nwasianweekly.com
June 14, 2008

Lori Matsukawa

Who will replace Robert Mak?

His last Friday as host of KING 5’s “News Up Front,” Robert Mak took a look back at his 344 shows to date.

They covered topics from “education to the viaduct, from business to health care,” and as Mak said, “it’s not the most flashy television” but it was a highly respected news program that many viewers considered several notches above other tabloid-ish TV news.

Mak left the show May 27 to take a position as Mayor Greg Nickel’s communication director, leaving a noticeable void — not only was he one of Seattle’s most successful, established news anchors, he was one of only four Asian male TV reporters.

When news of Mak’s departure broke, the Seattle Times reported May 28 that Pat Costello, vice president and general manager of KING, was “scrambling to figure out who will run the show.”

For now, KING 5 has enlisted its current news anchors as substitutes. Allen Schauffler will host for the next “several weeks,” according to Mark Ginther, executive news director, and Lori Matsukawa will host for several weeks after that.

Ginther said the station was looking to fill the position as soon as possible, but was unable to determine a timetable. He admitted it could take up to several months before a permanent replacement was found.

According to Ginther, KING 5 has been “overwhelmed by tapes and phone calls” from interested candidates from all over the country. “Word got out very quickly,” he said.

The best candidates will have experience covering politics, Ginther said. “Robert did a good job of pointing out the need for that type of coverage,” he added.

As for the possibility that Matsukawa might fill the position long-term, Ginther said that she hadn’t applied for the position, but had agreed to help out as an anchor.

Though Matsukawa had expressed interest in the position to friends, she confirmed that she had not “formally applied” for the job.

Ginther said that a possibility would be to internally appoint an anchor to conduct the broadcast and externally hire a reporter.

It was never an option to discontinue the show, Ginther said.

In the meantime, local viewers hope “News Up Front” remains a source for the type of serious, intelligent investigation that Mak was known for.

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

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