Stephen James Kmetko | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1953 |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcast news anchor, Broadcast journalist, Entertainment journalist |
Stephen James Kmetko (born February 16, 1953) is an American broadcast and entertainment journalist. First working as a news anchor and reporter in the US midwest, Kmetko moved to Los Angeles, California and embarked on a 30-year career as an entertainment journalist and television news show host.
Kmetko came out as gay in 1999, becoming one of the first prominent openly gay journalists in America.[1]
Kmetko was born in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] the fifth of Rev. Andrew and Alice Gladys (née Newman) Kmetko's five children.[2] Kmetko graduated from William Howard Taft High School in Chicago, Illinois in 1970.[3] Kmetko graduated in 1976 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia College Chicago.
Kmetko created his broadcast reporting career. "My first job was in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. I was visiting some friends there on vacation." After watching the local news team, Kmetko says he called the station, and insisted he could do a better job. "They sat me down in front of a camera and told me to read. A week later the station hired him.[3]
Moving on, Kmetko became a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for WAVE TV in Louisville, Kentucky and WOTV (now WOOD-TV) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[4]
In 1982, Kmetko was hired as a general assignment reporter by CBS's Los Angeles affiliate KCBS, later moving to a four day a week schedule as entertainment reporter at that station.
Kmetko said he greatly enjoyed entertainment reporting. "Fortunately for me, entertainers do not remain in Los Angeles. They film movies and attend film festivals around the world. I have had the opportunity to travel to some wonderful places."[4]
In September 1986, Kmetko was the anchor of The Rock `N Roll Evening News, a "pop music-oriented show" created and written by producer Andy Friendly for King World Productions. Friendly had created Entertainment Tonight.[3]
Kmetko also covered entertainment for CBS This Morning and hosted the syndicated entertainment program Studio 22.[4]
In 1994, Kmetko was hired as co-anchor of the entertainment shows E! News Daily and E! News Weekend where he covered the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Cannes Film Festival and other high-profile events.[5] He "interviewed everyone who was anyone in Hollywood".[6] Kmetko also anchored the E! Entertainment Report, which was fed daily to NBC affiliates nationally.[4] In 1997, "E! News Daily" expanded from a half-hour to an hour of entertainment news. E! doubled its production staff in Los Angeles and opened a satellite bureau in New York.[7]
Kmetko hosted the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's Excellence in Journalism Awards on October 4. 2005, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California.
In 2006, Kmetko was hired as the anchor, producer and writer of Q Television Network World News.
In May 2007, Kmetko was hired as a general assignment reporter for Los Angeles's KTTV Fox 11 News.
Kmetko has served as producer and reporter of several video segments on California's gay-marriage ruling for theadvocate.com, the website of the gay news magazine The Advocate.
For years, Kmetko avoided discussing his private life in interviews. In 1999, however, he was interviewed by The Advocate magazine's Editor-in-Chief Judy Wieder. Kmetko discussed his past closeted life and how he had decided to be open about his being gay. His reason:
"It's about what happened to Matthew Shepard. I think - as someone who has a fairly high profile and someone whom people have seen on TV for more than 20 years now - by making this simple statement, maybe people will think twice about other gay people they encounter. Hopefully they'll look at me and say, 'Well, he's succeeded and he's got a pretty good life and he's not out to hurt anybody".[1][8]
When asked about the process of "coming out", Kmetko said:
"People talk about coming out, but I just don't think there is such a thing. I think it's a process that takes many, many years and takes many forms for different people. Today, thank God, for a younger generation of gay people, it's much easier than it was–and is–for me."[1]
Kmetko is an actor, known for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Zoolander (2001) and Dave (1993).
1988 • Los Angeles Press Club Award for Best Entertainment Reporting.[4]