If viewers of St.Louis CBS affiliate KMOV have been wondering what happened to anchor Larry Conners, they can wonder no more.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Conners has been out of action after a second rotator cuff surgery. He posted the slow progress of his recovery on facebook last week saying,

Pain meds not working again but think infection is improving. Seeing doctor tomorrow. Still hoping [t]o be back on air soon. As always thanks for prayers and don’t forget those much worse off. Read more

KMOV will begin airing a Saturday morning news show beginning tomorrow.

Sean McLaughlin, executive news director for the St. Louis CBS affiliate, told the Post-Dispatch, “We started the KMOV Sunday Morning News in September. Saturday mornings is the next logical step.”

Diana Zoga and Meteorologist Kristen Cornett will anchor the show which airs from 5 to 6 a.m. and again from 7 to 8 a.m.

Maggie Crane will be leaving St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV at the end of the month to work as the press secretary for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.

“When the mayor’s office approached me, it became a hard opportunity to pass up,” Crane told TVSpy. “I absolutely love [TV] news.  It has afforded me many wonderful opportunities, and I will certainly miss it.  But, I look forward to lending my voice to the inside workings of the city I love and call home.”

Crane, who started working at KMOV in 2009, began her TV News career at KQTV in St. Joseph, MO, before moving to WINK in Fort Myers, FL.

“We really admire her work,” Jeff Rainford, the Mayor’s chief of staff told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “She’ll be a great addition.”

[Jake's DTV Blog]

Vickie Newton, a former anchor at KMOV in St. Louis, is speaking out about her five-year battle with a cyberstalker. Newton describes the harassment in The Village Celebration, an online magazine which she founded:

“I don’t know who is stalking me and I don’t know what the end game is,” said Newton. “Recently, some of the postings have included key words that describe rooms in my home, family members names are included and so the level of the threat is more aggressive.”

Newton has described her situation as “mind-boggling” – she hid her computer, but her computer case is missing; the stalker has described the “sterling silver picture frames in her master suite;” and the alarm at her Arkansas lake house was going off while she was in St. Louis at early hours in the morning, but no one was ever found.

Newton signed off from KMOV in July, hoping her relocation would deter her stalker, but she says it has only intensified. She said she has installed new security systems and changed her locks, as well as contacting the authorities about the harassment, but it has continued. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

KMOV has announced Katie Horner will join the St. Louis CBS affiliate on January 7.

“I have spent 17 years studying, forecasting and helping people through every aspect of Missouri weather from ice storms, heat waves, floods and tornadoes,” Horner said. “It’s an honor to join KMOV’s team of dedicated, skilled meteorologists led by Steve Templeton.”

Over the summer, Horner announced she was leaving Kansas City’s KCTV to spend more time with her daughters. When she left the station last month, she said, “I still don’t know what I’m going to do when I leave KCTV 5.”

“There are few people who have the credentials Katie will bring to News 4,” said Sean McLaughlin, executive news director at KMOV. “She is a severe weather expert and will bolster our already strong weather team.”

Horner will forecast the weather on the Noon and 5 p.m. newscasts.

Brittany Noble is returning home to St. Louis as she joins CBS affiliate KMOV as a reporter.

Since September 2011, Noble has reported for the morning newscast at WEYI, the NBC affiliate in Saginaw, Mich. Her first day at KMOV will be January 7.

Noble has also worked at WBBJ in Jackson, Tenn., as a reporter and anchor. She began her career working as a producer at KAIT in Jonesboro, Ark. while she pursued a master’s degree in journalism at Arkansas State University.

Mike Bush has signed a new multi-year contract with KSDK, the NBC affiliate in St. Louis.

Bush has worked at KSDK for 28 years, moving from sports director to news anchor in 2003. He currently anchors the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts alongside Kay Quinn and the 10 p.m. newscast solo.

“Mike Bush is more than just the face of our station,” GM Lynn Beall said in a statement announcing the news. “He’s also a proud and caring father; an innovative leader; a concerned advocate for our community, and a dedicated journalist.” Read more

After six years at WHDH, morning anchor Anne Allred is saying goodbye to the Boston NBC affiliate.

“The last five and a half years working with Anne have been wonderful,” Adam Williams said as he introduced a tribute to Allred Friday (video above). “Anne’s going to be heading back to St Louis to work for the NBC station out there, to be closer to family and loved ones.” Read more

Jasmine Huda, anchor and reporter for St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV, has signed a new three year deal with the station.

“The new contract reflects my commitment to the station and my hometown of St. Louis,”  Huda told TVSpy.  “Perhaps the only person more excited than I am is my mother.  She makes a point to watch me at 5 p.m. every day. And she loves it when I wear her jewelry!”

Before starting at KMOV two years ago, Huda worked at KSDK, also in St. Louis, and KSPR in Springfield, MO.

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Wednesday’s Cardinals game against the San Francisco Giants along with severe weather in the St. Louis area prompted the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to weigh in on how local TV stations juggle alerting viewers to storms without obstructing the game.  According to the St. Louis paper, KTVI, the St. Louis FOX affiliate, set the tone for what they’d like to see in the future.  You can watch a sample of the coverage after the jump.

Storms were in the forecast when the pregame show aired, and weather info appeared on the screen. But when play began, KTVI soon removed the weather graphics and inserted them only briefly during the early stages of the telecast.

The Post-Dispatch liked the restraint shown by KTVI, allowing viewers to watch the game while keeping them up-to-date on the changing weather without overdoing it, something the paper doesn’t seem to think other stations handle as well during sporting events.

When severe storms are in the area, the trend on local TV has become to plaster a map on the screen, accompanied by text scrolling across the bottom of the picture to dispense warning information.  These bells and whistles aren’t overly intrusive for general programming but are exasperating for those watching sports because athletics telecasts have much more information displayed than do mainstream shows. Read more