A former spokesman for former Gov. Sarah Palin is returning to his former job as a reporter, though this time at a different TV station than before. Bill McAllister, currently communications director for the Alaska Department of Law, starts as a reporter at KTVA, Channel 11, next week in a "multifaceted" role, he said. The station announced his hiring Wednesday.

McAllister, 55, reported on politics for KTUU, Channel 2, and left the station to work for Palin.

He moved to the Department of Law in 2009 after serving for 11 months as Palin's spokesman.

KTVA's news director, Stacy Feger-Pellessier, said the station was "thrilled" to have McAllister coming on staff. McAllister said he won't be reporting on Palin. "In fact, I'm not going to be doing just politics, whereas at Channel 2 that was like my whole thing," he said.

KTVA recently lost reporter-anchor Matt Felling, who took a job as Sen. Lisa Murkowski's communications director this week.