KING 5's 75th anniversary: A look back at a pioneering legacy

In 1948, Dorothy Bullitt was a middle-aged widow, mother of three and savvy businesswoman on the brink of making broadcasting history.

The hot new tech was TV sets, selling for $339.50 in downtown Seattle, but there wasn’t yet anything to watch on them.

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, Seattle’s only station KRSC aired the state high school football championship at Seattle’s Memorial Stadium between West Seattle and Wenatchee.

“We were the underdogs coming from Eastern Washington and playing the big kids from Seattle and so it was very big for the team as well as the community,” said Milt Bohart, team captain for Wenatchee.

Two television cameras prepared to go live for the first time ever as 13,000 fans crowded into the stands. The field was muddy and wet, and the audio cables lying in the rain began to buzz.

Viewers could barely see or hear the 49-yard touchdown that ended the game in a 6-6 tie.

“It was really very funny looking on a seven-inch set. Couldn’t see the ball and could hardly see the players,” said Bullitt in an interview for KING’s 50th anniversary.

Still, the historic telecast made headlines and impressed about 1,000 viewers. Bolstered by the audience numbers, Bullitt purchased the FM and television properties of KRSC and her broadcasting empire was born.

“She just seemed to think that this new medium had a bright future, partly to do good civic things primarily in the area of news and information education, understanding and in part that it might be able to be a sound business proposition,” her son Stimson Bullitt said in an interview for the 50th anniversary.

As the new owner of KRSC, Dorothy Bullitt quickly changed the call letters to KING for a negotiated price of $375,000.

KING would become only the 11th television station in the United States-- the only station west of the Mississippi and north of San Francisco.

Bullitt built her business through relationships and cunning, according to her granddaughter, also named Dorothy Bullitt.

RELATED: See how Walt Disney himself helped create KING 5's mascot King Mike

And after 10 years as an ABC affiliate, Bullitt managed to acquire a coveted NBC affiliation held by the Fisher family at KOMO. To close the deal, she invited NBC President David Sarnoff and his wife to her home for dinner and drinks.

Right from the start KING made a commitment to the community.

“I was CEO of King Broadcasting Company from 1987 to 1992. The whole time I was CEO the Bullitts never talked to me about profits. Never once was a community service that happened to kick off a whole lot of money,” said Steve Clifford.

Bullitt was a daily presence at King until her death in 1989 at the age of 97. For as long as her strength allowed, Bullitt came to work daily determined to serve the community, just as she'd promised.

Rough around the edges with a signature gravelly voice, Bullitt's heart and soul were dedicated to public service and education.

"I don't think people realize how good we had it at the time. Because of her commitment to community service part of broadcasting," said Seattle historian Feliks Banel, calling Bullitt a “sort of mythical figure in Seattle.”

While Bullitt was the visionary, her program director, Lee Schulman brought her vision to life on air. He coordinated teams of engineers to capture live moments with new, heavy TV cameras.

At first, the station only broadcast five hours a day, and filling time was difficult.

"So the cheapest and smartest thing is to put talented people local people on camera. And the best example of that is Sam Boresen," said Banel.

UW student Boresen along with piano player Art Barduhn played a regular 15-minute show called "Two B's at the Keys.” Later Boresen went on to host KING's Klubhouse and the Stan Boresen Show.

In keeping with Dorothy's love of education, a show called Wunda Wunda was born starring Ruth Prins. Prins told stories using puppets, decades before Sesame Street was created.

RELATED: Seattle TV pioneer 'Wunda Wunda' dies at 101

In the 1950s, KING moved into a larger studio in a building on Aurora Avenue, which offered space for a cooking show called 'KINGs Queen' hosted by Bea Donovan.

An hour-long weekly show called 'March On' became a popular way to showcase musicians at Fort Lewis.

And long before there was NFL football to draw in the sports-loving masses, there was hydroplane racing. It was an entirely new challenge in 1951- live sports, which meant anything could happen, including a fatal crash. Sports reporter Bill O'Mara was on the call at the time.

"There's no playbook. He doesn't. He says, like, what do you do if somebody dies during a sporting event and a violent accident? So you know, they pan the camera up to the sky, and he recites the Lord's Prayer. Brilliant," said O’Mara.

Soon broadcast news was born. TV sales were boosted by KING’s early coverage of the Tacoma crime hearings and local election coverage.

