KY3 and KSPR send staff to Virginia station that saw journalists killed

Two Springfield television stations are sending staff members to the Roanoke, Virginia, television station that saw two of its journalists killed Wednesday morning.

KY3 anchor Steve Grant, KY3 reporter Eric Hilt and KSPR news director Bridget Lovelle will assist WDBJ in its daily news coverage, KY3 president and general manager Brian McDonough told the News-Leader in an email Wednesday afternoon.

WDBJ and KY3 are both owned by Indiana-based Schurz Communications, which states on its website that it owns 10 television stations and 19 newspapers, along with other properties. KSPR is owned by Perkin Media but operated by Schurz under a shared services agreement.

WDBJ journalists Alison Parker, 24, and Adam Ward, 27, were killed in a shooting that took place about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday at a shopping center on Smith Mountain Lake, about 35 miles from Roanoke. The shooting happened while the team was broadcasting a live interview with a local chamber of commerce official.

The suspect — Vester Flanagan, 41 — died at a hospital Wednesday afternoon of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to authorities. He was a former reporter at the station.

“Thoughts and prayers with our colleagues at @WDBJ7. Absolutely sickening news. We’re heading out to Roanoke to help them after the tragedy,” Hilt posted on Twitter Wednesday morning.

Grant also posted on his Facebook page that he was headed to “help our brothers and sisters” at WDBJ.

“I know you are already praying for them,” he wrote.

McDonough said he was not sure how long Grant, Hilt and Lovelle would be in Virginia, but “we believe it will be for several days.”

Schurz Communications CEO Todd Schurz issued the following statement Wednesday: “We are heartbroken at the tragic and senseless loss of reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward. At the time of their murders, they were involved in the most important aspect of journalism — telling the stories important to their local communities. Our focus now is to comfort their families and loved ones and to assist law enforcement in their investigation.”