WRAL names new anchor following recent departure. When to watch
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- Kirstyn Clark promoted to weekend anchor starting in late March.
- Station filled several roles internally following Lena Tillett’s November departure.
- WRAL highlights community-focused journalism and Clark’s award-winning reporting.
WRAL viewers will soon see a new face on weekend newscasts.
The Triangle television station announced this week that Kirstyn Clark has been promoted to weekend anchor.
Clark, who started at WRAL in July 2025 as a reporter, will begin anchoring newscasts in late March, the station announced in a Monday, Feb. 9 news release.
“As journalists, our role is to serve the community, give a voice to the voiceless and use storytelling to truly make a difference in people’s lives,” Clark said in a news release. “I’m grateful for this opportunity and honored to continue serving North Carolina viewers on the weekend.”
This announcement comes about a month after Lora Lavigne’s promotion to weekday morning anchor.
“Kirstyn is an exceptional journalist who brings energy, credibility and great instincts to every newscast,” WRAL news director Mike Friedrich said in a news release. “She connects naturally with viewers, and her reporting reflects the kind of thoughtful, community-focused journalism WRAL is known for.”
Clark, a Cary native and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, previously worked as a weekend morning and fill-in anchor and reporter at WBOC in Salisbury, Maryland.
She has been recognized as “Best Reporter” and for “Outstanding Spot News Reporting” by the Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association. Clark also received the Sidmel Estes Best Producing Award in 2021 from the National Association of Black Journalists.
Shuffling at WRAL
In recent months, Capitol Broadcasting Co.-owned WRAL has filled open positions with existing reporters.
Former WRAL anchor and reporter Lena Tillett announced in November that she was leaving the station after nearly a decade for a new role at NBC10 News in Philadelphia.
The Triangle station then moved Michelle Mackonochie, who had been working as a weekday morning co-anchor, to the evening newscasts. Her new role started in January.
Lavigne, a former weekend anchor and multimedia journalist for WRAL, then joined the station’s weekday morning newscasts as co-anchor, joining Ken Smith, Renee Chou, Chris Lovingood and Elizabeth Gardner.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 11:13 AM.
