This was never going to be an easy decision, I knew that going in. Ten years (at the age of 33) is a long time to do anything. I tried so hard to not get emotional about the situation, but that ended the moment I sat down in my bosses office and tried to say the words; “I’m leaving.”
As soon as I looked him in the eye and tried to summon the words, I completley broke down. All of the emotion I had compressed for the last few months was now gushing like a flood. I was so overcome while trying to give my resignation, that when my boss finally realized I was only ‘just quitting’ that he was so relieved it wasn’t something more serious.
So yes, I’m leaving NEWS CENTER (WCSH6 and WLBZ2) after a little over ten years. There are many factors that went into this decision, but the simplest one is that it’s time.
This has been an exceptionally hard decision. I’ve always done TV, so looking at a life not doing TV is going to be odd, but I’m looking forward to the next challenge and helping others learn more about social media.
I’m not sad about leaving the job, I’m sad leaving the people. I’m still considered a “short termer” with ten years under my belt. So many of these wonderful people have been here 20 years or more. This place is home, however corny that might seem. People come to this station to stay and they welcomed me into their family with open arms. I’ve grown so much as a person because of the influence these people have had on me over the last ten years. However much I struggle to find the words, nothing will be able to sum up just how important they have all been to me.
For the rest of this week I will be pretty emotional. I’m going to have a hard time walking out of here for the last time, but the good news is that I plan on still contributing to 207.
What’s next? I’m going to work for Heinemann Publishing as their social media manager. I’m excited to take on the new challenge and look forward to getting to know a new family. I have a lot more in store for the future too. I am going to be teaching a college course starting in January on social media and journalism, and will continue my podcast about TV, “The Channel Surfers,” and I have started this website for all my other projects.
