Been there, Reported That.
In my nearly 20 years in the business I have covered everything from politics to breaking news and everything in between.
Here are a few career highlights.
Here are a few career highlights.
2012 Political Conventions
During the 2012 Presidential Campaign, KONA provided extensive coverage of the race between incumbent Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. I served as chief anchor for all of the KONA's programming, highlighted by wall-to-wall coverage of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. In addition to reporting from the floor for six different stations, I anchored our evening newscasts from the convention halls each night, and our coverage was recognized with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.
During the 2012 Presidential Campaign, KONA provided extensive coverage of the race between incumbent Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney. I served as chief anchor for all of the KONA's programming, highlighted by wall-to-wall coverage of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. In addition to reporting from the floor for six different stations, I anchored our evening newscasts from the convention halls each night, and our coverage was recognized with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.
2008 Presidential Campaign
No campaign in recent years was as memorable as the 2008 race. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the left, and John McCain and Sarah Palin on the right. I was assigned to cover the Clinton Campaign by KIRO/Seattle. This meant covering everything from the candidate's visits to the region to the back-and-forth between her and Mr. Obama. After Ms. Clinton was defeated in the primaries, my coverage of the campaign continued, including serving as a field reporter on the streets of Seattle when public celebrations broke out on Election Night after the race was called.
No campaign in recent years was as memorable as the 2008 race. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the left, and John McCain and Sarah Palin on the right. I was assigned to cover the Clinton Campaign by KIRO/Seattle. This meant covering everything from the candidate's visits to the region to the back-and-forth between her and Mr. Obama. After Ms. Clinton was defeated in the primaries, my coverage of the campaign continued, including serving as a field reporter on the streets of Seattle when public celebrations broke out on Election Night after the race was called.
Lakewood, WA Police Officer Shootings
On the morning of Sunday, November 29th, 2009 I had just gotten out of the shower when I received a call from my news director asking me to head to Lakewood for an officer-involved shooting. I was one of the first reporters on scene, and by the time I arrived we had learned that four officers were shot and killed and the suspect was still at large. Over the next three days I provided live coverage of the manhunt for KIRO/Seattle and CBS News. The suspect, Maurice Clemmons, was eventually cornered and shot by Seattle Police not far from my home. But the story was far from over, as the political fallout reached former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who had pardoned Clemmons years earlier.
On the morning of Sunday, November 29th, 2009 I had just gotten out of the shower when I received a call from my news director asking me to head to Lakewood for an officer-involved shooting. I was one of the first reporters on scene, and by the time I arrived we had learned that four officers were shot and killed and the suspect was still at large. Over the next three days I provided live coverage of the manhunt for KIRO/Seattle and CBS News. The suspect, Maurice Clemmons, was eventually cornered and shot by Seattle Police not far from my home. But the story was far from over, as the political fallout reached former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who had pardoned Clemmons years earlier.
Final Launch Of The Space Shuttle
After NASA announced the end of the Space Shuttle program, there was a great deal of concern over what the agency would do next. The Constellation Program had been cancelled, and the United States would soon have to rely on the Russians to get to space. But aside from the political debate, the summer of 2011 focused on the final flight of the Shuttle to supply the International Space Station. After several months of delays, on July 8th, Atlantis blasted off from Earth and flew into the history books. In the days and weeks leading up to the launch, coverage included interviews with former astronauts, engineers and those affected by the cancellation of the Shuttle Program. On the day of STS-135's launch, I broadcast live from Kennedy Space Center for three stations: KIRO/Seattle, KPQ/Wenatchee, and KONA/Tri-Cities.
After NASA announced the end of the Space Shuttle program, there was a great deal of concern over what the agency would do next. The Constellation Program had been cancelled, and the United States would soon have to rely on the Russians to get to space. But aside from the political debate, the summer of 2011 focused on the final flight of the Shuttle to supply the International Space Station. After several months of delays, on July 8th, Atlantis blasted off from Earth and flew into the history books. In the days and weeks leading up to the launch, coverage included interviews with former astronauts, engineers and those affected by the cancellation of the Shuttle Program. On the day of STS-135's launch, I broadcast live from Kennedy Space Center for three stations: KIRO/Seattle, KPQ/Wenatchee, and KONA/Tri-Cities.
Washington State Politics
One of the things lacking in the Tri-Cities, WA market was good political coverage. Most of the TV reporters were fresh out of college and the local paper had lost much of its staff. I saw this as an opportunity, making several trips to the Capitol to cover a number of political stories. Among the highlights were the GOP seizing control of the Senate even though they were in the minority, and a Supreme Court case in which the justices found that the legislature was acting in violation of the State Constitution. Coverage of the latter culminated in an hour-long documentary called McCleary: The Politics of Education.
One of the things lacking in the Tri-Cities, WA market was good political coverage. Most of the TV reporters were fresh out of college and the local paper had lost much of its staff. I saw this as an opportunity, making several trips to the Capitol to cover a number of political stories. Among the highlights were the GOP seizing control of the Senate even though they were in the minority, and a Supreme Court case in which the justices found that the legislature was acting in violation of the State Constitution. Coverage of the latter culminated in an hour-long documentary called McCleary: The Politics of Education.
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2013
When I took over as News Director at KONA/Tri-Cities, one of the first issues that I identified was that the station's average listener was 60+ years old. We made several changes designed to make the programming more appealing to a younger demographic. One of those changes was to provide coverage of E3, the annual gaming industry conference in Los Angeles. For three days, we broadcast from the convention center, talking with developers about not only the newest games but the latest technology and the launch of both the XBox One and Playstation 4.
When I took over as News Director at KONA/Tri-Cities, one of the first issues that I identified was that the station's average listener was 60+ years old. We made several changes designed to make the programming more appealing to a younger demographic. One of those changes was to provide coverage of E3, the annual gaming industry conference in Los Angeles. For three days, we broadcast from the convention center, talking with developers about not only the newest games but the latest technology and the launch of both the XBox One and Playstation 4.
The Dalai Lama's Visit To Seattle
In 2008, the Dalai Lama announced a rare visit to the United States in which he would participate in an event called "Seeds of Compassion." The event drew tens of thousands and sold out Century Link Field (now Qwest Field) in Seattle. But his visit came at a troubling time as protests were erupting in Tibet ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Working for KIRO and CBS News, I covered the rallying outside Century Link Field and the subsequent press conference in which the Dalai Lama threatened to resign as political leader if his people didn't stop the violence.
In 2008, the Dalai Lama announced a rare visit to the United States in which he would participate in an event called "Seeds of Compassion." The event drew tens of thousands and sold out Century Link Field (now Qwest Field) in Seattle. But his visit came at a troubling time as protests were erupting in Tibet ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Working for KIRO and CBS News, I covered the rallying outside Century Link Field and the subsequent press conference in which the Dalai Lama threatened to resign as political leader if his people didn't stop the violence.