KXLY Spokane Adds Kirstin O’Connor

KXLY announces: 4 News Now ushers in a new era in evening news, welcoming veteran anchor Kirstin O’Connor to the team.

O’Connor will anchor 4 News Now at 5, 6 and 11 with Aaron Luna and Kris Crocker. She’ll also report on issues impacting local families on tv and on KXLY’s digital platforms.

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

O’Connor has spent the last several years anchoring morning news at WKMG in Orlando, Florida. Before that, she was an anchor and reporter in Medford, Oregon.

Even though O’Connor grew up mostly in California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego, moving to the Inland Northwest is a homecoming for her, her husband Connor Giampietri and their 18-month old daughter Gwyneth.

Giampietri grew up in Spokane and graduated from North Central High School and Washington State University.

O’Connor’s on-air career began in the Pacific Northwest and she’s familiar with the issues that matter to people here.

“My time reporting in Medford, Oregon was mostly spent covering wildfires. Then in Orlando, Florida every summer was hurricane season,” O’Connor said. “I am thankful for our first responders this time of year who are working to keep us safe during fire season. My husband’s father, John Giampietri, is a retired fireman who spent 33 years with Spokane Valley Fire.”