Tuesday, December 13, 2016

No More Tracy Traffic On KING 5

After nearly 7 years reporting Seattle's commute on KING 5 TV, Tracy Taylor and the station have parted ways.  Taylor, whose facebook fan page has nearly 9000 likes and who sends facebook birthday greetings to all her friends, apparently was a victim of media consolidation.  The station, once a Mom and pop, fixture, is now owned by East Coast based TEGNA
In a live broadcast on her fan page, Tracy says that she is doing fine, enjoying having more time to spend with her family.  She also said that she will continue to post pictures of her "12 days of ugly sweaters" on her fan page

97 comments:

mike dziak said...

I figured. King 5 is lucky to be on the air these days. Unfortunately they don't know they're dying. They've sacked and ruined the station and their local brand

Unknown said...

Omg I'm pissed... Really Jesse Jones now Tracey... no one does Traffic like Tracey they are stupid.. Tracey where are you Going I'm Following..screw king five your the reason I watched king five... Changing the channel now

Mary Lou said...

One of the most refreshing newscasters on the tube and you CAN her? are you NUTS? REbecca Stephenson and all the major anchors are gone, and frankly, your newscasts are getting worse. I will be changing the station.

Anonymous said...

This is a huge loss! I'm finally done with KING5. Watching Tracy and Rich interact while my coffee was brewing, before I was fully awake, was a favorite morning ritual. I don't understand why KING hired/kept annoying evening weekend anchors who were hard to listen to, but Tracy is the one they let go? Makes NO sense.

Anonymous said...

Jesse wasn't let go. Kiro offered him a better contract that he couldn't refuse. King wanted Jesse to stay but ultimately Jesse chose Kiro.

Anonymous said...

I thought Tracy was on an extended vacation to celebrate her birthday month. Now I'm really bummed. :o( Tracy was enjoyable and very informed when giving her traffic reports (except I always scolded her through the tv screen when she mentioned Airport Way South....shhhhh....don't share my secret way to avoid the I5 backup). ;o) Tracy, I hope you find a new job that makes you VERY happy.

Anonymous said...

King 5 news is definitely going downhill and about to lose 2 more viewers. Take away the talent we love and we're outta ther. Boo Tegna!

Cindy said...

I can't believe Tracy is gone. I too thought she was off on vaca. I was looking forward to her ugly sweaters! Tracy I will miss you. I have had it with any news these days anyway. Maybe Tracy you can go back to sports radio ? Loved u on Kjr with Mitch. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

I am so very disappointed that you are not here anymore. You are such a breath of fresh air and I can not imagine what they are thinking. No body does traffic like you. Your Seahawk & ugly sweater are so missed. Take care & good luck

Unknown said...

Hump Day

Unknown said...

Hump Day

Unknown said...

Such a shame! Tracy T made the morning news.on KING 5. TENGA made a Big mistake. L8er KING 5 news.

Anonymous said...

I thought she was annoying. No great loss.

Mike Barer said...

I think anonymous comments are kind of annoying, at least some of them are.

Cheree said...

She always brightened my day, what a huge loss. Switching stations. An obvious idiot at the helm.

Cheree said...

She always brightened my day, huge loss, switching stations. An obvious idiot at the helm.

Anonymous said...

Super bummed to see this. I thought Tracy T was out on holiday. Really enjoyed how Tracy and Rich handled the two things we all watched the early news for. I'll be getting my updates from "Alexa" going forward. Best of luck to Tracy! All your fans know you'll be just fine when your ready to get back at it.

marthash said...

I had been thinking she was on vacation too. What a disappointment.

Emelie said...

This is so sad. I only watched King 5 morning news because of Tracy and Rich. I used to watch also because of Mark Wright but now he is on while I am in the kitchen. I found out last night that NWCN is bailing too. I think TEGNA may be on their way out of here.

Unknown said...

Yeah I am done with King 5 as well, if you wanna get rid of what made your channel then you can deal with losing your viewers too.

Anonymous said...

Glad she's gone, finally! Talks like a valley girl.

Mike Barer said...

Oh, Really?

Anonymous said...

Will miss you Tracy! You were the reason we watched King5 and your humor brightened our mornings! Suspect the station has no clue who they have lost.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said....
Will miss Tracy!!! She had such a great personality and good programs for area school children that help with keeping people safe around their schools. Building good self esteem with the youth in our area.

