For broadcast journalists who are on TV regularly, it is not uncommon for people to approach them as if they know them and treat them as members of their immediate community.
Dennis Bounds, Linda Byron and Jeff Renner are no strangers to these types of encounters, but if they were recognized in Redmond or on the Eastside it could just be because they are part of this community. And as the three have all recently retired from the local news station KING 5, it may be more likely that they will be recognized as long-time residents.
Bounds and Byron live in Redmond and Renner is a Sammamish resident, though he has participated in community theater productions in Redmond.
THE END OF AN ERA
While each of the trio began their respective careers at KING with the intention of moving on if and when the opportunity came, a few years soon became a few decades and a few decades has now become retirement.
Meteorologist Renner, 62, leads the way, having been at the station for almost 39 years; investigative reporter Byron, 59, had been at KING for 29 years; and anchor Bounds, 63, had spent about 25 years at the station. In addition, long-time anchor Jean Enersen of Seattle, who had been KING for 48 years, also retired. Their last day at the station was April 22.
There have been a number of simultaneous retirements at KING as the station’s corporate owners made an early retirement offer to employees who were 55 or older.
Renner, Byron and Bounds each decided to take the offer as they felt it was “time” to retire. All three noted the desire to spend more time with their families as journalism does not always lend itself to “normal” work hours.
As their decades-long careers came to a close, the three Eastsiders sat down with the Redmond Reporter and reflected on the highs and lows of journalism.
Renner said by the nature of their job, they were invited into people’s homes on a regular basis. And with that, there is a sense of courtesy and they have to work to be worthy of that.
Byron said as journalists, they have a front-row seat to history and they and their colleagues had a shared sense of responsibility to get it right. There is a shared sense of purpose to put out a product on the air and there is also a vulnerability that comes with that as they are being judged on that product, she said. Byron added that journalists are privileged with access to certain things that most people are not, which is something she will miss now that she’s retired.
Bounds said he will also miss the people they worked with, noting the impact their colleagues have had on them.
“It’s the most decent place I’ve ever worked,” he said about KING, adding that they will still be able to see each other as none of them is leaving the area.
HAVING AN IMPACT
After a number of decades in the business, it was difficult for Byron, Bounds and Renner to pick just one story or issue they covered that stands out in their careers.
When asked about the most significant stories they have covered while at KING, the first thing that comes to mind for Byron is the police reporting she has done over the years.
From covering law enforcement misconduct in the King County Sheriff’s Office, to doing news stories on police gang units and robbery units, she said she has enjoyed that work and found it interesting.
It has also been rewarding.
Byron recalled reporting on how backlogged the state is on testing rape kits, with thousands of kits going untested as they were only being processed if the case was being taken to court. Following her story, Byron said the law changed so rape kits have to be tested within 30 days.
That was a proud moment for Byron, a former Air Force kid who grew up moving around a lot and initially considered a career in medicine and studied biology in college.
Other notable moments in Byron’s career include interviewing Martin Pang, the arsonist responsible for the death of four Seattle firefighters in 1995, from Brazil, and interviewing Amanda Knox, the University of Washington student accused of killing her roommate in Italy in 2007.
INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES
“My resume is not nearly as exciting,” said Bounds when it was his turn to share.
As an anchor, he spent most of his time behind the desk but did get a few chances to travel.
In 1996, Bounds traveled to Bosnia following the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord. He was there to report on Western Washingtonians’ involvement in that part of the world.
Before this trip, Bounds’ only other experience abroad had been to Canada, and he noted how different Bosnia was compared to here. He said at the time, Bosnia was decades behind in terms of infrastructure and his group was told in no uncertain terms to not go off the roads as there were landmines everywhere.
Bounds, who grew up in the Washington D.C. area and went to college in North Dakota, also interviewed some big names, including President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama and got to fly with the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. He said following the latter experiences, his brother, who wanted to be a pilot, was not happy with him for a while.
“It was one of the coolest things in the world,” Bounds said.
A CLOSE CALL
Renner entered the field of meteorology through his interest in science and this showed through his extensive reporting on Mount St. Helens before and after the volcano erupted on May 18, 1980.
The Midwest native who was born in Michigan and grew up in Wisconsin, said at the time volcanology was just being invented and scientists’ primary concerns were actually with Mount Baker.
Renner recalls going to Mount St. Helens with scientists regularly from March to May in 1980, up to the eruption. He said just days before May 18, they noticed the north side of the mountain bulging but did not think much of it at first.
“Nobody had any sense it was going to erupt that weekend,” he said.
Not too long after the eruption, Renner was back up the mountain with scientists. He said on one particular flight up the mountain they were walking around a crater when their helicopter pilot tried to get their attention to leave by revving his engine. Renner said it wasn’t until after they were back on the helicopter and had cleared the immediate area that they realized there had been a mini eruption.
“That was a pretty close call,” he said.
Since the eruption, Renner had returned to Mount St. Helens regularly for update stories.
AN EMOTIONAL JOB
And while journalism has led them to have great experiences and a great impact on the community they report on, there have also been times when the job became overwhelming.
Bounds said covering the murder of Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton in 2009 was a very emotional experience.
And not one month later, four Lakewood police officers were murdered at a local coffee shop.
Bounds said they covered that for eight hours straight.
Renner, who did not do as much reporting as his former colleagues, said Bounds and the rest of the on-air team did not really have any copy to work with during these reports so most of what they were saying was from the heart and that never failed to impress him.
“These folks are really coming from the depths (of their emotions),” he said.
Byron agreed.
But this type of reporting also took its toll and Bounds said if there was ever a time he considered quitting the business, that was it.
“I was an emotional wreck,” he said.
Bounds added that this was around Thanksgiving, so afterwards, he went home and put up Christmas lights to take his mind off things.
Byron recalled the aftermath of those incidents and how they affected the extended law enforcement community.
“Everyone was afraid,” she said.
FUTURE PLANS
Now that they are retired, the news trio have more time on their hands and have various plans to fill it.
Byron has always enjoyed mentoring students and said she has accepted an invitation to speak at journalism classes as a guest lecturer. She also plans to visit her daughters — 23-year-old twins — at their respective jobs.
Byron is also looking forward to taking some cooking classes, tackling home projects and spending time outdoors biking, golfing and hiking.
Bounds is also looking forward to being outdoors and plans to decompress and relax, though he does anticipate becoming restless. Once that happens, he said he plans to get involved with charitable organizations in the area, such as Special Olympics Washington (for which he was a board member for six years). Bounds, who has a son living in a group home in Redmond, also foresees himself becoming an advocate for more community-based living for developmentally disabled adults.
Renner said he doesn’t plan to fully retire quite yet and will continue working as a consulting meteorologist, speaker and doing some voice-over work. He also plans to volunteer for causes he believes in such as the Seattle Aquarium and other environmental and social action efforts.
He also plans to pursue more personal interests — most of which involve the outdoors — and travel.
