Local Talent makes it Big! Or, where are they now!Submitted by Kaptnvideo on Thu, 02/09/2006 - 9:11am.
It's time for a little diversion from the SJL bashing. I'll start by walking down memory lane. How many Portland TV people made it into the big time, and are they still working? Ann Curry-- KGW, KVAL Troy Roberts--KGW (Rick) John Stossel--KGW Barry Serafin (sp?)KOIN Bill O'Riley--KATU You get the idea. How many more can we identify and find? Consider the "Big Time" anything top five markets, network or (Politics!!) ( topics: General Media )
One of the very few ex-Portland reporters to say: "Reporting Live from The White House, Andrea Austin, ABC News". She moved to DC to follow hubby... I helped her land a job writing overnights at WUSA... she went from that job to the LAWN OF THE WHITE HOUSE in less than one year. All ya need is talent! Did sports locally then went national...forget the stations/networks michael convery went from reporting traffic on the radio to reporting traffic on television Let's see... CNN Uh, oh! Many many years ago--like 20+--I interviewed Jean Shepherd, probably most famous for "A Christmas Story" for you young 'uns. I was something like 22 and a complete idiot, and he quickly turned that interview around on me--took complete control of it and wouldn't give it back. I still have no idea why; he was probably bored. Thank God it was on tape, if it had been live I would still be mortified. At the time, Portland was still a secondary market. Shepherd said, "You're a bright young thing, when are you getting outta this market?" I replied I intended to stay, I loved Portland. "No, no, no," he said. "This isn't far enough above Peapatch, kid, you don't have far enough to fall. You start out in Peapatch, then you move to a market like this. From here you go to Chicago, or Los Angeles, and then you go to New York. Then when it's time to fall, you fall from New York to Chicago. And then Chicago to here. And from here to Peapatch. You stay here, when it's time to fall, you fall straight to Peapatch." That whole interview just shook me. I knew he was right, and I began to wonder about this whole broadcast business. That wasn't the life I wanted. Jean Shepherd was a character, and the ease with which he took that interview away from me still awes me all these years later. I wish I'd been old enough to appreciate that time with him. ----- Wow, I had the exact same experience when I interviewed Shepherd in Portland in the mid-80's. I had been a huge fan of his, having listened to his nightly radio show on WOR as a kid growing up in NYC. However, during our (off-air)conversation, he kept insisting that I needed to head back to New York if I wanted to make something of myself. However, having grown up there, I knew better, and was disappointed he wasn't more understanding of the pleasure I took living in Portland. Cathy Marshall used to give the morning news on ABC in Portland, Oregon with co-host, (and husband) John Marler. Then, one day, there was just Cathy, and no John. She didn't say, "John has the day off", or anything like that.....The man simply disappeared from the face of the Earth, like those three guys on the yacht in Australia......He bacame a ghost, and nobody even remembered that he existed. Now, I Googled him and got: http://www.boston.com/partners/whdh/3/marler.html That's interesting, thanks for the post. I notice that KATU is conspicuously absent from his resume at that web site. I was actually trying to remember the history of KATU's anchors... Did John and Cathy follow Jeff Gianola and Julie Emry? Or were there others in between? Seems like the change took place around the same time as KATU'S change in upper management, and the same time as their (KATU) descent to number 2 and 3 in the market. John is still in the Portland area - just not working in broadcasting anymore. He has a production company that does video news releases as well as handles pr for a LO mortgage company. Tillamook radio Navy (officer's) wife, KITV Honlulu news anchor ... then KIRO(?) ... now deciding not to run for elective office. She wasn't known for wisdom during her KITV days. She's clearly developed some and used it recently, with that last decision. Meeeeyowwwww, yeah, whatever. Anne Jaeger- the Original Weekend anchor! KOIN Ouch, bad move. Bad then, worse now. The Garden show. I dig it Anne. But my garden and you need growth. Still love ya Anne. Shannon Brinias KGW Portland- No. 1 mkt 23 Add in a bad marriage to a cop, quite a downward career. Maybe next stop Montana. Kelly Love KGW anchor and beloved by all. then decided to take a real job with the government working for a congressman in Washington. The winner in my informal poll- KELLY LOVE!!!!!!! The new guy- John Becker. Good to have a guy giving it a shot. Becker and Donovan- Brokeback newscast. Better than the unwatchable K2. Thank God KOIN is reducing newscasts. Can you imagine yet another lousy weekend AM newscast? I will continue