Northwest Afternoon
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Northwest Afternoon is an Emmy-award-winning local television talk show in the United States. It airs weekdays at 3PM in the Puget Sound area of Washington. It is produced locally by Seattle TV station KOMO-TV Channel 4, and debuted in September of 1984.
The show's format, unchanged since its debut, starts off with the first 15 minutes being a daily recap of all the soap opera serials aired that day, and the last 45 minutes being a talk/variety-type show. In the latter portion of the show, subjects can vary from show to show. In one show, a famous TV, movie, or newsmaking celebrity may make an appearance as a special guest (usually discussing their latest work, etc.), while the very next day could focus on a guest who has survived against all odds.
The show originated from Studio C of KOMO-TV's old building until it was demolished to make way for Fisher Plaza in 2000.
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[edit] Hosts
The original hosts of the show were Dick Foley and Dana Middleton, with the soap-opera recap portion of the show hosted by Cindi Rinehart. Dana Middleton left Northwest Afternoon in 1992 to pursue other interests. Her departure was an emotional moment, and her last show was filled with recaps of previous shows. Dick Foley followed suit in 1996.
Both were replaced by the current team, and Cindi Rinehart is the longest-tenured co-host of the show, having co-hosted the show since its debut in 1984.
The main portion of the program is currently being hosted by Kent Phillips and Natasha Curry, who replaced former co-host Elisa Jaffe (who returned to KOMO News as an investigative reporter) in January 2007. Elisa Jaffe worked at KOMO as a TV news reporter and had initially worked on the launch of KOMO's weekday morning newscast titled "The Morning Express." Recently, Jaffee was also announced as KOMO 4 Morning News Co-anchor with Mike Dardis, but soon replaced by Natasha Curry, who came to KOMO in January 2007. Meantime, Kent Phillips works for Star 101.5 radio (KPLZ-FM) while not hosting NWA, and has been working in broadcasting since the age of 14.
[edit] Scope on the Soaps
Scope on the Soaps is the opening segment, usually 15-20 minutes in length, in which Cindi Rinehart gives viewers a daily recap of the happenings in the soap opera world. Her awkward style has become legendary, and she has earned a "backstage-pass" into the behind-the-scenes production of all the major dramas on daytime TV. Her Scope on the Soaps segment has been frequented - either in person or over live telephone calls - by major soap stars and producers, and Cindi herself has even starred in soaps such as General Hospital. Because of her expertise, she has been dubbed "The Soap Queen."
Reinhart also attracts a lot fans beyond the Northwest. Since the show is also seen across Canada on satellite, its not uncommon for viewers to call as far away as Nova Scotia and Quebec just to ask Cindi questions about what will happen on the soaps, a rarity for a locally produced---and American based---afternoon talk show.
[edit] Notable guests
- Alex Trebek (Host of Jeopardy!)
- Ray Combs (former Family Feud host)
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former President George H.W. Bush
- Sylvester Stallone
- Peter Jennings
- Sam Donaldson
- Colin Powell
- Former President Jimmy Carter
- Donny Osmond
- Marie Osmond
- Madeleine Albright
- Robert Duvall
- Tim Allen
- Tom Cruise
- Michael J. Fox
- Steven Spielberg
- Alex Rodriguez (former Seattle Mariners baseball player)
- Tanya Harding
- Kathie Lee Gifford
- Carol Channing
- Pat Sajak
- Vanna White
- Merv Griffin
- Psychic Sylvia Brown
Other notable guests include much of KOMO's own on-air staff. KOMO news anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and several KOMO TV reporters have made appearances on Northwest Afternoon over the years.