Anonymous said...

,Tracy you are missed. Wow a big mistake letting you go.You gave a good traffic report,and had so much personality giving it. Our household will miss you.

mikki said...

I loved Tracy and Rich in the morning. I may hang in for Joyce and Rich but if Rich goes so do I.

Anonymous said...

Thought at first she was on vacation but it progressed into January so decided to hit the internet and see if I could get some answers. Don't like what I found! Gosh, channel 5 will not be the same without her.....will not be so loyal to King now. Phooey on them. Guess some corporations just never learn to leave success alone. Guess they got a cheaper replacement....it's all about the bucks, not the people. Will miss you and hope you stay in the area.

Mike M. said...

Sorry to see Tracy is no longer on King 5.....really don't like the way that King 5 is going with their people....wish you all the best Tracy....really enjoyed watching you and Rich every morning and I hope that you'll be back at a better network soon

Mike Barer said...

Check out Tracy's facebook fan page here. https://www.facebook.com/TracyTaylorTraffic/?fref=ts

Wylee said...

Joyce is a complete ditz. No tears if she were to be yanked. King5 is in free fall. Time to completely jump ship.

Mike Barer said...

I disaree, she is lovely and well versed.

Anonymous said...

I thought Tracy Taylor was on vacation. King5 used to be our go to for news, weather and traffic. No more. Jesse Jones moved over to KIRO7, we will do the same. Now all we need is to get Joyce Taylor to do the move to KIRO7.

Anonymous said...

I thought Tracy was on vacation and then messaged KING5 and was told she is no longer with them. Sad! I have to agree KING5 News is going down hill as far as there staff. Only a couple that are still hanging on and then too close to retirement! That's what happens when small companies get bought out by a mega Corporation! I wish you well in your future endeavors Tracy. You're diffidently missed!

Anonymous said...

Tracy T you are definitely a great on air personality. I liked your enthusiasm and you banter with Rich. Tegna is the looser here. They sacked the wrong person. They should have sacked Joyce Taylor! She is a total idiot. She acts so immature and tries her sweetie persona to "Look Cute" She is not cute and she is dumb as a rock.

When I heard about Tracy T being sacked that was the last straw. I go out of my way to ensure that social cast they called news is no longer watched in this home. When King 5 was bought from local control they did what all big companies do. They slashed and cut everything that was local from their newscast.

Rich, you would be well advised to watch behind you of for that matter maybe you should find a better local station to work for.

Goodby King TV 5 you will never be seen on my screen ever again.

Anonymous said...

That place has been an unstructured hot mess since Tegna and their new studio. They don't deserve Tracy Taylor.

Mike Barer said...

Please, no more anti-Joyce Taylor comments. I think Joyce is one of the best! Don't take your anger out on any more of the news crew as they had nothing to do with her leaving.

Mike Barer said...

I will not post any more Anti Joyce comments. She is not the subject of this post.

Roxie Page said...

I stopped watching king 5 as soon as I heard Tracy was gone. Pretty sad that after all these years I am watching a different news station. Guess the veiwers opinions don't count??

Anonymous said...

Missing Tracy T to the max. Joyce is the real deal, she is honest. Those two were apart of every morning for me. Thank you! Don't want to leave, but if Rich or Joyce disappear, so will I.

Anonymous said...

TRACY T. DID TRAFFIC REPORTING WITH A PERSONAL PIZAZZ LIKE NO ONE ELSE. I WILL MISS HER AND WILL FOLLOW HER TO HER NEXT NW CHANNEL. CHANNEL 4 OR 7, HOW 'BOUT IT?

Jehdog1 said...

Sorry to finally realize Tracy Taylor is gone.

Anonymous said...

Sad that Tracy is gone. I found this site while researching why I wasn't seeing her in the AM. The poor guy that replaced her is BLAH. In fact, King5 is getting BLAH! Who are all these new faces anyway? They are all mostly BLAH. David Espinosa (SP?) has a really cool voice (like from the old FM radio days), but I really miss Denis, Jean, and the rest of the gang. Moving to KIRO, or KOMO now....

Mike Barer said...

