Lili Shank signs off noonday desk; Ketz loses father

After years of stability it's been a tumultuous six months for the sisters Bliss. First Katherine Bliss left her longtime position at WDAF, Channel 4, for a reporter's job at Chicago's WBBM-TV that grew into a weekend anchor's gig as well. Now her sister Lili Shank, after 17 years, is stepping away from the noon newscast at KCTV, Channel 5 "It's a chance to push myself creatively in a new direction and have more flexibility for my family," said Shank, who is rolling back to a part-time position. Valissa Smith took over as co-anchor alongside Brian Curtis on Monday. Shank will begin producing a weekly news segment on area homes and gardens and will contribute other features to Channel 5's evening newscasts. Shank's departure from the anchor desk is one of three on-air moves that have rumbled through Channel 5 in recent months. Just before the November ratings sweep, news director Don North replaced Gary Amble with Katie Horner in the top weather spot. And earlier this month lead anchor Wendall Anschutz stepped away from the 6 p.m. newscast. Holiday losses It was an unusually rough holiday season for employees at two local stations who had close relatives pass away. Among several WDAF employees, Toby Cook's father and producer John Rinkenbaugh's mother passed away. And at KMBC, Channel 9, photographer Neeley Schmitz and reporters Micheal Mahoney and Kris Ketz all lost their fathers. Ketz's dad, Jim King, was a broadcasting legend in Moline, Ill., where he had worked at station WQAD since it signed on in 1963. Ketz's first TV job was at WQAD, and the two men co-anchored a newscast on Channel 9 last Father's Day. They were to do an encore newscast this year in the Quad Cities, where King was the weekend news anchor. The Moline city council last week passed a resolution changing the name of the street outside the WQAD studios to Jim King Road. Cable news Jones Intercable this week upgraded service for residents of Lee's Summit and Raytown. A Jones spokesman says the rest of its Missouri customer base will be upgraded by late summer. Two new cable networks were added this month to area channel lineups. Jones added Romance Classics, a spinoff of American Movie Classics aimed at female viewers. Time Warner Cable added the Starz! premium movie channel for its Missouri customers (it was already available in Johnson County). A free preview is available all month. Time Warner also changed the lineup of its 31 Music Choice audio channels. To reach Aaron Barnhart, television writer for The Star, call (816) 234-4790 or e-mail writeme@tvbarn.com