Recent Hires and Departures in Local TV News at WRAL, ABC11, CBS17

Changes in On-Air Lineups at Triangle Television Stations

The anchor and reporter lineups at all three of the Triangle's top television stations have undergone significant changes this year. Many on-air journalists at WRAL, ABC11, and CBS 17 have left for jobs in other markets, but some have remained in the Triangle. For example, WRAL's Laura Leslie left the station in September after 14 years as its capitol bureau chief to become editor of the state-focused nonprofit news outlet NC Newsline.

Changes at ABC11

After two years at the Disney-owned ABC affiliate, weekend morning co-anchor Sydnee Scofield announced in late November that she was leaving the station. She cited "challenges" in her personal life and plans to return to her home state of Washington. Her last day at ABC11 was Wednesday, Dec. 3.

At least two other members of ABC11's on-air team have left in 2025:

• Meteorologist Robert Johnson left the station in January after five years and has since returned to his hometown of Philadelphia to work at NBC10.
• Fayetteville reporter Monique John left the station in July after three years. She now works as a reporter for CBS Atlanta, according to her LinkedIn.

ABC11 has hired several new on-air broadcasters this year, including:

• Meteorologist Cruz Medina, a Wilson, North Carolina native and graduate of N.C. State, joined in March. He previously worked at WBAY in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and at WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Reporter Jon Dowding joined in August. He previously worked at news stations in Long Island, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; and Savannah, Georgia.
• Multimedia journalist Penelope Lopez joined the station's Fayetteville bureau in October. She previously worked at ABC News Live Prime in New York and at KATC in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Departures from CBS 17

Several key figures have left CBS 17 this year:

• Meteorologist Dave Downey left in August after about two years at the station to begin a new role as lead meteorologist and social media strategist at Flash Weather AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence to predict lightning and hail.
• Meteorologist Lance Blocker left CBS 17 in July after more than three years. Blocker now works as a severe weather expert for NBC affiliate KSDK in St. Louis, according to his LinkedIn.
• Sports reporter Jordan Crammer shared on social media in July that after nine years in broadcasting, she would "pursue other professional opportunities." She came to CBS 17 in 2021.
• Reporter Sanika Bhargaw, who joined CBS 17 in February 2024 as a multimedia journalist, left the station this year. She is now a graduate student at The American University of Paris, according to her LinkedIn.
• Reporter Amalia Roy left CBS 17 in June after about two years. According to her LinkedIn, Roy now works for Fox News and is based in Phoenix.
• Reporter Mariah Ellis left the station after about three years. Before she joined CBS 17 in 2022, she worked for nearly four years as a reporter at FOX23 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Reporter Gilat Melamed left CBS 17 after nearly four years. She now works as a reporter at 11Alive in Atlanta.

Hires at CBS 17

CBS 17 has also gained new meteorologists and reporters this year:

• Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston joined in October and works mostly as the weekend morning meteorologist. According to his CBS 17 bio, Huddleston is a graduate of N.C. State and previously worked for five years at WWAY in Wilmington.
• Meteorologist and North Carolina native Ross Whitley came to the station from the Florida Panhandle, where he worked for more than seven years at WMBB. His journalism career began in eastern Kentucky, and then Whitley moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he forecasted for nine TV stations across the U.S.
• Haylee Kennedy joined CBS 17 over the summer as a reporter and multimedia journalist. Before coming to the Triangle, Kennedy worked at WKRG, a Nexstar-owned CBS affiliate covering the Gulf Coast, for about two years.
• Reporter Shanila Kabir started as a reporter at CBS 17 in July. Kabir most recently worked as a reporter at Action News Jax in Jacksonville, Florida, and before then, as a multimedia journalist at KITV4 Island News in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Reporter Shabnam Danesh joined the station in August, according to her CBS 17 profile. The Rhode Island native previously worked at WMBD in Peoria, Illinois, as an anchor and reporter, focusing on politics coverage. Before her career in journalism, Danesh worked as a criminal justice researcher and legal administrator.

Departures and Hires at WRAL

Brett Knese, who is from St. Louis, left WRAL in March after five years as a multimedia journalist. The reporting that stands out most to Knese was his coverage of Hurricane Helene, he told The N&O in a phone interview. In late 2024, he and a station photographer spent days in Western North Carolina, reporting on communities including Garren Creek, which was devastated by flooding and mudslides.

Now a reporter at WPLG Local 10 in South Florida, Knese said he's grateful for his time in the Triangle. "It was some of the best years of my life, despite COVID, and despite, you know, not knowing anybody when I first moved there," he said. "It was extremely difficult to leave, and I'm very proud of the five years that I had there."

WRAL has seen several other changes to its on-air lineup this year:

• Lena Tillett left in November after nine years.
• Current WRAL morning anchor Michelle Mackonochie is moving to the evening newscasts.
• Jeff Hogan left in August after seven years, with Chris Lovingood moving into Hogan's role as co-anchor on morning newscasts.
• Julian Grace and Aaron Thomas left in June after six years.
• Anchor Debra Morgan left the station in May after 32 years.
• Longtime Fayetteville reporter Gilbert Baez left in January.

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