO in the 1950s.

Bruce King was a long time sportscaster with KOMO-TV for 31 years, starting in 1968 and retiring in 1999. He also worked at WABC in New York for one year (1981), and can be seen in a video promo of the station at the "80's TV Themes SuperSite."

Reporter Steve Osunsami of ABC News was a reporter with KOMO-TV in the mid 90s. His reports included stories on a severe snowstorm that struck Washington State in 1996.

Former KOMO reporter and anchor Emily Langlie, who worked at KOMO during much of the 1980s and 1990s, is the granddaughter of former Washington State governor Arthur B. Langlie.

Current Personalities

Anchors

*Molly Shen - Weekday Mornings
*Mike Dardis - Weekday Mornings & 11 a.m.
*Connie Thompson - Weekdays 11 a.m. & Problem Solvers Reporter
*Mary Nam - Weekdays 4 p.m. & Reporter
*Eric Johnson - Weeknights 5 p.m. & 6 & 11 p.m. Sports Anchor
*Kathi Goertzen - Weeknights 5, 6 & 11 p.m.
*Dan Lewis - Weeknights 6 & 11 p.m.
*Denise Whitaker - Weekend Mornings & Reporter
*Theron Zahn - Weekend Mornings (Anchor/Weather)
*Casey Norton - Weekends 5, 6 & 11 p.m.

Weather

*Steve Pool - Chief Weathercaster; 4, 5, 6 & 11 p.m.
*Jim Castillo - Weekday Mornings & 11 a.m.
*Theron Zahn - Weekend Mornings (Anchor/Weather)
*Robert Santos - Weekend Evenings 5, 6, 11 p.m. & Reporter

ports

*Eric Johnson - Sports Director; Weeknights 6 & 11 p.m.
*Mike Ferreri - Weekend Evenings 5, 6 & 11 p.m. & Fill-In
*James Sido - Sports Reporter & Fill-In

Reporters

*Bryan Johnson - Senior Reporter
*Keith Eldridge
*Michelle Esteban - Problem Solver Reporter
*Akiko Fujita
*Marlee Ginter
*Elisa Jaffe - Problem Solver Reporter
*Ray Lane
*Luke Duecy
*Matt Markovich
*Melody Mendez
*Joel Moreno
*Mark Miller
*Rachelle Murcia - AM Traffic/Reporter/Fill-In Anchor
*Mary Nam - Anchor/Reporter
*Liz Rocca - Problem Solver Reporter
*Nicole Sanchez
*Ken Schram - Commentator
*Eric Schudiske
*Connie Thompson - Anchor/Problem Solver Reporter
*Tracy Vedder - Problem Solver Reporter
*Herb Weisbaum - Problem Solver Reporter
*Denise Whitaker - Anchor/Reporter

Previous Personalities

Anchors

*Natasha Curry - KOMO 4 Morning News Co-Anchor, now at CNN
*Sabrina Register - KOMO 4 Morning News Co-Anchor (now at NWCN)
*Jim Harriott - Retired from KOMO TV in 1988, went to Voice of America radio. Deceased in 2007
*John Siegenthaler - (1990-1992)
*Kerry Brock - (1983-1992) Married John Siegenthaler in 1992; both left to work for WKRN, has presumably left the broadcast news business.
*Eric Slocum - (1990-2001) Was released in budget cuts in 2001; now works for KOMO Radio
*Brook Stanford - Anchor of News4 in the late seventies, later served as the station's first "People Helper" reporter. Retired in 2001.
*Bill Brubaker
*Ted Warren
*Jeff McAtee - Anchored KOMO 4 News with Kerry Brock in the 1980s. Was fired from the station in 1986.
*Emily Langlie - Granddaughter of former Washington governor Arthur B. Langlie. Anchored the weekend editions of KOMO News 4 along with John Siegenthaler in the early 1990s, later moved to an investigative reporting role. Left KOMO in the late 1990s. Prior to KOMO, was the nightbeat reporter for KING in the 80's.
*Margo Myers - (1992-2005) Weekend news anchor along with Eric Slocum. Weekday morning news anchor. Moved to KIRO TV in 2005.
*Lynn Espinoza - Anchor of the Morning Express newscasts, left KOMO in the mid 1990s.