In 1966, Dorothy's son Stimson made waves when he read the nation's first television editorial against the Vietnam War.

And in 1971, KING audiences were introduced to the first female local news anchor in the country: Jean Enersen.

Through the years, KING programming has been at the heart of what we do.

"At its core, broadcasting is a human relationship, you know, one to many kinds of things. That's so critical. I think KING set the standard for that,” said Banel.

In a city where billion-dollar mergers and tech start-ups dominate the communications industry today, it's important to remember where it all began. With humble beginnings and a vision, to connect us all on air.

KING 5 is home to the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running, full-time investigative unit.

The KING 5 Investigators have spent decades uncovering secrets, holding powerful people accountable and helping enact change.

The roots of the unit, which now include Susannah Frame, Chris Ingalls and Taylor Mirfendereski, run deep.

“We’re after the information that people don’t want to tell us about,” said Frame.

The team ensures those at the center of their stories are given many opportunities to share information.

“There are times we literally have to chase people down to find the truth,” Ingalls added.

Today, the Investigators stand for truth and accountability, but KING 5 set that standard decades ago.

KING 5 was the first local television station in America to produce a documentary. In 1959, KING premiered the 90-minute investigation called Lost Cargo.

“It exposed the poor performance of the Port of Seattle and the lost revenue that meant for taxpayers,” said Frame.

That documentary changed public policy when voters were convinced to pass a $20 million bond issue – a significant amount at the time – to improve the waterfront.

Another groundbreaking KING documentary in 1972 was like nothing television viewers had seen before. Reporter Don McGaffin exposed the horror of children’s cotton pajamas and nightgowns, which were extremely flammable.

“It’s probably the most devastating film ever seen on television,” McGaffin said of the piece, titled “The Burned Child.”  

It profiled a girl undergoing treatment at Harborview Medical Center after her nightgown caught fire, causing devastating burns from her neck down to her feet.

“The U.S. Secretary of Commerce saw that story and cried. And the federal government passed sleepwear legislation right away,” said Ingalls. “So that story led to the non-flammable sleepwear that your children will wear when they go to bed tonight.

At the time the unit was called Public Affairs. The unit as it exists today – the KING 5 Investigators – started in the early 1990s, but its goals remained the same.

An example of that is Frame’s investigative series “Waste on the Water.”

“We found the Washington State Ferries system wasting millions of dollars on perks for ferry workers, while the managers just looked the other way,” Frame explained.

A few years later, Ingalls did a series called "Their Crime, Your Dime" on rampant welfare fraud in the state of Washington.

“This series was really about how Washington's government made it so easy for them to cheat the system at the expense of the families that were trying to get through the Great Recession at the time,” Ingalls explained.

These investigations often take months or even years to complete. For example, Frame spent more than four years traveling to eastern Washington to expose safety hazards and wrongdoing at the Hanford nuclear site.

The KING 5 Investigators also continue to adapt to the times. Mirfendereski was hired as a multimedia journalist – a new role for KING.

“All of our stories that we do on air, I work on a multi-media component that goes deeper, that adds context,” she explained.

She reports on air as well, and like her colleagues, has produced stories that led to real change.

“Just this year we had a new law take effect because of one of my stories. Kimberly Bender’s law,” said Mirfendereski.  

The new law cracks down on prison guards who use their authority to abuse inmates, as happened in Bender’s case. 

What makes these stories possible? The people who send in tips and speak with the investigators on the record.

“I appreciate somebody that is willing to go on-camera like a whistleblower – at great personal risk – to tell their story. Those people are my heroes,” said Ingalls.

“It’s the people. It’s our community that has made KING 5 a successful establishment for 75 years,” Frame added.

Over the last 75 years, Seattle and KING 5 have changed significantly.

In 1958, the 10-year-old station’s anchors mused about the future of the city.

“Seattle is not only spreading out, it's spreading upward. Some 35 to 40 million dollars worth of new buildings, many of them in the skyscraper class, are being built in the downtown area.”

The skyscrapers in question were less than 20 stories in height.

Seattle would more than triple in size over the next 65 years.

”The cool thing about KING coming on the air in 1948... that's really when Seattle is coming to its own,” said Banel.

As KING 5 came into its own, early mockups showed the vision for a “television center.”

And while that mockup was ultimately abandoned, the designer went on to a much bigger stage: Designing the Space Needle, the centerpiece of Seattle's 1962 World's Fair.

