The talent exodus continues at WLWT-TV. Weekend morning anchor Megan Mitchell wrote on Twitter Tuesday that she's moving in January to WFAA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Dallas.
Her news came less than 24 hours before weekday morning anchor Colin Mayfield leaves for Charlotte, N.C. (TV market No. 22); 48 hours before Steven Albritton leaves evening newscasts to replace Mayfield; and two months after weekend evening co-anchor Mollie Lair quit to become the city of Cincinnati’s communications director.
So the NBC affiliate now is searching for an evening co-anchor, and weekend morning co-anchor and weekend evening co-anchor.
"I am going to be an anchor/reporter for the weekday morning show at the ABC affiliate WFAA," Mitchell posted on Twitter. Dallas is TV market No. 5; Cincinnati is No. 36.
Mitchell, an LGBTQ+ influencer with 1.8 million followers on TikTok, is also well known as a diversity speaker, "sharing her story of living an authentic life," says her WLWT-TV bio. She received a Power of Her award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy by the Human Rights Campaign of Cincinnati and a 2020 Emmy Award for her work covering teen suicide.
Part of her role at the Dallas TV station "will allow me to focus specifically on LGBTQ+ stories in Texas during a time when a number of pieces of legislation and rhetoric are hitting the state," she wrote.
"This decision was so difficult because I truly love Cincinnati, my current station/management/coworkers and every person I have met in this city. I am excited for the chance to finish out the holiday season here in the Queen City," she said.
Mitchell grew up in Brookfield, CT, and graduated from Emerson College in 2014. She was hired by WLWT-V in the summer of 2016 from KFYR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Bismarck, ND, where she had been the co-anchor, reporter and producer of the market's highest-rated morning show.
She's the fifth high-profile staffer to announce her exit from Channel 5 in three months. In August, traffic reporter Alanna Martella left to move to Boston with her boyfriend; weekend sports anchor Brandon Saho resigned after taking a mental health break in spring; and Lair quit to work for Mayor Aftab Pureval.
Mike Dardis, WLWT-TV's main news anchor, spread the word on social media last week that his station was hiring after the announcement that Albritton would move to mornings Oct. 27.
"Please share: Cincinnati area peeps with friends or family looking for TV Jobs," Dardis posted on Facebook. "We are now looking for an evening anchor to do the 5:30, 7 and 10 p.m. (newscasts) … also looking for a News Reporter and a newscast producer!!"
Now the station has another chair to fill after Christmas.
