Author McKnight takes on editor position at The Eagle

Earlier this month, the Wahkiakum County Eagle welcomed author Kirk McKnight on as the newspaper's editor. McKnight has spent the last three years working as staff writer, associate editor and, ultimately, editor for The Wickenburg Sun, a weekly newspaper in southwest Arizona.

"It's definitely a climate shift for my family and me," said McKnight. "Back in Arizona, when you see a puddle, you immediately assume something's leaking. The amount of rain I've seen since moving here, I told my family back in Las Vegas I wondered if the Columbia River had formed just last month."

After "taking a crack" at screenwriting in the early 2000s, McKnight realized he was making more as a valet on the Las Vegas Strip than he would with a film option. He then turned his focus to writing sports and had two books on broadcasting published nationally in 2015 and 2016. "I pitched an idea for a book to my screenwriting contacts back in New York and, before I knew it, I had a book deal having only written two chapters," said McKnight. "What a change from pitching scripts to studio 'gophers' year after year."

McKnight's books, The Voices of Baseball: The Game's Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America's Pastime" and "The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on The Fastest Game on Earth," feature over 115 MLB and NHL broadcasters, including Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Marv Albert, and the recently passed Bob Uecker. "It's quite a surreal experience when you get a phone call and on the other end of the line is Vin Scully," said McKnight. "What's even more humbling is the fact that he felt like he had to explain who he is and what he does to somebody who's reaching out to him regarding a book on broadcasting. I know who he was at hello."

Even before moving to Cathlamet, McKnight has been covering boys and girls basketball for Clatskanie High School since late November. "Coaches Combs and Warren have been great getting me stats and comments all season," said McKnight. "Covering sports from 1,400 miles away can be pretty tricky if you don't have cooperative coaches. The girls are having an outstanding season, and it's been fun to report on their win streaks leading up to the playoffs."

Going from the southwest to the Pacific Northwest, water isn't the only noticeable difference for McKnight. "Before settling in Wickenburg, my family and I sold our Vegas house in 2020 and traveled the country in our RV for a little over a year," he said. "Before showing up here, I'd have to say Tennessee was the most beautiful state I had ever seen. I'm not singing the same tune now."

As editor, McKnight has already "hit the ground running" assimilating himself in the community. "As soon as the word 'editor' is mentioned, you've got your pick as far as a person's facial expressions go," said McKnight. "I'm hoping, before too long, the smiling crowd will grow and the grumbling crowd will subside. I'll try to keep things 'down the middle.' Maybe that will help."