The Space Needle and Seattle’s monorail are two modern attractions that still draw tens of thousands of visitors every year, long after the propelled the city into a global spotlight.

While dreamers looked to the future at the Seattle Center, the area’s biggest employer was taking to the skies. The maiden flight of Boeing’s 707 prototype took place in 1954.

Boeing, founded along the Duwamish River, was an economic powerhouse for western Washington for decades. Covering the aerospace company was retired reporter Glenn Farley’s first job at KING.

He arrived in 1986, 15 years after Boeing boomtown went bust and tens of thousands of people lost their jobs. After those layoffs in the early 1970s, two real estate agents paid for an iconic sign over the freeway that said, “Will the last person leaving Seattle please turn off the lights.”

Boeing would recover, but Seattle would keep changing.

The aerospace company was no longer the only game in town, as companies like Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon transformed the region and the world.

When KING 5 moved out of its Dexter Avenue location in South Lake Union in 2016, Seattle had more cranes downtown than anywhere in the world.

The stations across town to the stadium district, which has its own history of explosive growth. In 2000, Seattle said goodbye to the Kingdome, the city’s home for big memories.

The Kingdome had been home to the Mariners, the Seahawks, Supercross and even a Billy Graham crusade.

From birth to destruction, it was also a home for controversy, as those in the International District protested the changes to the stadium district.

Ultimately, Seattle created more room and modern venues for its growing pro sports teams. From T-Mobile Park for the Mariners to Lumen Field, which has served the Seahawks, Sounders and OL Reign. Most recently the construction of Climate Pledge Arena, which replaced Key Arena at the Seattle Center, has become home to the Kraken.

There are also plans to renovate Memorial Stadium, which was home to KING 5’s first ever broadcast – of a high school football game.

But one thing that hasn’t changed in all those years: the ability to predict what the next 10 years will bring.

Longtime KING 5 viewers probably recognize the names Jean Enersen, Lori Matsukawa and Joyce Taylor. All three women have decades of journalism experience and broke barriers along the way.

Enersen was the first ever woman to anchor a weekday newscast in the U.S. Matsukawa spent more than 30 years at KING and has been honored internationally for her work with the Japanese-American community in Washington state.

And Taylor continues to anchor at KING 5 every weeknight, still telling the stories of our communities after 30 decades.

All of those years of experience have also led to some great memories for each of the anchors.

“Well, I guess my first favorite memory is getting hired here. There weren't any local television anchorwomen anywhere in the country that I knew about,” said Enersen.

She said she was more worried about whether she would get and could do the job, than the larger picture.  

“They gave me this job. You know, it was just lucky break. Really lucky timing, lucky break,” she said.

Matsukawa agreed that getting hired at KING was a great memory.

“Like Jean, I think being hired at KING 5 was a terrific honor. Because KING 5 was the big tamale in the market," she said.

Taylor grew up in the Northwest watching KING 5 and called working here someday her “dream job.”

Their work took them across the state and world, and gave them a chance to talk to people from all different backgrounds.

“Oh, my gosh, I got to interview a lot of sitting presidents. Some of them were standing. Some of them are sitting,” said Enersen, with her characteristic wit. “But most of them that we all recall, you know, in our lives, and some of them are just very commonplace people. Some of them were, they seem just like regular Joes.”

Watch an extended portion of their conversation here or continue reading below.

Matsukawa said her most memorable story was traveling with then-Gov. Gary Locke on his first trade mission to China.

“It was 10 days of exhausting work, but it was really quite fulfilling because we got to go everywhere the governor went, including into Beijing to see the President of China."

The hiring of each of these anchors, and the roles they played at KING, were historic locally and nationally.

“Jean being the first regular weeknight anchorwoman in the nation right here at KING, and then at a time when there weren't that many women in television news,” said Matsukawa. “And then the increasing diversity on KING 5…they're going to have an Asian American woman be on the anchor desk and they're going to have an African American woman on the anchor desk. It was a time of change. And we were kind of right in the middle of it."

While all of these women were groundbreaking in their own way, there was one woman who came before them and made it all possible.

“We follow a really amazing woman. I mean, the founder of King was Dorothy Bullitt. And at the time when the station started and when all of us came to work, it was still relatively small,” said Enersen. “KING was a leader in the community in so many ways on the air and in the community. And she kind of led the way."

