Alan Reed Obituary, Death – Alan Reed, a longtime sports photojournalist for KING 5, passed away last week, and the station is in mourning over his passing. We considered Reed to be much more than just a colleague; he was a friend, and you could say that we were his family.
After beginning his career at KING 5 as a general assignment photojournalist, he eventually moved into the sports department and continues to work there for more than 22 years. Prior to the term “multimedia journalist” becoming an official title, Reed worked in the field. Over the course of many hours, he would be out in the field, frequently by himself, conducting interviews, shooting games, and gathering ideas for stories.
At KING 5, Reed was responsible for covering every major sporting event and story in Seattle for twenty years. He also had a hand in innumerable accolades, but what was even more important was the fact that he meant a great deal to each and every one of us.
In a team that was very close-knit, he was like an elder brother and played an important role in everything that KING 5 Sports performed. By virtue of his hard work ethic and encyclopedic knowledge of sports at all levels, Reed established a benchmark that the rest of the sports team could only strive to achieve.
Some individuals at KING 5 found him to be genuine, one of a kind, and a little bit mysterious. He spent a significant amount of time away from the office covering sports, and he was a mystery to them. In the first place, Reed was really passionate about his work.
It brought him great joy to be in the company of the teams’ coaches and players, many of whom knew him by name. He was a familiar sight at all of the games, practices, and press conferences that he attended. It appeared as though Reed was always present, what with his silver hair, his round face, and the fact that he frequently wore a huge smile.
