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Boston 25 News anchor Vanessa Welch steps back from TV news
“This has been such an incredible journey,” Welch said during her on-air sendoff Wednesday.
Boston 25 News anchor Vanessa Welch said goodbye to TV news Wednesday, her family joining her on camera for one of her last newscasts.
“I have accepted a new opportunity in Boston,” Welch announced on air, her sons tucked at her side. “It’s outside the television industry. I’m really excited about this.”
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While she didn’t elaborate on her career plans, Welch noted that her new hours are “a bit more typical” than her Boston 25 schedule, which saw her co-anchoring the 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m., and 11 p.m. news. She said the career change will also allow her to spend more time with her family in the evenings.
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Welch joined Boston 25 News in 2015, following stints as an anchor and reporter in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, according to her staff biography. The University of Georgia graduate has also won two Boston/New England Emmy Awards for best anchor. Off camera, Welch is married to Boston 25 News meteorologist Jason Brewer, with whom she shares three young boys.
“I feel so blessed,” she said during her on-air sendoff Wednesday. “This has been such an incredible journey.”
Welch also took the time to thank Boston 25’s crew, as well as her co-anchors.
“You are the best broadcasters in this business and also some of the nicest guys on the planet. And those two don’t always go together,” she joked. “So thank you for your friendship, thank you for just being so good to me. It’s been a joy to work with each and every one of you.”
Welch’s time as a Boston anchor came to a somewhat unusual close this week after a viral clip appeared to show her swallowing a fly or an eyelash without skipping a beat in her live broadcast. Social media users specifically praised Welch’s professionalism and unflappable on-air presence.
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Reflecting on her time in Boston Wednesday, Welch looked back fondly on encounters with viewers at Boston Red Sox games, charity walks, fundraisers, and even trips to the grocery store.
“To you at home, all the viewers, it has been a true honor to serve you for almost nine years here in New England,” she said. “I want to say thank you — thank you for the trust that you’ve placed in me.”
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