Popular Idaho TV Reporter Resurfaces After Abrupt Departure

For years, Boise has been home of some of the most beloved news anchors and reporters. The likes of Dee Sarton, Carolyn Holly, Mark Johnson, and of course the late Larry Gebert, were the names, faces, and voices of news in our area. Staples in our community that reported on things that impacted our lives here in the Treasure Valley--good, bad, or otherwise.

These days, for various reasons (primarily retirement), many of these iconic folks are no longer there when you turn on the television. It's rare for a new personality to make an impact out of the gate.

An exception to the rule? A young reporter named Andrew Baertlein. In his time at KTVB in Boise, Baertlein became one of the area's most awarded and beloved reporters. He understood how to identify and tell a story.

Many viewers who adored him noticed that one day...he was gone.

Here is an intimate look at the reporter's time in Boise--and the big reveal on where he is at, now!

Do these photos make you miss his local reporting!? 

His departure from Boise news has certainly been polarizing. Months after his last day at KTVB, folks online still have conspiracy theories about where he went!

Frankly, the accounts sharing these types of theories are far from credible--in any regard.

When reporters leave local news, it seems that the announcement is a very loud one. You'll hear about it months in advance, you'll be reminded of it on the news frequently, and then their final days on television are often an emotional look back followed by a grandiose farewell.

Baertlein's farewell was sudden, unexpected, and virtually immediate.

After months of folks sharing that they miss him online, fans of his work have learned that he is now back on television--just not in the Boise market. Now reporting on KHQ in Spokane, Washington, Baertlein can be seen telling stories to that local audience. It should be noted that Spokane, for Baertlein, is home.

It is clear that Boise misses this reporter and maybe someday he will return.

Local sources tell us that Boise remains a favorite place for Baertlein to visit in his free time. Recently released photos show that he was out supporting local business with a former associate of his in downtown Boise:

Andrew Baertlein isn't the first reporter to move on to new work from Boise--here's a look back at some others: