Matt McAllister is a longtime country radio morning personality with over 32 years of experience in the format, known for his high-energy style, award-winning shows, and strong listener connection. He was most recently the host of “The Morning Wolfpack” on Audacy’s 100.7 The Wolf (KKWF) in Seattle and co-host of the afternoon show “Matt, Gabe & Captain Ron” on sister station Country 107.9 KMLE in Phoenix.
McAllister’s career timeline: Matt spent about a decade at Rock 99.9 KTYD in Santa Barbara, California, before moving into country radio.
KNIX Phoenix/iHeartMedia, 102.5: Hosted mornings for nearly a decade (roughly 2008–early 2017), paired with Ben Campbell as “Ben and Matt.” The duo earned major recognition, including ACM Personality of the Year and CMA Personality of the Year honors. McAllister was let go from KNIX in late 2016/early 2017.
KKWF “100.7 The Wolf” Seattle -Audacy: Joined in October 2017 to launch “The Morning Wolfpack”. He built the show into a success, winning a CMA Broadcast Award and earning three additional ACM nominations. The program became known for its entertainment value and community involvement, especially veteran/military support.
KMLE Phoenix -Audacy: In October 2024, the Morning Wolfpack team expanded to afternoons on the Phoenix sister station, billed locally as “Matt, Gabe & Captain Ron”. This marked McAllister’s return to the Phoenix market where he had earlier success.
This month, Audacy initiated another round of layoffs and restructuring, shifting toward a regional market oversight model with new Regional Presidents. The cuts affected on-air talent, programming, leadership, and digital sales roles across multiple markets.
Notable departures included country host Matt McAllister (mornings at 100.7 The Wolf KKWF Seattle and afternoons at KMLE Phoenix), morning duo Tucker “Frito” Young and Katy Dempsey (100.3 The Bull Houston), APD/Music Director Doug Duin (Seattle), midday host Maria D’Antonio (Pittsburgh), and others in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Rochester, Riverside, and Hartford.
Previously, Evans had been News Director, WHIO-TV/Dayton, Ohio : 2021–2023 (also Cox Media Group). She was promoted internally within Cox to the KIRO role.
KIRO News had lost the sports department and good team members during her reign. In 2025, Chris Francis went to SAN- Straight Arrow News, while Chris Swanson became a freelance reporter at FOX 13. Will there be a sports department at KIRO 7 once the news director position has been filled?
GONE: No cake, no career highlights on her last day, and no tears shed on the tv newscast. Nikki Torres left FOX 13 after three years. Previously at KATU/Portland, Torres could end up in eastern Washington as a few other Seattle newsreaders have.
Nikki has built a steady career in smaller-to-mid-sized markets before moving to larger ones, often combining reporting with weather duties.
KOBI-TV NBC 5, Medford, Oregon : Early role as reporter, anchor, and weather forecaster.
KXLY-TV ABC 4 / 4 News Now, Spokane : Worked as a reporter and associate producer.
KATU-TV ABC 2, Portland : Served as news reporter and weather anchor. This was her most recent stop before Seattle.
KCPQ FOX 13 : Joined in March 2023 as a reporter.
Feeling jaded?
Jade Elliott was dissatisfied with her position at KVEW/Kennewick, so she walked out. This after posting of her unhappiness with the changing scene at Apple Valley News. “I’ll miss waking up with all of you, but I do love waking up with my family at home.” Not everyone gets a golden ticket. Looks like her career was headed in the wrong direction.
Jade grew up in Richland, in the Tri-Cities region. She is a proud graduate of Washington State University (WSU), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Theatre (Edward R. Murrow College of Communication). She is an active WSU Cougars alum.
She started with an internship at KING 5 in 2006–2007, writing content and prepping guests for the top-rated KING 5 Morning News.
From 2007–2009, she worked at KHQ/KNDU (Spokane/Kennewick area) as an anchor, reporter, and producer. She anchored weekends, served as lead reporter for the morning show and evening newscasts, and managed teams during breaking news.
Jade returned to her hometown market as Morning Anchor at KAPP (ABC) and KVEW (CW), sister stations serving the Tri-Cities. She solo-anchored the weekday 5–7 a.m. newscast, handled live breaking news, wrote scripts for network cut-ins, conducted in-depth interviews, and led the station’s social media and web engagement. She was voted People’s Choice Best TV News Anchor in 2017. She also emceed community events.
She moved to KUTV 2 News as Morning Breaking News Anchor, handling a four-and-a-half-hour morning newscast. Responsibilities included producing live content, fill-in anchoring, field anchoring major events (such as a presidential visit, NBA All-Star Game, and Rose Bowl Parade), an investigative series on domestic violence, and hosting the Baby Your Baby podcast. She also anchored on sister stations and contributed radio reports.
Jade then joined KCPQ FOX 13 as Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter. She left the station in August 2025.
In January 2025, she returned to the Tri-Cities to co-anchor the 5–7 a.m. Good Morning Northwest on KAPP/KVEW. She described it as a homecoming, balancing it with her other commitments while praising her supportive family.
KPIX/San Francisco Chief Meteorologist, Paul Heggen, has left for the east coast, apparently disgruntled by things at KPIX. Heggen began his broadcasting career in smaller markets and progressively moved to larger ones. His pre-KPIX stops included: Beaumont, TX – Duluth, MN — Huntington, WV – Tulsa, OK – Nashville, TN (spent about 8 years at WSMV, often covering severe weather) – Raleigh, NC (CBS17 / WNCN, where he served as weekday morning meteorologist starting in late 2017). While in Raleigh, he was named “Weathercaster of the Year” by the Radio, Television and Digital News Association of the Carolinas for his coverage of Hurricane Florence.
KSCO/Santa Cruz on the market -The station, owned by Michael Zwerling through Zwerling Broadcasting System, Ltd. (which also owns sister station KOMY 1340 and several FM translators). Zwerling has owned KSCO since January 31, 1991 — marking 35 years of ownership in February 2026.
In early March 2026, Zwerling listed the entire property at 2300 Portola Drive — including the historic radio station building, studios, three broadcast towers, land with lagoon/ocean access, a bomb shelter, and the two AM stations — for $8.9 million. The listing allows buyers to purchase the stations/business separately from the real estate.
Zwerling (now 74) has publicly stated it is “time to pass the baton” after decades of running the eclectic news/talk stations, but no sale has closed or been announced. The property and stations are actively on the market, with the listing highlighting their unique coastal location and potential for business or residential use.