to watch the Cartoon Network and work on my KPTV - weather 'prop' for David Apple KPTV/GDO - Entertainment/Weather chick - mkt 23 Guest "star": Scrubs (replaced Katie Couric when Katie dropped out) Magazine feature article: Ladies Home Journal,... If he had anyone with a job listening, he would have paid commercials, not PSA's and penis patch ads. But Lars swears by the patches. Tina too! 12:52 has a serious case of the envies! Or diaper rash. Poor baby. You know, it's starting to seem that just about every thread on this site has to have at least one obligatory shot at Lars even when they're off topic. We get the point folks. Many of you Don't Like Lars. Fine, now start acting like adults for a change. Your toleration for this kind of behavior says volumes about the state of journalistic integrity in PDX. And Lynn, why do you continue to put up with this kind of juvenile crap? Do you like ad hominen attacks just for the "froth" it brings to an otherwise interesting and useful forum? Or does it serve a ideological purpose? Either way, it smells. With that comes potshots. If Lars weren't good at what he does, he wouldn't have the success he has, and regardless what one thinks of his politics one has to given him proper respect for that, and I do. (Lars and I agree on a few things, by the way, don't assume you know everything about me. You don't.) Having said that, why should Lars be any different here than Peter Ames Carlin or Jonathan Nicholas? People manage to work in potshots at them, too, deserved or otherwise. Lars is a polarizing figure. He's built his recent career on that. When you choose that path, then your motto has to be this: "The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about." And I'm sure it would please the man himself no end to know that it was originally said by Oscar Wilde. heh. Short version: Lars is capable of taking care of himself, and getting people riled up is why he's there. ----- I considered him one of the greatest investigative reporters I had ever worked with, but then his ego got in the way. KPTV 10pm anchor/NW Reports host to… the host of the ‘The BUZZ’. Great numbers for radio on TV, until the New Carissa was sunk! Then to KXL and flame throwing. He wanted to be the next Rush. Here is why he won’t make it. Rush lets his guests complete their point, then he cuts them down. Lars won’t even let his guest complete a sentence before he shouts them down. No wonder most politicians won’t come on his show anymore. Now on Comcast 14 and nationally syndicated in the wee-hours of the morning. He has made more bad career moves than most. Being loud and abrasive is not a way to the top! Of course Lars has no idea of personal space, have you ever had a ‘face to face’ with him? This thread is a classic for its inclusion of Peapatch and penis patch. Bravo! One comment regarding Lars: When I was at KPTV Engineering and he was doing the 10pm show, he graciously went in to my son's high school Speech class and gave a talk to the class on Debate (which he'd done in Tillamook days.) He was very decent to me as a co-worker and to my son's classmates, not talking down to them. Dunno how many other "celebs" would get up early after working the night before, just to talk to some high school kids. Lars Larson lost my respect when we went from tough-yet-fair reporter to neocon bully. This wouldn't be so bad if he'd tried to copy thoughtful conservatives (trying to think of a current example ... ). But no, he had to adopt all the talk-radio cliches: self-righteous rage, fingerpointing, scapegoating, contemptuousness and insults. How this kind of opinion journalism serves the public good I'll never understand. God, can we stop with the Lars-fest? I agree with 2:43 regarding the daily frothy-mouthed fits people have over Lars. True, he is a public figure and is paid to speak his mind. He must really be hitting a mark if he gets everyone so riled up. Hey, why doesn't someone start their own "Lars-Bashing Blog"..and spare those of us who come here seeking insightful, intelligent media conversation? Ron Carlson, longtime sports reporter, is leaving. Going to become a pastor at a church on the west side. Still not going to get weekends off!!!!!!! ...is living comfortably in Lake Oswego and is by all reports very happy being a stay at home mom. http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2008/Jul08/Water%20Supply.html Surprised nobody mentioned Fox's Bill O'Reilly, who anchored for KATU in the 80's. John Marler and Cathy Marshall both worked at KIRO in Seattle in the 80's. John was a primary anchor, Cathy was a reporter. Perhaps this is where they met? Post new comment |
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© 2005-2007 the individual authors
Bill Lagattuta-- KGW
KCBS
RALPH WENGE-- KGW
CNN (retired)
On a side note, I believe John Stossel is the reporter that called the Gypsy Joker motorcycle gang to see if the police had arrived yet to make a bust. (They hadn't.)