Long-time Anchorage journalist and anchor of news Maria Downey has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the month. This will mark forty years experience in Alaska.
Downey relocated from Florida to Alaska from Florida together with her husband in the year 1981. initially working as a reporter at TV station KINO prior to moving in the following year to KTUU which is now known as The Alaskan News Source, where she’s been a anchor for more than four decades. The last time she broadcasts at KTUU’s Alaska’s News Source is set for January. 26.
Downey states that she relocated to Alaska because oil funds began to flow into the state, and it saw a dramatic growth in wealth and population.
Listen:
The interview was edited lightly for clarity and length.
Maria DowneyIt was an excellent period to be a reporter since it was a boom time. Therefore, there was no hesitation to charter a private aircraft somewhere, whether you believe it or it was not. CNN or NBC regardless of what the affiliates were at that time, would not be reluctant to invest the money. We had a helicopter on Channel 13 before other local stations were equipped with it. It was an ideal time to report as the money was available.
Wesley early:Can you tell me a little about some of your earliest stories were before you moved to this state?
Maria Downey:I do not recall the exact story. However, I can remember my top stories due to the rich culture and traditions of Alaska. Therefore, I would usually try to pay attention to the stories. However, I was also the reporter for court. There were times when where I attended court and cameras weren’t available in courtrooms back in the day. Imagine an entire day in a courtroom making notes, and then usually a long and, as I think about it today, it’s probably boring, stand-up (on-camera in live interviews) outside the courthouse, since there was no room inside. However, my most memorable stories from that day is the rich culture and customs of Alaska.
Wesley The Early Years:So tell me about the time you were an anchor? I’m sure in the past there were not a lot of female anchors working in Alaska.
Maria DowneyWell it was common for there to be. Typically, the male anchor was known as”the “lead” anchor something that is no longer the case anymore. However, when I joined Channel 13, I was mostly reporting. Later, I hosted a morning show known as Good Morning Alaska. I was a co-anchor on the show. However, when I joined Channel 2 as a reporter in the space of six weeks I had been anchoring. It was definitely an excellent decision.
Wesley The Early Years:What did you like about anchoring?
Maria DowneySo it was a pleasure to be in a position to report the news of the day. As a reporter, it was my job to report on consumer issues, as well as other topics that affected people as well as their family members, something was something I really enjoyed. But at the end the day – at the conclusion of my shift and the end of my shift as anchor -I loved broadcasting all of those stories, all the news of the day on the news so that people could be aware of the happenings in their local community. In their state, and sometimes even the nation. We didn’t make the same amount of national news, and we don’t continue to do the same amount of national news.
Wesley The Early Years:If my math is correct, that’s over 30 years of anchorage. One of the things I’m thinking about, particularly right now, is that the trust in media is kind of less. People are more skeptical about the media. This is a sort of authoritative position and an oath of trust. Have you noticed the change your perception of yourself as a person of anchorage over the decades?
Maria DowneyWe’re extremely fortunate at the station we’re in, as we’re kind of in a special position. We’ve been the no. #1 station, and we’ve had an extremely good rapport with people from all over the state, for a number of years. Therefore, I believe we’re in this position, not just of authority but also trust which some local stations do not have due to the fact that they are so fast to change. When we visit the village, when we travel to the rural area of Alaska where there are people that we meet at the airstrip. Therefore, when you go there and feel a feeling of connection. We don’t experience all that negative energy. We’re in a very unique situation. We don’t say that we don’t receive complaints from time to time. However, I believe that people who read local news, are more connected to local news as opposed to national media or cable news, in which they express opinions and the like. thing. This is not our job.
Wesley early:Yeah. What is the best way to explain that different? What is your method of explaining the way that local journalists are more than any other kind or journalist are committed to their communities?
Maria DowneyWell we call this our house. I’m sure you’ve seen many people leaving and coming back over the years. However, when you consider Jackie (Purcell) as well as myself and Mike (Ross) I’m talking about those in our newsroom who have been with us, like (chief photographer) Eric Sowl, for at least 20 years, or for years. Some even for a period of three years. We’re part of our local community. We’re committed to it. You’ll see us at community events, along with our families. It’s an element of our community as well. Therefore, it’s unjust to engage in anything that isn’t honest or fair with our people. People are aware of that. They know that we’re out and about, and it’s our home.
Wesley Early:This might seem like a strange question, but I’m not sure how often you’ve considered this however, do you consider your career as a journalist and what you want people to remember when they reflect on and remember about Maria Downey as a reporter and what do they think of her?
Maria DowneyBoy it’s so true that I don’t think about it However, If… you do, I suppose you could play this year from now to write my obituary isn’t it? “How do you wish remember yourself?”
I would like to see people remember my work for being sincere, honest and compassionate as it’s my home. I hope that people will remember that the stories we told weren’t just our opinions and facts, to help their communities and families as well as their state in recognizing some issues, and perhaps be activists in the things they believe is necessary to help improve their community. And possibly become an integral part of solving the problem rather than becoming a part of the issue. We are looking at ways to assist, whether it’s giving their time, talents or treasure. That’s the old stewardship mantra. I hope that what we’ve done, and what I’ve done over my career, served in influencing people to do what’s best for their community as well as helping solve certain issues.