And they all want to encourage future generations.

"I tell young people, you are enough, right? Whatever it is that makes you you, that is enough for whatever you're going to do,” said Taylor. “Don't try to be like or sound like or talk like anyone else. Just be you and be proud of that."

In a world of comparisons and criticisms, the most important thing, Enersen said is to believe in yourself.

"I always thought, ‘oh, gosh, when they look at me or hear my voice, they're going to fire me for sure.’ But I would say to my younger self, and anybody who feels a lack of confidence, believe that you can do it, and you will be able to do it."

On Nov. 25, 1948, the first ever broadcast on KING television was a high school football game between West Seattle and Wenatchee. High school football is still king 75 years later.

But along that 75-year timeline, the station broadcast numerous locally produced sporting events. From an in-studio boxing match in the 1950s to a six-hour broadcast of the hydroplane races 30 years later.

Over the years, the addition of pro franchises helped Seattle evolve into a bona fide sports town.

When the Mariners arrived in 1977, KING partnered with the team to broadcast games during those first years in the majors. KING also had partnerships with the Sonics and Seahawks, including shows with Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll that gave fans exclusive Seahawks content in prime time on Sundays.

When the Sounders came to town in 2009, KING produced a weekly show with the team starring Seattle soccer legend Alan Hinton.

The excitement of pro sports ushered in a new era of sportscasters at KING 5 led by Don Poier. After Tony Ventrella took over in 1982, he spent the next decade redefining the role of sports director at the station.

Lou Gellos covered some of the biggest names in Seattle sports in the 80s, including Brian Bosworth who once sued the NFL for the right to wear his college number 44 in the pros.

In 1996, Akemi Takei became one of the first female sportscasters at KING.

Since KING’s 70th anniversary, there have been new milestones. The Storm won their fourth WNBA title and said goodbye to Sue Bird. The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time in two decades. The Kraken became the newest NHL expansion team, creating newfound hockey fans during their first playoff run. And the Seahawks returned home to KING 5, adding a new show -- Seahawks Central -- to the long-running 5th Quarter.

Through all of KING’s professional personalities, it’s the amateur stars who have really shined. KING continues to feature the best student-athletes and coaches in its Prep Zone features.

KING takes a lot of pride in its high school coverage, which promotes positivity between students and staff and gives KING a chance to visit area communities. While KING enjoys being the visiting team week after week, in the big picture, we’re all on the home team.

In 1995, KING 5 expanded its reach. Its parent company, Providence Journal, premiered Northwest Cable News on Dec. 18. The regional 24-hour cable news channel showcased local stories and issues that appealed to a regional audience.

NWCN was billed as the most technologically advanced newsroom in the world -- tapeless, all-digital news. Veteran journalists worked with fresh faces to tell stories across the region.

With 24 hours a day to fill, NCWN could dig deeper into topics unique to the Northwest with long-form stories and extended interviews.

The forecast was never far away with a quick look at the top and bottom of each hour and the extended outlook at each quarter.

But breaking news is where Northwest Cable made its mark. From rioting to the Nisqually earthquake, from the reawakening of Mount St. Helens to the Oso slide and much more.

NWCN could get on the air with a story and then stay on for as long as needed.

Specialized content included extended political coverage, a 30-minute gardening show with Cisco Morris, and a half-hour nightly sports show.

But after 21 years of connecting the Northwest, cable ran its course, as 24-hour news moved to a much more mobile platform. NWCN said goodbye in 2017.

From the magic they spark each time they’re spotted to the passion they’ve inspired, the legacy of whales in the Northwest surfaces in KING 5 coverage through moments and milestones both heartwarming and heart-wrenching.

In 1971, KING committed to covering the capture of orcas in Penn Cove, illustrated by reporter Don McGaffin’s daring reporting.

“I must interrupt because now there is another boat coming at us from the rear, here comes another boat at us,” said McGaffin.

He was chased by those who didn’t want the story told, but he kept reporting, speaking with researchers like Terry Newby.

“They’re not a confined animal. They’re free moving. They live in a three-dimensional world,” said Newby in a 2009 interview with reporter Gary Chittim.

Following up became a hallmark of KING 5 coverage, closely charting the story of one of the calves who was caught.

After years of reports on calls by the Lummi Nation to free orca Tokitae, known by tribes as Sk’alich’elhtenaut and Miami spectators as Lolita, she was set to be freed.

