Where are they now? A look back at some recent departures in local TV news
Here’s a look back at some of the major departures in the Triangle TV news market in the past three years.
There are lots of comings and goings in local media, and this is not intended as a complete list.
Greg Fishel
Chief meteorologist Greg Fishel left WRAL-TV in February 2019 in what the company described as a “personnel matter.” Fishel went on to work for Priogen Energy and in July 2020 relocated to south Florida. He has since moved to South Carolina and works as a spokesperson for the Fayetteville-based company Blanton’s Air, Plumbing and Electric.
Taniya Wright
CBS 17 morning anchor left the station in July 2019 for a job at KPRC, the NBC affiliate in Houston.
Jeff Gravley
The longtime sports anchor and reporter left WRAL in December 2019 and took a job as director of content strategy for N.C. State University athletics. Gravley, an N.C. State alum, worked at the station for more than 30 years before his contract expired at the end of 2019.
Paul Heggen
CBS 17’s weekday morning weatherman left in February 2020 to become the chief meteorologist at KPIX 5, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco.
Kathryn Brown
At the end of November 2020, WRAL anchor Kathryn Brown left the business, saying that working from home during the course of the pandemic had shown her what she was missing as the parent of young children. Brown works in public relations and has returned to WRAL in a part-time capacity, filling in on the anchor desk as needed.
Julie Wilson
In December 2020, the ABC11 reporter and anchor announced her departure, saying that the past year during the pandemic had been difficult and had led her to “assess the direction I’m going in this life.” Wilson went on to start a YouTube channel where she shares her new adventures.
Mark Armstrong
ABC11’s sports anchor left the station in May 2021, about six months before his contract ended, to buy and operate a Wow 1 Day Painting franchise here. Armstrong had been with the station for 17 years.
Chris Hohmman
The ABC11 meteorologist retired in May 2021 after nearly 30 years at the station. Hohmman, 62 at the time, said it felt like the right time to move on, and said he planned to travel with his family and do volunteer work.
Sloane Heffernan
Heffernan, a reporter and weekend anchor at WRAL, announced on June 4, 2021, that she would be leaving WRAL, saying on Facebook that she was finding it increasingly more difficult to cover tragedies. Heffernan is the founder and CEO of marketing company Storymore.
Colleen Quigley
Quigley, a reporter at WNCN’s CBS 17 since 2018, also announced her departure from CBS 17 in June 2021. She posted on Facebook that she had taken a leave of absence from the station and then decided to make the leave permanent. As with Heffernan, Quigley wrote that it had become more difficult over the past year to tell tragic stories. According to her social media accounts, Quigley is a Barre3 instructor.
Brittany Bell
The ABC11 meteorologist left the station in July 2021 for a new position at the ABC network’s flagship affiliate, WABC / ABC7 in New York. While at WTVD, Bell had filled in frequently as the weekend meteorologist for “Good Morning America” from the New York studio and made appearances on “ABC World News Tonight” reporting on national weather events.
Tisha Powell
Also in July 2021, longtime ABC11 anchor Tisha Powell said she was leaving the news business to return to her native Louisiana with her family. About a month later, Powell accepted a job as the afternoon anchor for WAFB in Baton Rouge.
Ed Crump
Reporter Ed Crump retired in September 2021 after 43 years in journalism — 37 of those at the Disney-owned-and-operated ABC11. Crump cited working from home during the pandemic and his 2018 diagnosis of smoldering myeloma, a precancerous condition that can lead to multiple myeloma, as factors in his decision to retire.
Bridget Condon
In early September 2021, ABC11 Sports reporter and anchor Bridget Condon left the station, and the next month took a job as anchor/reporter at NFL Media. Condon had been at WTVD since 2017.
Bridget Chapman
CBS 17 reporter Bridget Chapman announced at the end of September 2021 that she had left the Nexstar-owned station and journalism. The Utah native, who came to WNCN in 2019, wrote on social media: “I’ve decided it’s time to close this chapter. This industry can be tough. Local news reporters do it because they care about you and your community, which is also their community. Please be kind to them.” Chapman is now lead reviewer at Sleepopolis, a mattress review site, according to her Instagram account.
Rosalia Fodera
Also in September 2021, WRAL reporter Rosalia Fodera announced on social media that she had left the news business. Fedora left to attend Campbell Divinity School full-time. “This year has taken a bigger toll on me personally than I first realized,” Fodera wrote.
Gloria Rodriguez
The ABC11 reporter left the station in January 2022 to take a job at ABC7 in San Francisco. Rodriguez had been at ABC11 since 2015.
Jonah Kaplan
The ABC11 reporter posted on social media that his last day at the station was March 18, 2022. Kaplan didn’t disclose at that time what his next job would be.
David Crabtree
Longtime anchor David Crabtree announced on March 22, 2022 that he will leave the station at the end of May 2022 to take the position of interim CEO at PBSNC.
Andrea Blanford
ABC11 co-anchor Andrea Blanford announced in May 2022 that she was leaving the station — and the news business — last month, to spend more time with family.
Tim Pulliam
ABC11 reporter Tim Pulliam left WTVD in June 2022 to work at ABC7/KABC, Disney’s West Coast flagship station in Los Angeles.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Where are they now? A look back at some recent departures in local TV news."
