There was a lot of interest in the rather lengthy recent story on longtime Seattle-Tacoma area TV news anchor Jim Harriott. His obituary, and most other online eulogies, only referenced Jim’s employment in Seattle as being at TV stations KING, KIRO and KOMO. I thought I recalled reading he had been at Channel 13 in Tacoma for the short while that it was P.B.S. affiliated. John Fortmeyer commented to Puget Sound Media that he had located a news clipping that provided proof that Harriott had been at KCPQ. It ends up the clip, and additional information as well, was in old files right here at P.S.M. I am posting the main clipping below, and I will clarify dates in the original article. Back in 1975, this story ran the Tuesday before the Sunday when KCPQ was launching their new PBS format. So the date of the first official broadcast was January 4, 1976.
I can’t vouch for all of the details in this Seattle work history for Jim Harriott, but it looks pretty close based on what I do know:
(1) KING-TV Seattle hired him away from NYC network radio job in 1971, departs KING in May 1973; (2) KCPQ-TV Tacoma goes P.B.S. for awhile and hires him as public affairs director/news in Dec 1975 with Jan 4, 1976 on-the-air debut, stays at job approximately six months; (3) KIRO-TV Seattle hires him as anchor July 1976, he exits in just over one year; (4) KOMO-TV Seattle hires him as executive news director/anchor in Sept 1977, leaves for WJLA in Washington D.C. to work as TV anchor in 1987.
Since his time at KCPQ is a lesser known part of Jim Harriott’s career, I am posting this information, and the Seattle Times article that John Fortmeyer had pointed me to. I will, also, put a link in the original article so future researchers will learn “All of the Facts.” At P.S.M. we have to stay on our toes, because our readers tend to know what they are talking about! Thanks John!
If you found this post interesting, here’s a link to another story about a former Seattle TV news anchor: Stand by on the Set….for Bill Brubaker
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