Northwest Afternoon (also known at times as NWA) was a local television talk show in the United States. It aired weekdays at 3PM in the Puget Sound area of Washington. It was produced locally by Seattle TV station KOMO-TV Channel 4, and debuted in September 1984. The series ended its run on September 5, 2008 after a run of nearly 24 years. Format The show's format, unchanged since its debut, began with a 15-minute daily recap of soap opera serials aired that day, with the last 45 minutes being a talk/variety-type show. In the latter portion of the show, subjects could vary from show to show. In one show, a famous TV, movie, or newsmaking celebrity may make an appearance as a special guest (usually discussing their latest work, etc.), while the very next day could focus on a guest who has survived against all odds. The show originated from Studio C of KOMO-TV's old building until it was demolished to make way for Fisher Plaza in 2000. On June 10, 2008 KOMO-TV announced that Northwest Afternoon was cancelled because of increased competition against first-run syndicated fare from Dr. Phil on KING-TV, Rachael Ray on KIRO-TV, and Maury on KCPQ. These shows had made inroads into Northwest Afternoon's once-comfortable ratings, making it difficult for station management to continue producing the show. The stunning announcement came after the series won a local Emmy. A 24-year retrospective send-off was aired on September 4, 2008, with the last show airing on September 5. The show was replaced by The Doctors, a syndicated show that premiered on September 8, 2008. Hosts The original hosts of the show were Dick Foley and Dana Middleton, with the soap-opera recap portion of the show hosted by Cindi Rinehart. Dana Middleton left in 1992 to pursue other interests. Middleton's replacement was Elisa Jaffe, a reporter and morning news anchor for KOMO News who had also launched "Morning Express", the station's first hour-long morning newscast in 1987. Dick Foley departed in 1996, and was replaced by KPLZ radio host Kent Phillips (who had been filling in on occasion for Rinehart for a few years prior). The main portion of the program was most recently hosted by Kent Phillips, with rebroadcasts of segments co-hosted by Natasha Curry (who joined Northwest Afternoon in 2007), and KOMO News reporter Rachelle Murcia. Scoop on the Soaps Scoop on the Soaps was the opening