Veteran television news anchor Kirstin O’Connor joins KXLY

Spokane’s ABC affiliate KXLY has hired veteran television news anchor Kirstin O’Connor.

O’Connor will anchor 4 News Now at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. with Aaron Luna and Kris Crocker, according to a news release.

“KXLY has such a talented newsroom of journalists with decades of experience in the region,” O’Connor said in a statement. “Their commitment to excellence and the camaraderie they share in every newscast is what drew me to this team.”

Prior to joining KXLY, O’Connor spent the last several years as a morning news anchor at WKMG in Orlando, Florida.

O’Connor mostly grew up in California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego.

However, moving to the Inland Northwest is a homecoming for O’Connor, her husband Connor Giampietri and their 18-month-old daughter Gwyneth.

“The Northwest is a place where our family has deep roots,” O’Connor said. “This is where we want to watch our daughter grow up. It’s an honor to get that phone call from across the country and be welcomed back home.”

Giampietri grew up in Spokane and graduated from North Central High School and Washington State University. O’Connor’s on-air career began in Medford, Oregon, providing familiarity with issues that matter to Pacific Northwest residents.

“My time reporting in Medford, Oregon, was mostly spent covering wildfires. Then in Orlando, Florida, every summer was hurricane season,” O’Connor said. “My husband’s father, John Giampietri, is a retired fireman who spent 33 years with Spokane Valley Fire.”

O’Connor joins a team that most recently won the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence, according to ther elease. . The station was pleased to bring her to the team, said Melissa Luck, news director for 4 News Now, in a statement.

“We’re thrilled to have an anchor with a strong local connection and a support system in place for her and her family,” Luck said.

O’Connor will make her on-air debut with 4 News Now on Aug. 22.