Columbia News

Ben Arnet, sports director at NBC affiliate KOMU and a prominent figure in Columbia’s sports media, died Thursday at the age of 43. Arnet was widely known for his deep commitment to covering local teams, especially the Missouri Tigers, and was preparing extensive coverage for the upcoming Mizzou-Kansas football game.

A graduate of Hickman High School and the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Arnet had been working on stories about the revived football rivalry between Mizzou and Kansas. In recent days, he visited Mizzou’s football offices to film the MU-KU trophy and interviewed department historian Bob Brendel about the history of the rivalry. He also hosted Director of Athletics Laird Veatch in a studio interview at KOMU.

Arnet’s sudden death became known just before Thursday night’s game at Memorial Stadium. “He wanted a different piece of content every single day of the week leading to the Kansas game,” said Stan Silvey, Mizzou’s Director of Broadcast Operations and a longtime friend and mentor.

Chris Gervino, who learned about Arnet’s passing shortly before starting his 34th season as Mizzou's radio sideline reporter, said: “Such a tremendous loss. He interned with me at KMIZ and then went through our program at KOMU. Perhaps most importantly to me, I was honored to be his confirmation sponsor in the Catholic Church.”

Arnet began his career early by launching a local sports show while still in high school. He worked under Silvey producing coaches’ TV shows for Mizzou as a college student. Silvey recalled: “Someone asked me, 'Why are you letting him do this?' And I said, 'Because he's better than everyone else.' He was that good.” Silvey added: “He was born to do this. And he was born in the right place.”

Former KOMU Sports Director Bob Ballou remembered Arnet as hardworking and particular about every story: “Nobody that I came across in our Sports department ever worked harder than he did... He made an impact that none of us will ever forget.”

After stints in Tucson, Wichita, and Buffalo television markets, Arnet returned to Columbia in 2011 to help launch what would become Mizzou's Broadcast and Creative departments within its athletics division. Silvey noted: “I couldn't have done it without him. He was such a big part of what it's become now.”

For seven years Arnet produced stories on all aspects of Mizzou sports while also providing play-by-play commentary for various teams. In 2020 he succeeded Chris Gervino as lead sports anchor at KOMU—a move Silvey described as perfect given Arnet's experience with both journalism and athletics at Missouri.

Teaching became central to Arnet’s work; he mentored many aspiring journalists both on air and in classrooms. Former students shared tributes online after news broke Thursday night.

Reflecting on one recent project—a roundtable discussion about the Mizzou-Kansas rivalry—Gervino said: “I remember thinking as we were recording that he looked so happy and seemed so proud... We lost Ben way too early, but he accomplished so much and was so successful in his 43 years.”

Arnet is survived by his wife and young daughter.