Out the Door in LA

/
NUP_-164564_0787_Crop.jpg

KNBC Morning Anchor Whit Johnson has told the station he is moving on. 

Johnson and the NBC O&O have been in contract talks for months, but Johnson has decided to reject KNBC's offers and is moving on.

Here is the internal email that was sent to the staff and obtained by FTVLive. 

Coming to Los Angeles to work as an anchor and reporter can be intimidating. It is a unique market with so much geography and so much breaking news, it is a difficult market to learn. You can make or break your career in one moment in time. For Whit Johnson, that moment in the first six months of his time at NBC4. 

It was February 12, 2013 and Whit was on the anchor desk with the Christopher Dorner manhunt turned into a live news event covered wall-to-wall. Whit proved he not only belonged in LA, but could deliver as well as anyone,  guiding our viewers through hours and hours of coverage, proving valuable information and insight into a story that was happening live. It was proof he not only belonged, but was more than ready for any challenge. 

More than five years later, two Olympics and countless live breaking news events, Whit is taking his vast experience somewhere else. To be transparent, we have been in talks with Whit for months in hopes he would sign a new deal to stay with us, but he has decided to leave us to look for his next career opportunity.

I want to thank Whit for all he has done for us to rebuild and reestablish our morning news team. He has been fully engaged and invested in TLA from the day he stepped into the chair, and it showed. He has done everything we could ask and more. We will truly miss him, his attention to detail, preparation and of course, his very funny impersonations. 

Whit’s last day with us will be December 13th. While we do not know what Whit will do next, we do know he will be ready for any make or break moments.

Todd Mokhtari
VP, NBC4 News