ABC13 sees changing of the guard as former anchor resurfaces out West

As one reporter makes his debut at Houston's ABC13 , another who recently left the station is starting a new chapter on the other side of the country.

Former ABC13 reporter and sports anchor Mo Haider announced Sunday that he has joined KGW News in Portland, Ore. , as a reporter on the station's Sunrise morning team. His first story for the station aired Monday morning, covering the resumption of Union Pacific freight service near Portland's damaged Centennial Mills.

"I'm ecstatic to be back in the Pacific Northwest as the newest member of the @kgwnews Sunrise team," Haider wrote on social media.

Haider, who previously worked in Seattle, said returning to the region was an "easy decision."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mo Haider (@mohaidertv)

"It's the only place outside of Houston that has always felt like home," he wrote. "Growing up, I admired this station for years. The storytelling. The connection to the community. The incredible journalists who made this place what it is today."

Haider thanked the Pacific Northwest for welcoming him back and said his new KGW colleagues made the transition smooth.

"It's good to be home again. Let's run it back," he wrote. "I'll be in my happy place — the mountains or the nearest coffee shop."

Haider's move comes less than three weeks after he confirmed his departure from ABC13 on July 22. In his farewell message, he called working at the station a "great honor" and reflected on getting to cover both news and sports in the city his family calls home.

"One post can't encapsulate what I got to cover over these two years," Haider wrote. "I wouldn't trade this experience for anything."

He ended the message simply: "Love you, #Htown."

Haider's Portland debut comes the same day new ABC13 reporter Joe McCoy makes his first on-air appearance in Houston.

McCoy joins ABC13 from KARE 11 in Minneapolis, becoming the Disney-owned station's third reporter hire this year . ABC13 reporter Miya Shay introduced McCoy to viewers on social media ahead of his debut, saying he will initially work dayside before moving primarily to the station's nighttime coverage.

"Sunday night, I will have a sports segment, which I'm very much looking forward to, and as Miya mentioned, reporting nightside Wednesday through Saturday," McCoy said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miya Shay (@abc13miya)

Before KARE 11, McCoy worked at WQAD News 8, the TEGNA-owned station serving the Quad Cities, as a multimedia journalist and weekend anchor. The Augustana College graduate also has an extensive sports broadcasting background, including hosting a weekly NFL analysis radio show and calling high school football and basketball games.

"Joe brings strong journalistic strength to our team," ABC13 news director Keaton Fuchs told Chron at the time his hiring was announced. "Houston needs great reporters who understand what kinds of information are important, and Joe brings that to ABC13."

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