M.A. Rosko, whose work as a features reporter on the Fox 9 morning show helped put a smile on viewers' faces for nearly two decades, is leaving the station.

"It was just time to take a deep, long breath," Rosko told the Star Tribune Thursday afternoon. "I've been focusing on a lot of active, visual content over the years and it was time to take a step back."

Rosko, who grew up in Pennsylvania, said she has no plans to leave Minnesota and hopes to do some freelance reporting for the station in the near future.

"I'm not retiring just yet," she said.

Rosko made the announcement Thursday morning on Facebook.

"You guys, can you believe the fun we've had together making morning TV? Me neither," she wrote. "So. Many. Ideas. And such a big state, but I hate to brag," she wrote. "Tune in Friday morning for what I promise will not be a Minnesota goodbye."

The station is scheduled to pay a special tribute to Rosko around 9:30 a.m.

Some of her recent stories had her doing yoga at a llama farm, sampling state-brewed sodas and setting sail on a "floating library."