This is now the top all time post on this blog, a little over one month. It has beaten out the 3 year old post of Meghan Black leaving Evening Magazine.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes corporations don't see the forest for the trees in their quest for profits. What does a company like Tegna (Virginia based) know about a market like the PacNW? They certainly don't know about our culture. Taking away the people we know and have developed trust and relationships with and replacing with strangers isn't the way to gain and retain viewership. It's the way to drive people directly into the TV Sets of the competitors.

Tegna, I hope someone reads this, I'm sure you're doing this in other markets....

Thanks for posting this Mike

Mike Barer said...

Well said.

Anonymous said...

So sad to see Tracy cut. First Robert Mak, then Jesse, now Tracy ---- and just before Christmas!!!! Who does that?

And they keep one person on the anchor desk (am) that doesn't pronounce names correctly and obviously needs more training on reading the prompter, like pausing at commas and taking a breath at periods instead of messing everything up.

Our family has changed to channel 4 news. So much better!!!

The WORD Detective said...

KING5 has gone down the tubes since they changed owners. Firing ("letting her go") Tracy is but one example. Here's a PROPHECY: NBC will change affiliation to another local TV station by the end of this year. That's how bad this long time favorite channel has deteriated since the new ownership and new location.

Anonymous said...

Joyce is my girl but Tracy was my traffic. Her and Rich together brought the old and new together. Tracy will be missed and I'll be getting my news on another channel. I can't watch this guy do traffic, he needs to go back to radio. Miss you Tracy, sorry to hear this news.

Anonymous said...

Tracy and Rich were a real team. So fun to watch. This new guy is probably nice, but yes, he needs to go back to radio.

Shame on KING 5!! They seem to be digging a hole for themselves. KOMO and KIRO are our "go to" news channels now.

Anonymous said...

I'm sad. Tracy was sooooo funny and great at what she did. She was my absolute favorite in the morning. I'm going to miss her. Sucks.

Unknown said...

Loved Tracy T on KING 5.... I moved here from Portland 6 years ago and have been a fan ever since. I knew she was MIA but thought she gone for the holidays. I leave town for a month and things really have changed. Really sad. Miss you Tracy! 😥

Unknown said...

Also want to add that Tracy, Rich, Mark, and Joyce made a super great team, at least in my eyes. Funny and smart. And loyal supporters of the Seahawks and the community. I don't understand why there was such a need to change the team. Just my 2 cents... thanks.

Anonymous said...

I find myself watching KOMO4 more and more due to all the changes on KING5. I feel like there are KING5 strangers in my house instead of the KING5 family I had been inviting into my home since 1999. I don't care much for the new personalities on KING5. With the loss of Tracy T, I will be making my final migration to KOMO4.

Having been a journalism major / communications minor in college, I have never cared for the practice of hiring a "personality" to deliver the news instead of an actual experienced journalist who also happens to have a personality. At one time, KING5 had the mix right but now it's gone. I think TEGNA is all about the demographics on paper, not the reality of who we viewers really are.

Anonymous said...

Oh man I thought perhaps Tracy was on vacation, so I kept waiting for Tracy's return. Today I finally learned Tracy is just gone simply that quick! Well Tracy I'd just like to say I was a King 5 loyalist for the last 17 years and now I am simply switching back to yep Kiro7 where I was a previous loyalist for about 20 years. Ok here goes, I'm switching the channel mid King 5 New at Noon. Best of Luck Tracy! Bye King 5

Anonymous said...

I'm back. I left King because of their decision to bring Mrs Taylor on board. I don't speak ill of the dead so just let me say my style of news and the personalities chosen to provide them it is different than those that have posted here. I found myself muting the TV when she was on. Joyce Taylor is the rock and the identity of this programming and I believe they have it right now. Even Jake Whittenberg, lol... with his perfect smile.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad she's gone. She was the most annoying person on set! Terrible whiny voice and was rude with her comments about I DON'T EAT EGGS!!! Cam Johnson is hot and has a pleasing voice.

Anonymous said...

