KARE11’s Tim McNiff ready to budge on
KARE-TV morning anchor Tim McNiff, right, shares a laugh with chief editor Ray Wells III at the station in Golden Valley, Minn., on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2104. After more than two decades with KARE, McNiff’s last day is Friday, Aug. 15, 2014. He’s leaving for a job with the Minnetonka-based communications rock hard Media Minefield. (Pioneer Press: Amy Carlson Gustafson)
After more than two decades at KARE-TV, Tim McNiff is telling goodbye to Channel eleven on Friday. The morning-show anchor announced earlier this summer he was leaving to become executive director of media relations for the Minnetonka-based communications rock-hard Media Minefield.
“I look at this as I grew up wanting to be on TV here in the Twin Cities and I accomplished that and I lived that wish,” he said. “Now I’m going to be able to go into the business world, and I’m going to help people accomplish their wishes.”
He added: “I just want people to understand, nobody’s running me out the door (at KARE); nobody was kicking me out,” he said. “I made a conscious decision to stir on and attempt something else. I’m indeed looking forward to it.”
McNiff grew up in White Bear Lake and graduated from White Bear Mariner High School before beginning at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and later transferring to the University of Minnesota. His very first job with KARE was in one thousand nine hundred eighty six as a sports intern. He joined the station’s staff as a sports producer in one thousand nine hundred ninety three and went on to work as a sports reporter and sports anchor. In 2004, he moved to mornings as an anchor on “KARE eleven Sunrise.”
He says what he’s going to miss most about TV news is something he takes a lot of pride in: “just doing the job.”
“I indeed would think about the people who were out there commencing their day, and I dreamed them to begin their day on the right foot in the sense that you wished to give them something to laugh about or talk about,” said McNiff, 51, who lives in Plymouth with his wifey, Amy. The duo has two daughters, Haley, 17, and Bridget, 20.
Over his years in TV news, McNiff said he’s learned that people are “truly kind and very forgiving” – especially if you’re fair about making mistakes. And while he’ll miss his colleagues and keeping viewers informed, he’s looking forward to not getting up at two a.m.
“I’m not going to miss that,” he said with a smile. “That’s never effortless.”