Samantha Smerechniak and Karsen Buschjost have both left ABC Big 2 News KMID Odessa/Midland.
UPDATE MAY 2023
Garrett Hottle joins KMID Big 2 News Odessa as evening anchor
Smerechniak was the "Good Morning Basin" anchor on KMID and KPEJ FOX 24 News. Buschjost was the KMID weeknight evening anchor with Madalyn Bierster on the station's 5, 6 and 10pm newscasts.
"I wanted to say thank you to all the loyal viewers who let me into their home each morning," Smerechniak posted to Facebook. "I feel so honored to have started the day off with so many of you, and I’ll definitely miss the town where I began my anchoring career. This isn’t a goodbye but a see you later west Texas! Thanks for all the amazing memories and lifelong connections."
"West Texas will always have a special place in my heart (especially the tacos at Taqueria Reynosa)," Buschjost posted on Facebook. "Thank you to everyone who watched our newscasts and came up and said hi to me while I was out and about. I’m thankful for my amazing coworkers, especially Madalyn Bierster who was a phenomenal coanchor and friend. For now you can catch me in San Diego where I’m pursuing different opportunities in life."
Buschjost joined KMID in January 2021. Smerechniak joined the sation in March 2021. Both anchors came from KRNV News 4 Reno, Nevada.
Smerechniak is from Queens, NY, attended the "Fame" school - Fiorello H. Laguardia High School and graduated from Boston University. She interned with 7 News WHDH Boston and CBS News London.
Buschjost graduated from Colorado State University and earned his master's degree from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. He interned with KDVR Denver and News 4 San Antonio WOAI.
Now I am no TMZ, but I think it's safe to say these two are a couple or at least have been. The photos on Smerechniak's Instagram of the duo anchors holding hands on vacation and kissing kind of clue us in I guess. Plus when Smerechniak posted about her KMID hiring, she added "And even more excited about the cute evening anchor I’ve got my eyes on at the station @karsenbuschjost."
I contacted Smerechniak on social for verification, but never heard back.
Stay tuned for what is next...
