Boston 25 News anchor Daniel Miller is leaving New England
"I just decided I gotta listen to my heart."
Boston 25 News anchor Daniel Miller signed off one last time in the Hub on Friday.
The morning news anchor and reporter, who joined the news outlet in 2015, announced last month that he would soon be leaving.
“This has been one incredible ride, but after 6 years in Boston — this kid is leaving New England,” he wrote on Twitter.
BREAKING NEWS 🚨
This has been one incredible ride, but after 6 years in Boston – this kid is leaving New England. #Boston you’ll have me until mid-Jan., but you will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thank you for welcoming me!
VERY excited for what’s next! ✌🏾😉 pic.twitter.com/yeIpkzfj1x
— Daniel Miller (@Daniel_Miller8) December 16, 2020
Miller, a North Carolina native, came to Boston by way of Indiana, where he previously served as a reporter and weekend anchor at WISH-TV.
After leaving the Boston 25 station Friday afternoon, he told Boston.com he’ll be heading back to the Midwest, where he’s slated to start as the main morning anchor of WXIN Fox 59 in Indianapolis.
Indeed, Miller’s next gig will be a homecoming of sorts.
Miller moved to Indianapolis in 1999 and “fell in love with the city,” he said. There, he worked his way up from an assignment editor and producer to have a regular on-air presence.
While living and working in New England in recent years, Miller’s love for his adopted city out west remained strong as he kept a home in Indiana.
As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded last year, Miller said the health crisis made him consider what was important in his life and he decided he needed to make some major decisions. His partner also lives in Indiana, he said.
“I just decided I gotta listen to my heart,” he said in an interview. “And my heart basically said to go back home.”
Today’s the day! 😊 My team is sending me off with this humongous cake! Thanks guys! @boston25 pic.twitter.com/rM82yYvbo5
— Daniel Miller (@Daniel_Miller8) January 15, 2021
Only after he opted to move back did his latest job opportunity arise.
“I love New England,” he said. “I love going to the Cape and those things that make this place so beautiful, but I also love being in a place where I feel comfortable and I’m able to be around people who truly know me.”
Asked about any standout moments during his tenure in Boston, Miller pointed to the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in 2018.
The devastation destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man.
“Having to get people through that, not knowing if their homes are going to blow up — I mean, Leonel Rondon … was killed during that explosion,” said Miller, who won one of his three career Emmys for his anchoring coverage of the story.
On Miller’s first day covering news in the city, a Brigham and Women’s Hospital doctor was shot and killed on the medical campus by the son of a former patient who had died.
“I knew nothing about the hospital, but they threw me on the air,” Miller said.
“This market is full of news,” he added. “If you can get in this market and work in this market, you’ve come to a place where you’re going to learn so much about, you know, everything: the sports, the history, and then, the people.”
Miller also expressed a deep appreciation for his colleagues who helped him navigate the ins and outs of the Boston branch of the business.
“Gene Lavanchy and Maria Stephanos — those two are the ultimate, ultimate reason why I had such an incredible time here in this market,” he said. “They took me in and made sure that I was taken care of.
“When you have legends in the market like that, who really care about people and care about the work, that’s what makes people like myself, who’s not from this area, grow to love it — and makes it so hard to leave,” he added.
Miller, as he prepared for a long drive back to the Midwest, admitted he “never imagined” his career would take him to Boston.
“I mean, I wasn’t supposed to be here,” he said. “I came here because I left Indianapolis, because there were people who are in high places that didn’t want me to succeed. They — you know, you get people in the business who have their favorite people. And so I proved them wrong. I told them that you’re not going to be in control of my career … and that’s how I ended up in this market.
“And I was very successful, winning two Emmys and, you know, (being) part of the community,” he continued. “So that’s what this is about. This is about believing in yourself, but also ultimately, believing in you and doing what’s right.”
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