There truly is no place like home! I realized that more than ever when I landed in Seattle in 1988 – returning home from North Carolina to begin my dream job at KING 5. Never did I imagine all these years later how much of a home and family the Home Team would become.
And now, I am honored to be sitting in the evening anchor chair, following in the footsteps of former colleagues I have long admired – news veterans and Northwest icons Lori Matsukawa and Jean Enersen.
I am proud to be part of the legacy that is KING 5; award-winning journalism and community service. There are still a few of us left who were hired by KING’s founder Dorothy Bullitt. We owe her a debt of gratitude for her commitment, courage and vision.
Is LOVE too strong a word for how I feel about the Northwest? Of course not. I was raised in Tacoma with two brothers and two sisters, including my twin. My working parents made education a priority, and I was fortunate to attend Western Washington University in gorgeous Bellingham. Go Vikings!
From there, I headed east to Spokane where I lucked into a weekend weathercasting and weekday reporter job. I then headed farther east to North Carolina where I eventually transitioned to the news anchor desk. From there, I never looked back.
The phone call that brought me home came in 1987 – my dream job at the station I had watched my entire life. My work in television news has taken me across the country and around the world; to Washington D.C. for a presidential inauguration, New York for the Seahawks' first-ever Super Bowl win and to London to cover the tragic death of Princess Diana.
I've had the extraordinary honor of talking to legends Walter Cronkite, President Jimmy Carter, Robert McNamara, Gloria Steinem, Katherine Graham, John Denver, Eartha Kit, Michael Jordan and so many more.
But YOU – my neighbors – are some of the most interesting and remarkable people I’ve met – mothers and fathers, educators and musicians, students and veterans and volunteers changing the world! YOU are the people who have shaped our community and it’s YOUR stories you have so generously shared that I love to tell most of all.
Thank you for allowing me to come into your homes each day. It continues to be one of the greatest privileges of my life – one I will never take for granted. After more than 30 years, I still cannot imagine doing anything else.
You can connect with me on Twitter @JoyceTaylorKING and Facebook, or email jtaylor@king5.com.