This is really indicative of a larger and more frightening problem America is experiencing. Tegna management, like most corporations these days has probably morphed to the point where their management doesn't have the expertise to understand their business any longer. If you did a survey you'd probably find most of their management has been "ladder climbing" and most have less than two years in their present roles. It is a common malady that is slowly destroying our businesses. True managers that understand and are of actual value to their company are becoming scarce. Ironically managers are becoming more like politicians. They spend 80% of their time making decisions that will get them promoted (a.k.a. "reelected") than working to make their companies more successful and profitable. That is one of the reasons I laugh when people tell me people with corporate experience could run our country better. Everyone is in to short term solutions that will enhance their resume regardless of the long term effects. These folks make ill informed decisions based on their own interests, take the accolades and leave before the ramifications of their actions hit. Then it is the long term employees are left to pick up the pieces, try and salvage their businesses, mollify their long suffering customers, and then "bring up to speed" the next group of manager clones who are hired. Wash, rinse, repeat... those that don't learn from history blah, blah, blah-trite but true. This is really frustrating because these folks don't know enough or care enough that their actions lose customers. So our switching the channel doesn't do any good. I'm not watching King anymore but it really doesn't matter to those in charge at King so my/your actions have no effect. Sad to see our businesses slowly decline because of this cycle. It gets worse too. This destructive management style has been kept in check by those older folks who grew up with a sense of loyalty to their companies. These people were the ones who cleaned up the messes the ladder climbers left behind. As the work force ages and retires we are left with the younger folks who weren't indoctrinated with this impediment. The younger folks see this insane behavior and just say screw you and leave. (Rules that made 401k's more "mobile" only better facilitated this behavior). This will eventually leave most businesses with no real experience to draw on. Essentially there won't be any history to learn from so the same mistakes will be made over and over again. Woo hoo! Hopefully the creative, eclectic, and inventive folks (oh wow am I describing Tracy???) left in the world will be able to halt this destructive behavior before we reach the tipping point. Me? I'm going back to bed. Good luck Tracy you will be missed!

Mike Barer said...

We are all entitled to our opinion, but I find it bizarre that Tracy's detractors have taken the time to Google this article and comment several weeks after she left. The fact that this post has had 16k hits in a little over a month as well as the overwhelming number of comments from people angry about Tracy's departure shows that the vast majority of viewers loved what Tracy brought to the newscast.

Rob McAuliffe said...

I enjoyed King5 news in the AM and Traci was a big part of it! I finally googled this AM to find out what happened to her and why there it all seems so different. The local flavor will be missed. I won't be watching when the new people have to read Puyallup for the first time. Good luck Traci.

Anonymous said...

It's about time. Now that she is gone, mornings are better than ever.

Mike Barer said...

I notice the negative comments are all anonymous. I wonder if they are all from the same person. Sad!

Dixie Carter said...

I will not be watching King-5 anymore.....when the corporate
"meat market" (TEGNA) hacks a class act employee like Tracy
Taylor I'm DONE! Now King-5 has Steve Bunin with an ego the
size of Donald Trump's and who speaks so fast (like a teenager)
I can't process half of what he says--and, I surely don't give
a rip about the camera's lengthy focus on his "I love me" socks!
Dixie Carter on Bainbridge Island

Adrianne said...

I completely agree. She is the only reason I watched. I'm so disappointed.

Unknown said...

Mike... thanks for supporting me from KJR to King.. but there's good news coming this week.. as for the "haters", you can say what you want. I have the support of AMAZING viewers and love and kindness will always win.

Mike Barer said...

Hey! just to let you know, this post has now gone over 20,000 hits. Thank you to Tracy for putting this blog on the map!

Murff-1 said...

Cam Johnson is horrible compared to Tracy. Bring her back!

Jenny Sepulveda said...

I agree...Cam is dull and boring in comparison.

Mike Barer said...

Thank you for your comments, however, this is not a post to rip Cam. I liked her as an anchor on Northwest News. I think that she will grow into the job! I think Tracy will be back somewhere soon!

Unknown said...

I've watched King 5 for many years and now have stopped. I loved Tracy's sense of humor. Where did they find this Cam? In her red dress.. She's horrible.

Mike Barer said...

Tracy's fan page has over 10K likes, get a clue Seattle media. Hire this woman before she gets an offer from another town.

simikathy said...

Tracy mark and rich and Joyce are my favorite no one can hold a torch to Tracy the lady that replaced Tracy she is a bimbo and is no good makes no sense

Unknown said...

Thank you!!

Unknown said...

Thank you ❤

Unknown said...

