Matt Templeman and Renee McCullough are joining KEZI, the ABC affiliate in Eugene, Ore., as evening co-anchors, The Register-Guard reports.
The pair, who have worked together for more than a decade, was laid off by rival KMTR, the NBC affiliate in Eugene. The station was acquired by Fisher Communications, which will operate KMTR and CBS affiliate KVAL as a duopoly.
“It’s my last night on KMTR and I’m saying goodbye tonight,” Templeman wrote on Facebook Thursday. “Don’t expect some lengthy, tearful ‘see you later…it’s not necessary, and I’m staying in the community.”
Mark Hatfield, vice president of news and programming for KEZI parent company Chambers Communications, told The Register-Guard that Templeman and McCullough are “outstanding news anchors.”
“There have been a lot of changes in this market recently, and we just want viewers to know that KEZI 9 News is, and will continue to be, committed to delivering the best local news, weather, and sports coverage anywhere in Western Oregon,” Hatfield said. “We’ve been connected to this community for over fifty years, and Matt and Renee will be a big part of the KEZI 9 News family moving forward.”
No word on what will happen to Brian Richardson and Jennifer Richardson, the husband-and-wife duo who currently anchor the evening newscasts. Templeman and McCullough are set to take over at the anchor desk beginning June 27.
>Update: The Richardsons will continue to anchor the 11 p.m. newscast in addition to providing live reports and breaking news coverage to the earlier evening newscasts. KEZI tells TVSpy the pair remains “an important part of the KEZI 9 News team, and their journalistic talents will continue to provide outstanding local news coverage to our viewers.”