Weather

*Todd Johnson - KOMO 4 News @ 5:00, 6:00, & 11:00 Weekends, now at [http://www.kirotv.com/station/17091043/detail.html KIRO 7]
*Shannon O'Donnell - staff weather anchor (1994-1995), now 10 PM weather anchor at KING5/KONG16
*Bob McGuire - Weekend weather anchor (1990-1992). Now works for KTVQ in Billings, MT.
*George Siegel - Morning Express weather anchor/ main co-anchor along with Lynn Espinoza. Left KOMO in 1996.
*Ray Ramsey - Longtime KOMO weather anchor, retired in 1984, and replaced by current weather anchor Steve Pool

Reporters

*George Howell - now at KIRO-TV
*John Sharify
*Kevin Reece - now at KHOU 11 News Houston
*Joe Furia
*April Zepeda
*Todd Johnson
*Steve Osunsami - now with ABC news Southern Bureau, based in Atlanta
*Rick Price - now at KIRO-TV

Traffic

*Trooper Monica Hunter - KOMO 4 Morning News Traffic Anchor (was a Washington State Patrol trooper working for KOMO News as a traffic reporter)
*Rick VanCise - Now with KIRO-TV
*Jenni Hogan - Now with KIRO-TV

Northwest Afternoon

*Elisa Jaffe - Northwest Afternoon Co-host
*Dick Foley - Northwest Afternoon Co-host
*Dana Middleton - Northwest Afternoon Co-host
*Natasha Curry - Northwest Afternoon Co-host

Current Personality Quick Facts

KOMO anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and weather forecaster Steve Pool have the third longest-running tenure out of any anchor team in America, having anchored KOMO News together since 1987. The station's evening newscast has long been co-anchored by Lewis and Goertzen, and was praised by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as being the "Best First-String anchor unit in town." [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/98832_tv09.shtml] . The show now airs at 6pm, but originally aired from 5-6pm and 6:30-7PM until August 14, 2006 when it made the 5PM newscast a half-hour and moved ABC World News Tonight to 5:30PM in order to compete with KIRO-TV's airing of the CBS Evening News and to challenge KIRO's Eyewitness News at 6PM.

Dan Lewis came to KOMO in 1987 after working at WJLA in Washington DC, replacing retiring news anchor Jim Harriott. Previous to his work with WJLA, he also worked for WISN-TV, also in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and at WLKY-TV in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1993, he became the first reporter to interview then-president Bill Clinton following the inauguration ceremony [http://web.archive.org/web/19961108212919/komotv.com/bios/DanLewis.htm] . The interview was conducted at the White House. On October 1, 2007, KOMO celebrated Dan Lewis' 20 year tenure with KOMO. His first newscast with KOMO which aired on September 21, 1987, among scores of other highlights were part of a five-minute long tribute KOMO aired to celebrate his career. His 20 year tenure is the 4th longest tenure in Seattle.

[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/295264_tf209.html] .

On Sept. 16th, 2005, Goertzen announced she was taking a leave of absence to treat a benign brain tumor [http://www.komotv.com/special/kathi_wishes/ ] Deadlink|url=http://www.komotv.com/special/kathi_wishes/|date=January 2008 [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/241053_paynter17.html] . She had a similar one removed seven years before. Upon her return to work then, coanchor Dan Lewis welled up with tears, saying "Kathi, don't ever leave me like that again." Kathi announced on April 2, 2008, that she would have a third surgery to remove the brain tumor that had once again grown to the point that removal was necessary.