Rude? Nah...

Unknown said...

Thank you! ❤

Unknown said...

Most likely

Unknown said...

Anonymous said...

I agree. Im sure nice enough in person. Not made for TV news. Her obnoxious behavior was over bearing.

Anonymous said...

I dont think she will.

W and T E said...

I beg to differ. The morning crew were great as they were. Tracy was a big personality and that was a great platform for her. I can not stand traffic and she made it fun. Joyce is fun in a different way, and she has improved her interviewing skills. I still watch, but it's hard. Tegna should reconsider some of their changes. Just because something worked in another city/ state, does not mean it will work here. Hopefully someone from Tegna is reading this thread. I am watching Diagnosis Murder right now. I'd really hate to watch Ch 13 as I have been watching Ch 5 for years. 😞😞😞

Unknown said...

🤔 really?

Too much going on with king 5 said...

Yes you're right, Cam is horrible

Too much going on with king 5 said...

So too much drama going on king5. Cam is horrible, too much change

Anonymous said...

So disappointed at king 5 for letting Tracy Taylor go. She was my go to with Rich in the mornings. What were they thinking. The new traffic report is awful. Switching now to Komo. I also miss Dennis Bounds... new guy .. blah .

Anonymous said...

I like the new girl. For those who are dissing her, go back and watch Tracy's early broadcasts; Terrible. Cam will be just fine.

Mike Barer said...

That's a great point and like I said, this isn't a bash Cam post. I just don't think she eats, breathes, and sleeps traffic like Tracy does.
Time will tell!

Anonymous said...

Tracy has a face for radio. I loved her when she was on the radio doing traffic updates for KJR, but could not stand her personality on KING5 mornings and would often change the channel when she came on. I'm very pleased with the change.

Scooter McClain said...

Every time she talked about the Boeing Slowing, it gave me a groin showing.

I enjoyed her upbeat enthusiasm. King 5 has had way too much turn-over, more than I have ever seen over the past few years in any other market across the US. I was upset when Meegan Black left Evening Magazine, but not seeing Tracy on air (and her dismal replacement) has caused me to switch to KIRO and Q13 (which are only marginal as well).

Unknown said...

I was wonder what happen to all the regulars on King5 and now I know I have been switching to other Chanel's to get the news and now I know it's just not the same there's a saying " if it ain't broke don't fix it" the company didn't do themselves any good by taking off the regular people that made King5 the great news channel that it " was "

Mike Barer said...

This post soon to pass 30K.

Unknown said...

Its been awhile since she was fired from King 5. I've noticed she has not been posting comments here or on Puget Sound media like she use to when she was fired. She use to make some sort of comments to peoples posts, but she did have time on her hands then. If people really are so upset about her being fired from King 5 I hope you know she is on Kiro 7 now as a "traffic reporter on the road". In comparison I have to say even this new gig for her is troublesome for her. She seems to have a hard time with the demotion of not being the lead traffic gal. She seems to be unprepared for her live road broadcasting...look at the background of the vehicle too...just a mess. Joking and be sarcastic to cover up poor reporting as usual. Kiro7 should follow King5 and do the right thing. I cant wait to get my cable back so I can enjoy King 5 again.

Mike Barer said...

Well Blake, first of all, thank you for visiting my blog! What a coincidence, I had just been discussing with Puget Sound Media about Tracy's popularity. My story of her departure gets hits every moment of the day. This is the first time in 8 months that the post was not in the weekly top 3.
Notice that I said "departure". Nowhere in any of her posts does it say that she was fired.
I think it is to Tracy's credit that she has fit in at KIRO in her current role. The program is obviously gaining viewers from hiring one of the most popular figures in local media.
One of Tracy's gifts is her accessibility, I'm proud to have her comment on this page, Perhaps the reason she hasn't commented is that no one has commented on her posts in a long time. You being the exception!
Once again, thank you for reading and commenting on my blog.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said it best.

Mike Barer said...

34,000 have visited this post. A record for this blog.

Anonymous said...

Tracy taylor is a hundred times better than most Seattle reporters.

Anonymous said...

Tracy is just awesome

Mike Barer said...

Let's just be happy that Tracy is still in the Seattle market doing what she loves to do. This was years ago and frankly, I think the KIRO 7 gig is a better fit.