It's been a brutal year for local television news anchors.

Yesterday's news that KITV anchor and reporter Gary Sprinkle was leaving at the end of the year comes on the heels of the KHNL-KGMB9 newsroom merger in which several high profile anchors and on-air talent were let go. (See:)

In what some news executives have described as the worst-ever television ad slump in the local market, a collective 115 years of experience is walking out the door with the loss of these journalists.

But not all of the personnel changes are due to the weak economy. KGMB's Stacy Loe, whose last day is today, is leaving the station to spend more time as a mother.

I've come to respect many of these anchors as competitors and colleagues and I know their presence will be missed not only by their stations but also by their viewers.