nwasianweekly.com
May 31, 2008

Robert Mak

Robert Mak leaves KING 5 for mayor’s
office

By Eleanor Lee

Northwest Asian Weekly

Robert Mak, longtime KING 5 reporter, has been named the mayor’s new communications director and senior policy advisor.

Mak, 41, said the mayor’s office approached him several weeks ago about the position, which had been open for the past six months.

Though he had thought about “trying something different other than TV news,” Mak said he not been actively seeking a career change at the time.

Mak said about making the switch from journalism to being the conduit from the mayor’s office to journalists, “It’s going to be a change, no doubt, but fundamentally, it’s about communicating to people about what’s going on in the city, so in that respect, it isn’t that big a change.”

In frequent interviews with Mayor Greg Nickels, Mak was impressed with Nickel’s straightforward manner. “This mayor is very clear about what he wants,” Mak said, adding that Nickels is passionate about the same issues that Mak was dedicated to covering as a reporter, including transportation, school and affordability issues.

Mak said he will initially have to study the mayor’s priorities and that he did not “expect short hours.”

Mak’s salary of $160,000 will be slightly higher than Nickels’, according to the mayor’s office.

A highly sought-after emcee and speaker in the community, Mak’s departure from KING 5 will reduce the number of local male Asian American TV reporters by a full fourth — currently, Jeff Nguyen of KIRO 7, Robert Santos of KOMO 4 and Dan Devone of KCPQ 13 are the only other Asian American males working in TV news.

Mak said of the potential void left behind in his absence that he intends to remain active in the Asian American community. “The mayor has an exceptional record when it comes to diversity ... That’s part of what makes this an exciting job,” he said.

Mak will join six other Asian Americans on the mayor’s staff of 22.

He added that KING 5 also has an “exceptional track record when it comes to diversity,” and he felt confident about the station’s future in that respect.

Mak has been with King 5 for 16 years and hosted the “News Up Front” show for the past seven. He has been working in TV news for 21 years altogether.

Mak is widely perceived as a serious, tough reporter. During the last gubernatorial campaign, a staffer reportedly said in private that he didn’t want his candidate interviewed by Mak, as he was too tough a questioner.

Mak is married to a hospital administrator and has a young daughter. He said that though his family is excited for his career change, they were also surprised — especially his parents, immigrants from Hong Kong and Singapore, who would have to get used to not seeing him on TV any longer.

Mak’s last day with KING 5 was May 27. Mak will begin his position as communications director June 9.

Eleanor Lee can be reached at e.lee@nwasianweekly.com

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