KING 5 did a series on plans for her journey home to the Salish Sea, traveling internationally to tell her story, ending with tearful goodbyes when she died in her tank.

The fight to protect the remaining Southern Residents became a decades-long theme in KING 5 newscasts.

So did celebrations, like those cheering on the comeback of humpbacks and triumphs like Springer’s, an orphaned whale stranded in Puget Sound, who was rescued, released, and later became a mother.

There’s no shortage of stories left to cover today.

These creatures are living at the crossroads of environment and industry, symbols of our complex but cherished relationship with the natural Northwest.

Within days of the first newscast on KING 5, the station’s first news anchor, Charles Herring, reported on a wildfire raging near the town of Forks, Washington.

“The worst forest fire in the state of Washington in this decade.”

The first in a history of natural disasters that KING 5 followed.

In 1965, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake rattled Seattle businesses and literally flooded the streets with beer.

“The foundation gave way beneath an aging tank under Rainier Brewery, snapping a valve and spewing forth nearly a thousand gallons of beer,” said Ted Bryant.

The news team sprang into action in 2001 when the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually quake caused a billion dollars in damage.

It was a warning sign of the growing threat of a massive quake that seismologists were just beginning to understand.

“And we've seen our earthquake situation got worse, and our need to prepare got more and more dire,” said Farley.

The ground beneath western Washington isn't the only looming danger in the area.

May 18, 1980 was a defining day for Washington state as Mount St. Helens erupted.

“The assignment editor at the time said, ‘We want you to take mountain climbing lessons,’” said former KING 5 meteorologist and science reporter Jeff Renner.

Scientists thought Mount Baker was going to erupt first, but then Mount St. Helens rumbled to life in March. And KING 5 had a front-row seat.

The team had a camping spot on a ridge overlooking the mountain.  A fateful, last-minute decision to come down from the mountain may have saved their lives.

The day after the eruption, they took the helicopter to their last campsite and spotted a burned-out car containing the body of one of the 57 victims of the eruption.

“I put on that sort of journalist frame of mind, I want to see because this was 50 yards from where we were camped, what would have happened to us,” said Renner. “That recognition of how close we came, and what the true personal cost was.”

It’s a cost that could have been even higher, as in the weeks leading up to the eruption, dozens of people protested orders to evacuate.

“The argument that was being used by a lot of people was the scientists have it wrong. They are using scare tactics,” said Renner. “And we hear some of those same claims today via in health problems such as the pandemic or climate change now, and I just need to dial back to 1980 to remember, we need to take those seriously.”

Weather forecasting has undergone a number of changes in three-quarters of the century. Did you know KING originally forecasted using cartoons?

In the 1950s, there wasn’t a lot of weather information, so KING hired renowned local cartoonist Bob Hale.

“That’s all I’ve done all my life, is draw cartoons,” Hale said in the station’s 10th anniversary special. “I never thought I’d be on television doing it but here we are.”

Hale worked for a decade and Bob Crame took over the tradition through the 1960s.

But as the science of meteorology took shape, news stations traded cartoons for magnetic weather maps. Rich Marriott worked for the National Weather Service in the early days, which was also former meteorologist Jeff Renner’s source for daily weather data.

“(I would) literally pull out a paper satellite picture, take a Polaroid photo of it and bring that back to the studio,” Renner described.

There was one Polaroid camera the entire crew would share.

“When I joined KING TV in the 80s, the computer revolution ushered in a new era and ‘green screen’ forecasts,” said Marriott.

Washington state was a notoriously difficult place to forecast weather. That’s why in 1994, KING installed the first operational Doppler radar in Puget Sound.

Year by year, the meteorologists at KING learned more about the complex microclimates that make up Puget Sound.

“There’s been wonderful research done locally and nationally that gives us a much better feel,” said Renner. “You think of things like the Puget Sound convergence zone. You have a much better feel for where it’s going to be.”

KING’s forecasters are not confined to the studio, willing to venture outside to show the audience live conditions and teaching viewers more about the world around us and what makes the forecast tick.

“Never underestimate the ability of your viewers and their interest in what you are talking about,” said Renner. “I think we saw our role both as meteorologists and scientists, but also as educators.”

Before the sun rises in western Washington, the team at KING 5 Mornings is getting viewers ready for their day with four and a half hours of news, weather, and traffic.

