New anchors among many changes slated for KSPR

Bill Perkin of Springfield-based Perkin Media officially acquired the Federal Communications Commission license for KSPR, and KY3 Inc. acquired the station’s “hard assets,” including employee contracts, equipment and its building at 1359 St. Louis St. All aspects of KSPR were purchased from Charlotte, N.C.-based Piedmont Television Holdings.

Perkin Media and KY3 have operated KSPR since October under an agreement with Piedmont Television. Perkin Media contracts with KY3 to produce newscasts.

While there are many behind-the-scenes changes, the most apparent changes will be a name change from Springfield 33 to the station’s longtime call letters, KSPR; the changing of the Web site to www.kspr.com from www.springfield33.com; a new logo; a new studio set; new graphics; the addition of husband-and-wife team Joe and Christine Daues as anchors on Sept. 9; the addition of Kevin Lighty from WKYT, the CBS affiliate in Lexington, Ky., as chief meteorologist; and the promotion of Whitney Scott, current sports reporter and anchor, as sports director.

“We think TV news has become kind of generic,” said Joe Daues, who said they plan to deliver news with more analysis. “What we want to do is … go completely out of the box.”

See SBJ’s Aug. 27 issue for more on the upcoming changes at KSPR.