The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Ken Schram, who worked as a KOMO television and radio reporter and commentator for more than 30 years, has died at age 66, the station reports.
KOMO said that Schram, who had been fighting an internal infection for several months, died Thursday afternoon.
Schram was a high-profile Seattle media personality known for his forceful, on-camera commentaries. He would give “Schrammie” awards — bobblehead dolls in his image — to newsmakers and politicians he felt had made dumb decisions.
Schram left KOMO in 2012.
In a statement, KOMO general manager Janene Drafs said Schram’s wife, Sandi, was with him when he died. Drafs said the family is planning a private ceremony, and hopes to have a public memorial service in the future.
“As I’m writing this, I realize just how many Schram stories I have — some of them make me smile, and other downright belly laugh,” Drafs said. “The man was a huge presence, and deep under that crusty exterior, he had one of the biggest hearts in our business.”
Sandi Schram told The Seattle Times her husband had collapsed in November 2013 and was hospitalized with kidney failure. She said recently that he had been taken to EvergreenHealth’s hospice care in Kirkland.
“Ultimately, every system in his body failed,” she said.
Schram received numerous Emmy Awards for his work and helped the station win a Peabody Award.