Weatherman Steve Pool has been at KOMO since 1977, starting out as KOMO's lead science reporter. In 1984, Pool was promoted into the role of chief weather forecaster upon the retirement of former longtime weather forecaster Ray Ramsey, and has held the position at KOMO ever since. In 2006, he co-wrote a book called "Somewhere I Was Right: Why Northwest Weather is So Predictably Unpredictable" with KOMO-TV producer Scott Sistek. Steve Pool also has a column titled "Ask Steve" in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Additionally, Steve Pool has been called in on a number of occasions to substitute for the Good Morning America weather anchor (his last substitute fill-in was when Spencer Christian was at Good Morning America), having done so from both the KOMO Weather Center and the Good Morning America studios in New York City.

KOMO reporter Bryan Johnson has been with KOMO for more than four decades. In 2002, he celebrated 40 years with KOMO. Having started at KOMO Radio, and actually serving as KOMO Radio's news director, he moved to KOMO TV in 1976 and has been a reporter and anchor at KOMO TV ever since. His reporting has won him several Emmy awards and a National Unity in Broadcasting award.

Reporter Keith Eldridge is also a longtime reporter at KOMO. Having been with the station since 1983, he often reports on political issues and news issues in the south Puget Sound area of Washington State. In, 1996 and 1999, he was the only reporter to cover the extensive flooding of the Skokomish River valley during a period of unusually heavy rain. In the 1996 flooding event, he actually became stranded for three days, as well as two other KOMO news vehicles and one other reporter, as the raging Skokomish River ripped up stretches of Highway 101. His route north was also blocked by large landslides that also blocked stretches of 101. His reporting has won him several Emmy awards and has been twice the recipient of the Associated Press' "Reporter of the Year" for the State of Washington.

KOMO sports director Eric Johnson came to KOMO in 1994, replacing KOMO weekend sports anchor and former KOMO Radio broadcaster Bob Rondeau. In 1998, he was named weeknight sports anchor and sports director upon the retirement of longtime KOMO sports director Bruce King. The 1997 movie "Prefontaine", a movie dedicated to distance runner Steve Prefontaine, lists a very young Eric Johnson in the credits as the "Olympic Trials Reporter. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119937/fullcredits] " In 2006, it was announced in a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article that Johnson will succeed Dan Lewis as KOMO's primary anchor upon Lewis' retirement. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/292668_tv17.html]

Awards

KOMO TV and its news division is a consistent award winning operation, and averages more wins per year than any Seattle television station. In 2002, "KOMO 4 News" was awarded the Edward R. Murrow award for best large market newscast. [cite news |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/75243_tf121.shtml |title=KOMO/4 newscast wins Murrow Award for best local newscast |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=2002-06-21 |accessdate=2006-12-18] . They were awarded the same award in 2008. [cite news |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=61026&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=1171622& |title=KOMO 4 Television Wins National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence |publisher=Fisher Communications |date=2008-07-02 |accessdate=2008-07-08] . In June of 2008, KOMO was awarded 15 regional Emmy awards, taking top honors in Station Excellence, Morning News, Evening News, Breaking News, and Team Coverage. KOMO anchor/reporter Molly Shen won the prestigious Individual Achievement award for the second time in three years, and longtime anchor Kathi Goertzen took home a Silver Circle award, recognizing her 25-plus years with the station. [cite news |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/366373_tf110.html |title=KOMO's Molly Shen wins individual achievement Emmy ... again |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=2008-06-09 |accessdate=2008-07-08] .

KOMO in Popular Culture

In the movie "Life or Something Like It" (2002), Angelina Jolie's character works for a fictional Seattle TV station, KQMO 4, which is based on the real-life KOMO-TV. Parts of the movie were shot on location at KOMO's studio, and KOMO's equipment was also shown in some scenes (with KOMO's logo on the equipment and in the studio modified to say "KQMO" instead). Some of KOMO's anchors (such as Steve Pool, Margo Myers, Dan Lewis, and Theron Zahn) also made appearances in the movie. (Margo Myers has since moved to rival KIRO-TV.)

