Veteran TV reporter-anchor Steve Saunders will leave KMGH-Channel 7 when his contract expires this summer, the latest in the ongoing exodus of trusted broadcast journalists from local media outlets.
Saunders will sign off Aug. 15.
“I’m excited to think there are some new things out there,” Saunders said. “I have a lot to offer beyond TV news.”
Highlights of his tenure include the Democratic National Convention, where his experience in political coverage was on display, and his time as a White House correspondent for ABC NewsOne.
“I’m proud of what we did at Columbine,” he said regarding the breaking news coverage of the tragedy.
A native Coloradan, Saunders has been a fixture at KMGH the past 11 years. Previously he was regional correspondent for NewsOne, covering the Oklahoma City bombing trials and the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation for affiliates nationally. Saunders worked at a station in Pocatello, Idaho, before joining KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs. He served as reporter-anchor on KWGN-Channel 2 for eight years.
He is an example of the longtime local broadcasters whose institutional memories are being sacrificed at a time of immense change in the industry.
Jeff Harris, KMGH news director, declined to discuss the station’s reasons for not extending Saunders’ contract, saying, “I don’t want to make public comments about these difficult personnel decisions.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
