Lee Valsvik, the I’ll-try-anything reporter for “KARE 11 Saturday” for 26 years, has left the morning team.
Valsvik, who was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame last year, will continue her gig at KOOL108, playing the best of the ‘80s and ‘90s from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays.
The veteran broadcaster was saluted on the KARE show Saturday with a five-minute collection of snippets from her field reports, showing off her willingness to try everything from swinging on a trapeze to wrapping a snake around her neck. It kicked off with her most buzzed about bit: A 2013 piece about the Vikings-Packers rivalry in which she was accidentally knocked off her feet.
Host Belinda Jensen ended the emotional segment by presenting Valsvik with personalized memorabilia from the Minnesota Wild.
“There is no one that does live reporting like Lee,” Jensen said Sunday in an email. “It is not just my opinion. So many people have said that to me. She brings events to life and brings the audience along to experience them like they were right there with her.”
The role of weekend features reporter will be filled by Samie Solina, who has been with the station since 2022.
Valsvik talked about her TV career Sunday in a phone interview.
Q: Why was now the right time to step back?