Longtime Orlando Anchor is Headed to The A-T-L
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Longtime WFTV Anchor Jorge Estevez announced yesterday that he is leaving the station, but staying in the Cox (soon to be Apolo) food chain.
In a looooooong post on Facebook, Estevez announced that he is headed to powerhouse WSB in Atlanta.
Estevez started at WFTV in 2001, left the station in 2006 to go to WFOR in Miami, but then came back to WFTV in 2012.
Now, he leaves the station for Atlanta at a time when the future of both stations is a bit cloudy as they will be taken over by a new owner.
Here is what Estevez posted on his Facebook page:
“Opportunity Knocked and I Answered the Door!
I’m about to go for a run around Lake Eola Park in the heart of Downtown Orlando . It is a gorgeous Florida day. I am watching so many people walking by with their families, taking their animals for a walk, or simply taking a leisurely stroll. I decided to stop and sit on a bench around the lake and write you a short letter. The surroundings have inspired me to take a moment and thank you for so many things. You obviously already read the headline so you know what this article is about.
Yes, I am leaving #Orlando.
This time an opportunity presented itself that was beyond incredible. I am going to get to work with yet another group of seasoned journalists who have dedicated years of their careers to providing people with the stories of their communities. I am going to go work for our sister station WSB-TV in #Atlanta, Georgia. That is the flagship station in our company, Cox Media Group. From what I am learning about Atlanta, it is an incredible place with so many stories to tell. It is a diverse community all working towards the same goal: to make Atlanta a great place to live, work, and raise a family. I am so fortunate that I am about to become a part of that growing community.
Before I go, I just wanted to thank you for everything you have given me for the past 20 years here in #Florida. I was only 26 when I got to Central Florida back in 2001. It was the week before September 11th. The world would soon change. The lives of thousands would be directly impacted and so would the lives of the people in our country. But together, we made it through. Together, here in central Florida, we have covered so many stories. They have been both tragic and heartwarming. Whether it was the shuttle Columbia disaster or the season of 2004 when several hurricanes would change the landscape of Central Florida. One more event would forever change so many people: the mass shooting at the #Pulse nightclub in June of 2016. The taking of 49 lives will forever frame the future of our community.
That place is now sacred ground. It will forever be part of who we are. We have been able to learn and grow from it and I could say I too am a different person because of what we went through together. I remember standing on the steps of the Lake Eola amphitheater when 50,000 of you gathered around the lake a week after that mass shooting to hold a memorial and to just be together. I could not believe that together, we were able to guide ourselves through that moment. Then of course we had a tragedy in #PuertoRico. Hurricane #Maria devastated homes and changed the island forever. This was an especially relevant story to us here in Central Florida because of the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans who live here and have families back on the island. We are still doing what we can to help our brothers and sisters on the island. And that is just it. Together, we have been through so much. We will continue to fight for what we believe in and we will continue to thrive as a growing city.
I move onto my next chapter with so much enthusiasm. I am reading so many good things about Atlanta. From its thriving economy, to its growing diverse culture, to its great entertainment industry, the southeast's largest city is making its mark. But in the center of it all are the stories of its people, those who need help and those who could help others. I’m looking forward to that kind of work which is the kind of work I have been able to do here in Central Florida with WFTV Channel 9 . I’ve met so many great people here and I hope to have the good fortune to meet many great people there in Atlanta.
While I am looking forward to working alongside so many great people at WSB TV, I will take the relationships I have made here at WFTV with me. So many people off air make our newscasts what they are. You may not know all of them, but they have taught me so much over the years and work tirelessly for our viewers. Some people you may be more familiar with are the ones on air. I want to give a shout out to Martie Salt WFTV, Nancy Alvarez, WFTV, Vanessa Echols, WFTV and Martha Sugalski WFTV .They have not only had my back for so many years, but we have become great friends. You can look out for posts I plan on sharing to highlight our relationships over the years.
And yes, I am happy. My family is happy for me. Chubie, my shih-tzu is ready with a few new sweaters we have bought him to prepare him for the winter. I will be trading in Lake Eola Park for Piedmont Park in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. I will be running along Peachtree Street instead of Colonial Drive and driving on the connector instead of Interstate 4. I will continue to post my adventures professionally and personally on social media. We have had such a great time on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. From you "Showing Me Your Sunday" to me sharing my adventures with my golden girls in Miami who are made up of my mother and her two cousins. I will be racking up frequent flyer miles and visiting them as often as possible.
So as I say goodbye, I want to thank you for being you. You guys have walked me through the good times and the bad times with your comments, likes and posts. You were there when I got promoted. You were there when Chubie had some health issues and lost his precious eye. You were sending me messages of love when my father in law tragically passed away right in front of us. You were sending me congrats when I got married. I hope that you will follow me on this journey as we head north. so I guess it is actually not a good bye but a " See you soon" Take care City Beautiful.”