Longtime anchors Dan Lewis and Kathi Goertzen also made a brief appearance in the movie "Assassins" (1995) starring Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone.

In "Harry and the Hendersons" (1986) starring John Lithgow, then-hosts Dana Middleton and Dick Foley of KOMO-TV's "Northwest Afternoon" made an appearance as news anchors on KOMO 4 News, reporting the mysterious appearance of a Sasquatch in downtown Seattle. Several of KOMO-TV's news vehicles, bearing KOMO's old logo and paint scheme, also made an appearance.

In the movie "Black Sheep" starring Chris Farley and David Spade, a KOMO News vehicle and a fictionalized version of the KOMO News 4 anchor team are seen in a sequence close to the ending of the movie. The only other real-life Washington State TV station to be featured (even though it was only a news vehicle) in the movie is KCPQ Channel 13 (even though at the time KCPQ had no news program).

A person holding a KOMO camera makes a brief appearance in the beginning of the 1974 Warren Beatty thriller [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071970/ Parallex View] .

In "WarGames", a KOMO newscast featuring then-anchor Jim Harriott describes the first incidents between Matthew Broderick's character and the WOPR computer.

KOMO-TV and its sister station in Portland, KATU-TV (the only ABC affiliates owned by Fisher Communications), were the only two stations in the lower 48 states that delayed Monday Night Football for one hour from 1970 - 95, to accommodate local newscasts. The only time that it would be shown live if the Seattle Seahawks were playing. However in 1996 after protests by fans both stations aired the games live, regardless of who was playing.

KOMO-TV's home, Fisher Plaza, is featured in bumper scenes of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" as well as the helipad. In addition to the bumper scenes on Grey's Anatomy, stock footage of several KOMO personalities, including Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, is used on several other ABC shows.

A KOMO-TV story of a bear being shot with a tranquilizer dart, then falling upon a home trampoline, catapulting it high into the air before plummeting back to earth head-first became a favorite clip on the ESPN show "Pardon the Interruption".

A popular video of an Auburn Senior High School cheerleader being run over by her school's football team, which made national, and later global news (and even featured in Jay Leno and other late night talk show monologues), originally aired on KOMO TV's "KOMO 4 News" as the sports segment's "Play of the Night."

Logos

Harry and the Hendersons.
KMOV in St. Louis. From 1987-1992, the slogan "We Are You" in italicized text (with a wavy underline) was placed below the logo.
ABC circle.
KOMO-TV

Digital television

After the analog television shutdown scheduled for February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , KOMO-DT will remain on channel 38 [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101251257&formid=387&fac_num=21656 CDBS Print ] ] using PSIP to display KOMO-TV's virtual channel as 4 on digital television receivers.

News/Station Presentation

KOMO TV has used many names for their television newscasts, below is a list of them, and when they were used.

Newscast Titles

*"Deadline 195X" (1953-1960)
*"KOMO 4 News"/"NewsFinal" (1960-80)
*"News 4" (1980-84)
*"KOMO 4 News" (1984-1987)
*"KOMO News 4" (1987-1998)
*"KOMO 4 News" (1998-Present)

Newscast Music

*"KOMO 1984 News Theme", Dan Dean Productions (1984-1987)
*"KOMO News 4 Theme", Dan Dean Productions (1987-1998)
*"Real News", Killer Tracks (NJJ Music / HLC) (??-??)
*"ABC News Affliate Music Package", Score Productions (1998-2006)
*"Battery", 615 Music (2006-Present)
*"Always Worth Your Time", 615 Music (2008-Present)

External links

* [http://www.komotv.com/ KOMO-TV Homepage]
* [http://www.fsci.com/ Fisher Communications]
* [http://www.geocities.com/komotv4seattlefansite KOMO-TV 4 Fansite]
*TVQ|KOMO-TV
*BIA|KOMO|TV|TV

References