Mitchell: Toni Valliere just as nice in person as she seems on TV

With a special package on the 6 p.m. newscast tonight, KSN and the four-state area said goodbye to anchor Toni Valliere, who has been on the evening newscasts since 2008 and with the station since 2004.

Her replacement, Phillip Mitchell, is one of those rarities on a local television station, someone who grew up right here in Joplin.

While Mitchell, who has been the host of KSN's morning show, has worked his way into the prime news slot, he still hates to see Ms. Valliere go. On his Facebook page earlier today, he wrote the following:

Toni has been a great asset to the four state area over the last nine years. While a bigger market and new possibilities are in her near future, I can't help but be thankful for the past 6 years I enjoyed spending with her at KSN. She is just as nice as she seems on TV, she’s a true professional, and she taught me a great deal about the TV news business. So as we all say goodbye tonight I want to thank her for everything she did for me, the station, and for the four states. Congratulations, Toni you deserve it!