Episode 7: Roving Red-Head, Helen Raptis, from AM Northwest Gets Real

AM Northwest’s Helen Raptis on hitchhiking to work, pushing past “no,” and how “pay-to-play,” doesn’t always require cold hard cash. You may remember Helen Raptis as KATU’s “Roving Red-Head,” for the ABC station’s hallmark morning show in Portland, AM Northwest. The show has seen a lot of changes over the years and so has Helen. This episode of PR ChalkTalk gets into AM Northwest’s transition to partially-monetized segments and Helen’s trip up the newsroom ladder while experiencing some personal set-backs along the way. Helen’s story didn’t start in front of the camera. While she’s been hosting AM Northwest for 15 years, her first job was as a receptionist for KING 5 in Seattle. There she worked her way up to promo-writing. Various newsroom positions took her to Montana, then Eugene and eventually Portland, where she ultimately landed at KATU — making it big as the morning show’s “Roving Red-Head,” field reporter and finally snagging the show’s hosting role. We then explore the pitch opportunity, how to get around their pay-to-play roadblock, tips, who is watching AM Northwest and suggestions for folks that want to get into the industry.

https://www.veracityagency.com/podcast/podcast-helen-raptis/