KY3, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, Mo., has several anchor changes lined up for the new year.
Longtime anchor Maria Neider (right) will be moving from mornings to evenings. She’ll leave Ozarks Today and start anchoring the 9 and 10 p.m. shows. Veteran anchor Lisa Rose (left) will co-anchor the 6 p.m. newscast with Steve Grant and will also begin co-anchoring the noon edition.
The station is also hiring new talent: Jackie Garrity will join the team in January.
All of these changes, in addition to the moving of sports director Chad Plein to morning anchor in November, come after husband and wife Sara and Ethan Forhetz shift to non-news roles at the Christian non-profit Convoy of Hope.
“We will miss Ethan and Sara Forhetz and the long-time commitment they’ve had to journalism in the Ozarks,” said news director Bridget Lovelle. “But we are very excited about the changes and new opportunities for other anchors here at KY3. We are moving forward with a solid anchor leadership team our viewers already know and love. Maria, Chad and Paul have worked here for more than 15 years each. They love living and serving the Ozarks community and want to try something new. Steve and Lisa will continue our news excellence at noon and 6 p.m. We are also adding an experienced anchor to our morning newscast who has the same commitment to community service KY3 does.”
“I’m so delighted about this move to co-anchor the noon and 6 p.m. newscasts,” said Rose. “Steve and I are like family. My husband, Randy, and I are going to love having our evenings together again. I’m always excited about change, because it usually brings growth. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for us next.”
Rose has worked at KY3 for more than 36 years. She grew up in the Ozarks and graduated from local schools.
Neider will move to the evening show after more than 15 years on the mornings.