Taylor Announces She Will Leave KIRO 7

 The Puget Sound Media reports that KIRO 7 traffic reporter Tracy Taylor will be leaving the station at the end of this month. 

Taylor, originally became known in the area when worked on the morning show with host Mitch Levy on Sports Radio KJR 950.  After starting there, she would leave the area, returning in 2006, once again, working with Levy and the KJR crew.

Taylor left KJR for good in 2010, appearing on KING 5 TV.  Her departure from the station at the end of 2016, resulted in a post on this blog getting well over 30 thousand hits.

Taylor had been working since 2017 on a split shift between KIRO 7 TV and its former broadcasting partner KIRO 97.3 radio. 

Taylor announced earlier this year that she would leave the evening radio gig.  Her latest announcement is that will soon be leaving the Seattle airwaves completely.  

We will let you know if  Taylor announces further career plans.

KIRO 7 Anchor Steve Raible Announces Retirement Plan

Steve Raible, one of the most recognizable and popular figures in Seattle media, has announced his retirement, according to the blog, Puget Sound Media   The former Seattle Seahawk wide receiver will continue as the play by play announcer for the team, but will step down from the anchor position at KIRO 7 news in late spring.
Raible joined KIRO in 1982, according to the Seattle PI. 

Fearless Diary Of A Badass Reporter--Julie Blacklow Reported And Made History

With my longtime interest in TV broadcasting, I couldn't wait to read this book on Julie Blacklow, one of the best known TV journalists in the Seattle area.I found out that we have a few things in common, like me, she was mesmerized by both the Kennedy family and the Beatles.
Growing up in the D.C. area, Blacklow  went to the US Capitol, where President John F. Kennedy lay in state.  She also attended the Beatles first US concert. She was in the crowd at the  March On Washington.
Blacklow's book, Fearless Diary Of A Badass Reporter, reads like a personal letter personally engaging the reader.  It begins with her childhood and her love of attention, along with her desire to right certain wrongs. She continues through her college days and how she wound up in Seattle broadcasting at KING 5 TV as one of the first female TV reporters in the country.  She would later move to KIRO 7 TV and Entertainment Tonight.
Blacklow's resume is like a Seattle history lesson.  She has reported on the area's most notorious and horrific crimes like the Bundy murders. She also used her out of the box methods to interview Watergate figures John Ehlichman and former President Richard Nixon.
Blacklow also interviewed John F. Kennedy, Jr, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey.
Blacklow finishes the book talking about her retirement from TV and her second career of running a local horse ranch, where she is today.
Fearless Diary Of A Badass Reporter is available on Amazon.

Seattle Traffic Reporter Has Podcast

Tracy Taylor, the Seattle area traffic reporter for KIRO 7 (weekday mornings) and KIRO FM (weekday afternoons), now has a podcast.  She will talk about traffic news throughout the area along with some human interest stories.  To listen, you can subscribe at iTunes or click here.

Fund Set Up For Family To Move Into House

A couple weeks ago , we returned home to find the KIRO 7  news team setting up to do a report near  our house. Upon walking the dog, we talked with the reporter and cameraman.

It had been discovered that a house newly purchased by a family in a nearby cul-de-sac  was found to be contaminated by Meth.  Apparently an operation was occurring in our own neighborhood several years ago.  

The family needs extensive work to be done in order to move into their own house. 

A gofundme page has been started for the family to raise 11K plus needed to decontaminate the house  and perhaps pay the expenses of the family of 5 living elsewhere.  So far, the fund has raised over  $7,000.

The family encourages new home buyers to purchase a $50 meth inspection kit, even though it is not required.

Pictured above is KIRO 7 reporter Jessica Oh.

Motorist Bumps Into Channel 7 Traffic Team

Ever want to meet KIRO 7's Tracy Taylor?  A Puget Sound motorist did in a less than desirable way. 
The veteran traffic reporter was in the middle of an on the spot live report last Thursday when a car struck the rear end of the vehicle.  This was after snow had fallen in the Sound and roads were very icy.  Reports are that no one involved was injured.   Pugetsound.media has a video showing Tracy and her cameraman in the aftermath of the accident.

Tracy Taylor Joins Ron And Don Team As KIRO FM's Evening Traffic Reporter

After a busy spring and summer of fill ins and special projects on both KIRO 7 TV and KIRO FM 97.3, Tracy Taylor has finally found a home as afternoon and evening traffic reporter on KIRO FM.  Tracy will report the drive home on the popular Ron And Don Show.  She replaces Candy Harper who will produce the afternoon show.
With a love of traffic, a distinct delivery, and a great sense of humor, Taylor began reporting traffic on KJR Sports Radio 95, leaving to join the KING 5 TV morning news team.  After almost 7 years on KING, Taylor found herself jobless, sparking angry viewer outrage toward the station. 
The post on this blog announcing her departure set records at over 30 thousand hits.

