And KTVZ came really late in the game - 1977 in fact. Bend was just considered part of the Portland market and cable brought TV to Bend.
Yes, our newscasts in Yakima have ranged from decent to laughable over the years. But one thing that stood out from Seattle and big cities was the approach of the word 'community.' They used to serve the whole community, not just report from whichever town had a fatal shooting overnight. Community events were announced on the air and during newscasts (and in some cases, still are). And not just big events like the fair or 4th of July fireworks. In fact, some of those major events, like the Sunfair Parade (part of the Central Washington State Fair), were broadcast live on KIMA each year. Seattle stations did the same thing, but they served a massive audience of (potentially) a couple million. We serve a potential audience of roughly 225,000. Close-knit, in other terms.
But those days are (mostly) over. They keep trying from Tri-Cities but like everywhere, the audience has dwindled down and gone to social media/streaming for news. I keep wondering when KIMA will just hang up shop and send everyone down to Pasco. It can't be THAT far away at this point, sadly.