The shows are live reports mixed with light-hearted moments that help people wake up with a smile.

KING 5 Mornings has changed a lot from 43 years ago when the station launched its first morning broadcast.

Don Madsen anchored the show in 1980, with Jeff Renner forecasting the weather and traffic reports from Sky Twin Traffic.

In the early days, it was a half-hour show from 6:30 to 7 a.m. That changed in the early 90s.

“I remember when we expanded from a half hour to an hour, how are we going to fill an hour of news in the morning because a half hour seemed like a lot of content at that time,” said Taylor.

Then it expanded to two hours with a bigger anchor team. Dennis Bounds joined Taylor and Rich Marriott in the mornings. He remembers covering some big stories in the morning hours, including the inauguration day storm in 1993.

“We're on the air in the morning and all of a sudden, the wind kicks up and they decide for us to stay on the air. I think we were on the air for 8 hours,” Bounds described.

Then KING 5 Morning News expanded even earlier to start at 4:30 a.m.

With the population growing, the drive times increasing and people waking up earlier, KING 5 added a traffic anchor in the studio to help commuters get to work on time.

And in 2004, the launch of “Seattle Live” brought two more hours of news to viewers on KONG. Allen Schauffler anchored the morning show for three years, on a show that included live guests and cooking segments.

“We had Giada de Laurentis one time when she was on her way up before she became who she is. She came in and cooked for us,” said Schauffler.

As an editor on the morning show for 32 years, Mike Blakey has seen technology change the way we get news on the air, but says one thing has remained the same.

“The bar was just set very high early on and I think all the anchors who came later realized that so everybody came in here striving for excellence,” he said.

The faces of KING 5 Mornings may have changed over the years, but the camaraderie always shines through.

And no matter what story is unfolding, whether it’s a deadly train derailment, a rare tornado, or snowstorms that have shut down roads and schools, keeping viewers informed first thing in the morning continues to be our mission four decades later.

Beyond the science of the weather, KING 5 has committed to covering the climate and environment of the region.

From the impact of the snowpack to the effect of wastewater runoff, KING has dug into countless stories about the local environment and its impacts on the communities.

And that coverage has extended beyond Washington state.

Like when former reporter Gary Chittim was sent to the Gulf of Mexico to cover the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

“That oil just pumped out of the bottom of the ocean unchecked for 30 days or more,” Chittim said.

That in-person coverage allowed Chittim to show the audience how sticky it was and what it took to get it off wildlife.

The coverage would impact the next generation.

“I interviewed an ecologist who grew up watching that coverage and got inspired to get involved in pollution cleanup,” said Erica Zucco, a current reporter at KING 5 who regularly covers the environment.

KING has dedicated reporters for decades to telling these important environmental stories, including Chittim, Zucco and retired reporter Glenn Farley.

“Twenty years ago you used the word climate change there’s a lot of people who would just not accept that,” Farley said.

He reported firsthand on the growing threat of larger, hotter wildfires.

From a 2021 story: “This is the biggest test so far of the state's forest health plan. Can you treat a forest so it has a better chance of surviving wildfire.”

A big part of these reports is looking for solutions.

“We're seeing kind of the effects of learning over time what the problems are, and now being motivated to fix them,” Zucco said. “And so I think the conversation has shifted a little bit.”

And as our understanding of the science and technology evolves, it reveals new hope on the horizon. Chittim said his first windmill story was a stagnate windmill head. Later he would stand on top of one of the windmills installed in central Washington near Ellensburg, windmills that were computerized and worked together to adjust to the wind.

“The technology is getting better. the energy is getting better. a lot of smart people working on it,” Chittim said.

From its beginning, KING 5 has broken ground in its commitment to covering stories impacting diverse communities.

The legacy of in-depth reporting on topics of race and culture has carried on for 75 years and is just as important now as it’s ever been.

In 2020, KING launched Facing Race – a series of longform reports on issues of race and diversity.

“You know, honestly, when we first started we didn’t know what we were doing,” said anchor Joyce Taylor, who was part of the original launch team more than three years ago.

“I remember feeling this really intense responsibility of you don’t get these chances often you know where everyone is listening,” said former executive producer Christin Ayers.

The Facing Race series launched amid the protests following George Floyd’s death.

“I think the story on Facing Race that impacted me the most was finding out about and then interviewing George Floyd’s cousin who lived in Washington lived in Gig Harbor,” said Ayers.