Tracy Taylor Back On KIRO

She announced last night on facebook that she would be on KIRO 7 this morning and there she was.  Tracy who filled in on the station the week before last was back on this morning.  While Rachel was doing the traffic from the studio, Tracy was reporting from her car.  Apparently, KIRO has noticed the social media firestorm that follows when Tracy is in the news.
Thank you to Puget Sound Media for the picture.

Popular Traffic Reporter Taylor To Return For Fill In On KIRO 7

Seattle's popular traffic reporter Tracy Taylor announced on her facebook page that she has returned to the airwaves on KIRO 7 in a fill in role.  Taylor whose departure from KING 5, spurred angry comments on a number of blogs, including this one, said she will be on in the 4:30-7:00 timeslot.  She did not indicate how long the engagement would last.  The article on this blog in early December, reporting on her leaving KING 5, continues to be the most viewed post, with over 27 K hits, more than twice the second most popular post. 

Hydro Post Goes Viral

My post on KIRO 7 TV ending it's live hydro coverage has well over 4000 hits and over 70 Facebooks shares.  It has knocked the Tracy Taylor post out of the top spot for the first time in 3 months.  Residents of the Seattle area are very angry to see this tradition end because it was one event that seemed to bring us together at one moment in time.

KIRO Radio Recalls KIRO 7 TV Folly

KIRO 97.3 Radio ran a report of a revolutionary idea that the TV side would undertake in 1993.  It was known as news "Out Of The Box".  It had actually been used in the past for news teases. Instead of broadcasting from the studio, they deliver the news from the news room.  Anyway, KIRO news historian Felix Banel delivered this report.  Click here.  The experiment did not even last a year.

Mercer Isand UPS Store Saves Senior From Scam

You've heard about phone scammers who call senior citizens and convince them of troubled grandchildren, bilking them of life savings. It's shameful and very real. KIRO 7 TV reports a smart associate at the Mercer Island UPS Store who acted and saved a senior from falling victim. Stories like this make me proud to be associated with a company that goes above and beyond!  The UPS Store in Mercer Island is located at 7683 SE 27th St.   I'm at the store in Crossroads, of course.

NFL Films Does Steve Raible Feature

NFL films recently did a feature on Seahawk radio announcer Steve Raible. In addition to broadcasting 'Hawk games, he co-anchors the evening news on KIRO-7.  Most of us have forgotten, at least I had, that he was one of the original Seahawk players.  Raible was back up wide receiver to Steve Largent.  You can check out the feature by clicking here.

The Night That Changed America

The two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, return to the Ed Sullivan Theatre where they made history 50 years ago.   
Dave Letterman joins them on their return, part of a CBS special.

KIRO TV Asks Pat O'Day To Return

KIRO-TV has found a place for Seattle radio legend Pat O'Day on it's annual Seafair race coverage.  The station earlier this year, had announce that it was parting ways with the veteran broadcaster.  When an article by Seattle Times reporter Erik Lacitas revealed the move , the city was outraged and word was that the station was run by accountants back east and had lost touch with the community..  Bouyed by Facebook and Twitter, area residents, some who normally would not have cared about the race, expressed their outrage.
According to the SeaTac Media web site. Pat will do background and history reports during the race day.  He will also do reports on KIRO FM, which is no longer associated with the TV station of the same name.  It will no doubt be a busy Sunday for O'Day.

KIRO TV Sacks Pat--KIRO FM Picks Him Up

Seattle area residents reading this morning's Seattle Times (June 21st) were shocked to read that local radio icon Pat O'Day was asked not to return to KIRO 7's Seafair Hydroplane Race broadcast.  This, of course made little sense, since Pat had done the broadcast in some form since 1967.  At that time or soon after, Hydros and the race itself ruled in the city, since major league sports have arrived in town, as well as an influx of people all over the globe, the race's grip on the city has loosened.  In other words, the target audience for the race, is the same target audience that would probably long to hear the Seattle legend.
Enter KIRO-FM, which is no longer affiliated with KIRO TV.  They announced today that Pat O'Day will host a one hour special during the weekend of the Seafair Race.  The announcement was made during the Ron And Don drive time program on 97.3 KIRO FM.