Gaard Swanson is set to join WKMG’s 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on Thursday and his future co-anchor Lauren Rowe is thrilled.
Rowe, who has been with the Orlando CBS-affiliate for ten years, was in awe of Swanson when the two read together during his audition.
“It was very exciting to sit next to someone I found fascinating personally,” she told the Orlando Sentinel:
Gaard’s depth was immediately apparent. It won’t take long for people to know that this guy has leadership, skills, intelligence. We can’t have enough leaders in that newsroom. We all need to innovate.
Swanson comes to WKMG from Seattle’s KIRO, where he served as sports director for eight years. In addition to his job at KIRO, Swanson has worked as a host for HGTV, appearing on the network’s popular series “Generation Renovation.”