KOLN/KGIN TV (Ch. 10/11) wishes to announce its new morning anchor team: Jon and Taryn Vanderford. Jon Vanderford, who has co-anchored Ch. 10/11’s evening newscasts since 2003, made the announcement Sunday night that he and his wife will anchor the weekday 5:00-7:00am newscasts beginning Monday, February 15th.

“This is a unique opportunity to sit behind the desk with my wife and give the news of the day to our fellow Nebraskans,” said Jon. “Ever since Taryn and I were in college at UNL, we thought it would be fun to anchor together. Now, we are getting that chance.”

Pender native Taryn Vanderford has Nebraska roots and a strong broadcasting background. As a student at UNL, Taryn began a career in radio, which grew to include KFRX, 96KX, Knoxville stations WIVK and WOKI. She currently hosts “Design Time”, an interior design show which airs Fridays and Saturdays on KFOR. Taryn also served as a producer, writer and researcher on many television shows including “America’s Castles” on A&E, “Country at Home”, “Country Style” and “Restore America” on HGTV, and “Weekend Decorating” and “DIY Basics” on the DIY Network. Taryn returned to UNL as an adjunct journalism professor in 2005, and has done various freelance work as on-air or voice-over talent. She and Jon have two children, Jacob and Olivia.

“We are looking forward to bringing viewers the best, most complete news of the day,” Jon said. “Whether they are going to work, or getting the kids ready for school, we will be there to get their day started off right. This shift change also means my wife and I can look forward to more family time with our kids, which is very important to us. I guess I need to start preparing myself for a honey-do list at home...and at work!"

“Jon & Taryn bring several strong attributes together to best serve our viewers,” said Ch. 10/11 News Director Jerry Howard. “They share an understanding of Nebraskans, as well as a working knowledge of news coverage. They care about viewers, and they care about each other. I believe our audience will experience a special connection with this husband-wife team who is strongly committed to serving the best interests of our audience. For example, they know the priorities of working parents because they are working parents; they’re just working together now. I know that they bring out the best in each other.”

Jon and Taryn replace David Jespersen and Alicia Myers, who will now lead Ch. 10/11’s new in-depth reporting team. Meteorologist Brad Anderson will continue as the morning weather anchor.

“We’re bringing true journalism to the forefront,” Howard said of the in-depth team. “As a newsroom, we must dedicate the time and staff to research to get the answers which our viewers need. 10/11 will stand as the watchdog for Nebraskans.”

Another press release addressing changes to Ch. 10/11’s evening newscasts is forthcoming.

More information about Gray Television:

Gray Television, Inc. is a television broadcast company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Gray currently operates 36 television stations serving 30 markets. Each of the stations are affiliated with either CBS (17 stations), NBC (10 stations), ABC (8 stations) or FOX (1 station). In addition, Gray currently operates 36 digital second channels including 1 ABC, 5 Fox, 7 CW and 15 MyNetworkTV affiliates plus 6 local news/weather channels and 2 “independent” channels in certain of its existing markets. Gray intends to start an additional 4 digital second channels during 2007 including 1 CW affiliate, 1 MyNetworkTV affiliate and 2 local news/weather channels.