*Edtior’s Note: A topic of conversation around the water cooler and in coffee shops in recent weeks has been the recent upheaval at NTV News. For many of us the staff at the network are more than just familiar faces – they have become like our friends. So, when Colleen Williams asked to share her thoughts in our paper, I was happy to oblige. Her letter is very lengthy and space does not allow for us to run it in its entirety here; the full letter can be found on our website, gothenburgleader.com LETTER TO THE EDITOR I want to start with an apology. I am so sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye. I want everyone to know how much I have appreciated being part of your lives. It was such an honor to bring you the evening news for all these years.

I arrived in Nebraska in 1997 as a 23-year-old with short blonde hair, excited about her first big anchor job. Thank you for welcoming me into your homes from the very beginning. Not for one moment do I take that for granted.

I consider myself so fortunate to have had a career I thoroughly enjoyed. I was going to say I have no regrets, but I am sad that we didn’t get to say goodbye in the traditional way.

The feedback the news team received was always so positive. When someone would say “You guys are like family” I always thought I feel the same way. You always felt like family to me too. I kept waiting to be told Seth, Kent, Dave and I needed to stop having so much fun on the air. But that never happened. Later the good times on the anchor desk continued with Tim and Darren. It seemed the more fun we had, the more people enjoyed watching. Because of your support and loyal viewership, we all felt completely comfortable with just being ourselves. I find myself thinking back to all the things we have experienced together over the past 27 years. I was living in New York on September 11th, 2001, and phoned the station to give a live interview after the second tower fell… I had the joy of being pregnant on-air, morning sickness during commercial breaks, donning an Ord football helmet to take cover from a tornado, ice storms, snowed in at the station, the moving of the archway, live at the state fair … this list really could go on and on… Then there are the changes in technology. I can still remember the technical director writing “W. W. W. dot…” so I could announce a web address correctly. To go live, we needed a satellite truck. Now a cell phone does it all. The switch from analog to digital and now streaming. The idea that my goodbye is reaching you through your hometown paper feels so wonderfully full circle.

The news team had so many good times together. Kent was the biggest practical joker. Dave was the easiest mark, and Seth was always cracking us up.

You’ve seen us celebrate marriages, birth of children, changing hair styles (!!), the graying of hair, the now need for readers… I’ve spent nearly half my life here on the on-air and (hopefully) on your television set.

I’m now close to celebrating 25 years of marriage… my oldest son, is a sophomore in college and my youngest, is a freshman in high school.

There’s been difficult times; the passing of Bob Geiger, Kent’s accident and later losing his wife Lori, Seth losing his father, Doyle, I went through several miscarriages, had a scare with breast cancer… all the things life throws your way… and you helped all of us get through it.

I have had the extreme blessing of working with so many talented people. I’m so grateful to all the co-workers who made work so enjoyable. You all have a place in my heart.

To all of you who let me come into your homes all these nights over the past 2 decades, it doesn’t have to be goodbye for good. I plan to keep my Facebook Page and YouTube Channel now called “Colleen Williams presents.” Find me there! I just set up a new phone number 402-834-1307 for anyone who wants to leave a voicemail sharing what the news team has meant to you. This is a step I feel I missed for healing and closure.

If you see me out and about, please say Hi. Don’t be alarmed when I act like we are already friends. Because here’s a confession. It’s not an act. We are friends, we just haven’t officially met yet. And you have always, always mattered to me.

With a heart full of gratitude and appreciation, “have a great night!” and I’ll see you soon.

Colleen Williams Former evening news anchor