The very first story by the team asked a crucial question: When did you first realize that your race mattered?

“What was interesting about that is that each of us is a woman of color, we know exactly the moment that we realized our race mattered,” Taylor said.

But she said when white people were asked that question, it was confusing for them. One of the white people the team interviewed acknowledged the privilege of not having to think about their race.

But KING’s willingness to tackle these topics and issues started much earlier with a program called Face to Face. The show, which ran from 1965 to 1970 was hosted by African American educator and journalist Roberta Byrd.

Later Celebrate the Difference was co-hosted by Enrique Cerna and Lori Matsukawa in the 1980s and 90s.

“I feel like Facing Race is the new chapter to it like that we’re keeping that fire alive of getting the real stories out there and talking about the tough things that others may be scared to talk about,” said Keely Walker.

Walker produced the Facing Race series in 2020 and is now an executive news producer for KING. After the series, the station created a permanent race and equity team, with an executive producer, reporter and photographer.

And KING has expanded its inclusion and equity reporting to other areas, such as the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities.

“I definitely see Facing Race just expanding and tackling the big topics among everyone in our community,” Walker said.

Just as important, Taylor said, is thinking about the voices you include in everyday coverage.

“When we are looking for experts, whether it’s a physician or a firefighter or lawyer or a teacher, we’re looking for a variety of voices because there are people of all ethnicities representing all those professions,” she said.

Ultimately, the goal of all of this reporting harkens back to the station’s commitment to Stand For Truth and that the station works to lift all voices.

“I hope viewers know that because Facing Race is part of our brand … when there are stories around race and equity KING is a place they can come and they know that we’re going to tell that story,” said Taylor.

As NWCN was just launching, KING 5 was also dabbling in the online world. Over the past three decades, KING 5’s web presence has evolved to leverage greater digital capabilities and a social media presence, trying to reach people on the go.

The early version of the site was very basic, with just a few sections and stories featured, and mostly text.

At the time, video was very difficult to get online.

“It could take 15 minutes, 20 minutes before you could put even a short piece of video,” said Dale Steinkey.

And on the biggest news days, such as 9/11, traffic could overwhelm the servers. But each year as broadband expanded, everything got faster.

The internet also opened doors to a new audience. One early experiment on Evening included a special live webcast answering audience questions.

When digital director Elizabeth Wiley started at KING 5 in 2012, the main focus was written content for the website.

But over the years that’s changed. A mix of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, let KING interact with viewers in real-time. Reporter stories and livestreams also live on the station’s YouTube channel.

And in 2022, KING launched a streaming app with a 24-7 live feed, providing newscast replays, long form content, and archival shows like Almost Live.

"In years past we used to think about the streaming audience as separate from the broadcast audience, and I think more and more because of how people live their lives, they're kind of one and the same," said Wiley.

The bulk of digital content still lives on KING5.com. It’s a space that allows for in-depth reporting, extended interview videos and other extras.

All of this lets KING meet the audience where they are.

KING 5 has a history of commitment to local programming, from Almost Live and Seattle Today, to Evening.

“All those shows bringing unique content to the viewers of the Northwest, who may not even realize how fortunate they are to have all these local shows showcasing the area,” said John Stofflet.

Stofflet is a former Evening staffer who started in 1989 and spent more than 15 years at KING 5 as a reporter and producer.

With Evening, Stofflet introduced viewers to local luminaries, sat down with corporate giants and traveled around the world.

Since its debut on KING 5 in 1986, Evening has been western Washington’s guide to the Northwest and beyond. It’s the only show on KING without a dedicated studio, going on the road to discover fascinating people and players.

Audiences also journeyed across the region with “Northwest Backroads.” The show launched in 1998, hosted by 70s heartthrob and start of “Eight is Enough” Grant Goodeve.

KING produced the sketch comedy show “Almost Live” for 15 years beginning in 1984, catapulting the careers of host John Keister, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and actor Joel McHale.

The show had a live audience and sketches were so popular in the Pacific Northwest that Almost Live aired at 11:30 p.m., relegating Saturday Night Live to a later time slot.

Almost Live also gained national attention in 1989 for an April Fools prank – a fake news report that the Space Needle collapsed. It was so convincing, some people believed it and the show had to issue an apology.

From its start in 2010, New Day Northwest was designed to inspire the best part of your day.

