Up Front: Havens brings his show to Tribune platforms

He needs no introduction in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, but let’s give him one anyway.

He was a radio personality, ran a dating service, directed the chamber of commerce, was the weatherman at the town’s TV station and has probably gotten the party started as the DJ at a wedding you’ve been to if you’ve lived in the area for any length of time.

He is Keith Havens, and he’s been a well-known valley denizen for more than four decades.

But here’s a new line on his resume: Starting this week, he’s joining forces with the Lewiston Tribune.

“Keith’s Big Fish and Outdoor Trophies,” a 2- to-4-minute program Havens rolled out on Facebook at the start of 2025, will be available on Tribune platforms starting Monday. There will be a new episode six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and you’ll be able to watch them for free on the Tribune’s Facebook and YouTube pages, and at lmtribune.com.

Havens’ show gives residents of the region a venue to show off pictures of the lunker fish they caught, the big buck they bagged or the pretty sunset they witnessed. Anyone can send Havens a photo they’d like to share on his program at keithsbigfish@gmail.com.

Longtime viewers of KLEW are probably well aware of the original version of the show, called just “Keith’s Big Fish,” which was part the station’s news broadcast for more than a decade. Havens said the feature was suggested by Nate Kuester, a former KLEW news director, and it quickly became a staple of the broadcast.

Havens left KLEW in June 2023, along with news anchor/news director Anna Velasquez, and the production of the station’s news broadcast was soon moved to Boise, where it remains.

Not long after departing KLEW, Havens started thinking about reviving “Keith’s Big Fish.” He was concerned that the name belonged to KLEW, so an attorney friend, Shane L. Andrews, suggested he call it “Keith’s Outdoor Trophies.” KLEW eventually gave Havens permission to use the original title, but he decided to meld both options, which summed up the wider scope of the new program.

Havens said the idea sounded “cute” when Kuester pitched it to him in the early 2010s, but he’s been surprised by its staying power. He’s heard people yell “Keith’s Big Fish!” to him when he’s walking down the street.

We at the Tribune are happy to have formed this partnership with Havens. His show nicely features perhaps the best aspect of the Inland Northwest — its varied flora, fauna and natural beauty — and it’s a wholesome reprieve from the more caustic parts of our online world. Please check it out starting Monday at bit.ly/4bpUyzD.

And who knows? We are also considering more projects we can work on with Havens in the months to come.

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Havens’ show isn’t the only newish online feature the Tribune has to offer.

Our weekly Lewiston Tribune Podcast debuted in September, and we’ve been working to gradually improve the production quality since then. It became a video podcast three weeks ago, thanks to the efforts of Trib Online Editor Trevan Pixley.

We have 24 episodes so far, ranging from a lookback at Bengal Field, an update on the Bryan Kohberger case, a chat about offbeat crimes in Asotin County, a discussion about businesses that have opened or closed in the region, and this weekend, a review of the latest developments in the Idaho Legislature.

All episodes are available at lmtribune.com and the Tribune’s YouTube page. And within the last few days, we’ve also posted them on several podcast apps — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora ... you name it. Just search for “Lewiston Tribune Podcast.”

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Of course, our bread-and-butter method for delivering news remains written stories, and readers will notice a few changes among our bylines in the coming weeks.

We recently welcomed a new sports writer, Trevor Junt, who is our long-sought replacement on the staff for Randy Isbelle. Junt has covered a few things for us from his residence in the Tri-Cities, and he’ll soon join us in person. He is a 2023 graduate of Washington State University and also has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Illinois.

We are also wishing farewell to reporter Kaylee Brewster, who has covered cops and courts in Nez Perce County and K-12 education for the Trib in recent years. Brewster, a Lewiston native, is a homegrown journalist, having started with the paper in 2014 as a news clerk, then moving to a page-design position before becoming a reporter in 2021.

Brewster’s last official day was Friday; she is leaving to become a clerk at the Nez Perce County Courthouse on Monday. We will miss her trial coverage and occasional heartwarming dog stories, not to mention the scrumptious homemade goodies she would bring to the office.

We are seeking a new reporter to replace Brewster, and hope to have them in place in the next few months.

Baney is the managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News. He can be reached at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251.