Mercer Island High school graduate Meeghan Black, the female face of KING 5 Television’s “Gardening with Ciscoe” and morning traffic report, debuts tonight as the new host of “Evening Magazine.” Black, who has worked for KING 5 since 2000, said she is thrilled to fill the shoes of longtime host John Curley, who retired from the position last spring.

“I’m so excited to settle in and have fun. I’m extremely passionate about the Pacific Northwest, having been born and grown up here. Literally, I get paid to have fun and explore the area I grew up in,” Black said.

The news anchor said she will continue to appear on “Gardening with Cisco,” although she will be leaving the KING 5 Morning News traffic desk. Although she much enjoyed covering traffic, Black said she will not miss the early hours.

“Mostly, I’m looking forward to sleep. I’ve been getting up at 3:45 every morning,” she said.

As host of “Evening Magazine,” Black will help shoot the show, which airs at 7 p.m. five nights a week, during the day. This new schedule will also allow Black to spend more time with her 5-year-old daughter, she said.

Black has been a guest host on the popular KING 5 program for several years. An award-winning anchor herself, Black surpassed TV journalists from across the nation in KING 5’s search for a Curley replacement. The news was announced late last month.

“We’re excited to have a Western Washington native hosting ‘Evening Magazine,’” said Pat Costello, KING 5 vice president and station manager. “Meeghan is passionate about the Northwest, and she’s a wonderful storyteller — and that’s what ‘Evening Magazine’ is all about.”

Black started with KING 5 in 2000 as a weekend weather anchor, moving to weekday mornings as the traffic anchor in 2006. Yet her path to TV journalism began as a student at Mercer Island High School. It was there that she first fell in love with public speaking.

“I was active in debate, and I won a tournament event called Editorial Comment at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. KIRO broadcast the top three winners. I read my script once into the teleprompter and everyone went, ‘Oh my God.’ Ever since then, I wanted to work in TV news,” she said.

This dream quickly became a reality. Black studied communications and political science at the University of Washington with much success. After graduating, she was offered a job as weekend anchor and reporter for KIFI TV in Pocatello, Idaho. And that is where her career took off.

Although her mother no longer lives on Mercer Island, Black visits often, including Luther Burbank Park with her daughter or stopping by QFC on her I-90 commute home from work. And she cherishes fond memories of growing up on “the rock.”

“As a child, what I loved is that my sister and I would walk down to the center on Saturdays, go to Looks Pharmacy and buy a bag full of candy,” the TV anchor recalled. “You always felt safe. You basically knew everybody.”

Black also has a deep appreciation for the education she received on Mercer Island. Were it not for the teachers she had growing up, the “Evening Magazine” host said she would not have come so far in her career.

“They played such a huge role in giving me confidence and building me up to step out and do things,” Black said. “Mary Lindquist, my debate coach, was one of the most instrumental people in guiding me at that time. Without that experience, I just can’t imagine where I would have steered my life.”

Black’s first night as ‘Evening Magazine’ host is tonight at 7 p.m. on KING 5.