For more than a decade, Margaret Larson hosted celebrities like Julie Andrews, Jodie Foster, George Takai and Sue Bird.

The show was and continues to be dedicated to exploring the Northwest through art, food and high-flying entertainment.

In January of 2016, KING 5 moved into its new home on 1st Avenue South in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood.

The show got a brand new set, but eventually had to say goodbye to its in-studio audience.

Four years later, Larson left the show, stepping back to focus on her family.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for letting me be a part of your New Day,” Larson said as she signed off.

The show needed a new host and, luckily, there was someone in the studio next door who had been dreaming of this opportunity – Amity Addrisi.

In the meantime, the show had to reinvent itself in the midst of a pandemic – working from home and taping the entire show online.

Since then most things have returned to normal. The show and its staff are back in the studio hosting guests full time. They’ve even stepped out and taken the show on the road, to places like Lumen Field, the Seattle Art Museum and more.

But no matter where the show goes, it remains dedicated to educating, inspiring and entertaining the audience, ensuring they feel at home and enjoy their ‘New Day’ with KING every day.

The tools of the trade for KING 5 photojournalists have changed greatly over the years, but one thing has remained the same: the station’s commitment to the best visual product possible.

Here’s a look back at how equipment and technology have changed over the decades and the innovation that drives today’s news.

In 1973, photographers on staff shot 16 mm film and used a Bell & Howell camera with reels that captured 3.5 minutes of footage.

Another big factor: the weight of the equipment. An Auricon 16mm Sound Camera weighed 70 lbs. with all the gear, which included an amplifier/mixer, wetcell battery, shoulder brace, shotgun microphone, sungun and battery belt.

But all of that allowed crews to capture sound, which wasn’t possible with the Bell & Howell.

In the mid-70s, KING switched to the lightweight CP16 sound camera, which weighed just 14 lbs. and had sound recording capability.

At the time, chief photographer Phil Sturholm was a leader and teacher who demanded the best from the staff. His crews would shoot in the morning, develop their film in the early afternoon, and edit stories with scissors and glue.

Sturholm, who held daily reviews with photojournalists, also got the station involved in the National Press Photographers Association. KING won the Station of the Year prize in 1979, 1981 and 1982.

The next big innovation: ENG -- electronic news gathering – and video tape. The weight of the gear went back up with the TK 76 camera, but crews were also able to take advantage of the satellite truck. This mobile newsroom offered the ability to edit and send your story in via satellite anywhere in the U.S.

For crews out covering wildfires or in other remote locations, a satellite truck means you would make your deadline.

A fleet of microwave vans would follow, which allowed photographers to edit and send back live shots.

KING mastered this new technology and won more national awards, again being named NPPA’s Station of the Year in 2011 and 2013.

Over the years, KING photographers have traveled across the world covering news, producing documentaries, and following local athletes to the Olympics.

And those satellite and microwave trucks have mostly been replaced by small devices that transit video via cell networks.

Through it all, KING remains committed to visual storytelling at the highest level.

2023 marks KING’s 23rd year of Home Team Harvest. The effort started in 2001 after the Nisqually Earthquake.

That earthquake put the resiliency of humanity to the test.

KING 5 Mimi Jung was there as the station reached out a helping hand, and has been part of Home Team Harvest every year since.

“I remember thinking, ‘Is this what I want to be doing on an early Saturday morning,’” said Jung. “By the time I got there and saw people arriving – they were so excited.”

Viewers had heard the call on the morning news to come donate and they showed up.

It was the beginning of a partnership with Northwest Harvest, a Seattle nonprofit that now supports 400 food banks across the state.

The food drive has grown over the years to become one of the largest in the state.

“There’s no better feeling than to know you’re gathering community to do something good,” said Jung.

Each year the event has grown – with donations showing up on boats, vintage cars, and more – as viewers drop off bags of food to help those struggling to food on the table.

In 2020, COVID changed life in so many ways, including Home Team Harvest.

Again, there was a massive growing need KING 5 had to meet. In response, Home Team Harvest more than doubled its goal to 20 million meals – and the community helped overdeliver. The final donation tally at the end of 2020 was 23.5 million meals.

The mission is one that’s shared across the KING 5 family, including team members in front of and behind the camera.

“I’m really proud to be part of a station who gives back in this way,” said Jung.

Because stopping hunger starts with coming together, as it always has.