Ben Arnet, the sports director at KOMU in Columbia–Jefferson City, Missouri, passed away on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Arnet, 43, had been with the station, owned by the University of Missouri, for five years. His career also encompassed work in Arizona, Kansas, and New York, according to KOMU. He also contributed to the university’s athletic department. The station and Arnet’s family have not yet confirmed a cause of death.

Arnet was married and had a daughter. KOMU announced Arnet’s death on-air on August 29, 2025, sharing tributes. “I firmly believe that what we do best, we do together, and Ben embraced that philosophy in his work,” KOMU General Manager Matt Garrett said on the station’s website. “Being the sports director at KOMU 8 means bringing students with you every step of the way, and sometimes that can be difficult if you don’t have the passion that Ben had for seeing the next generation of sports journalists take shape in front of his eyes. He was a tremendous asset to KOMU 8 and a landmark in the journeys of the students and staff who worked with him. He won’t be forgotten here at the station and in the mid-Missouri sports community.”

KOMU’s unique structure—a blend of professional staff and Missouri School of Journalism students—provides a vital learning environment. Many staffers also teach, fostering classroom and station-based learning. The station holds a commercial license and serves as the market’s NBC affiliate.

Arnet, a Columbia native and local high school alumnus, was a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. “The Missouri School of Journalism and KOMU has lost a veteran sportscaster, a dedicated mentor and a consummate colleague in Ben Arnet,” said David Kurpius, the school’s dean, in the station’s report. “In addition to being a beloved voice in the community as KOMU-TV’s sports director, Ben was a key part of KOMU’s annual tradition of Friday Night Fever, during which he would help students coordinate coverage of high school football games all over mid-Missouri. Students often cite that experience — and Ben’s enthusiastic guidance — as a highlight of their college careers. He will be dearly missed.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of Arnet’s death.