FishbowlDC reports NBC’s Washington D.C. Deputy Bureau chief Wendy Wilkinson is leaving the network. Wilkinson, who has been with NBC News for 30 years, will depart at the end of March. In an email to staff, Bureau Chief Mark Whitaker calls Wilkinson “the heart and soul of NBC News in Washington.”
It’s been a remarkable career, and a month ago, Wendy told me and Steve Capus that she wanted to go out a high note and retire once the Inauguration was over. After prayerful discussion, we agreed-but only on the condition that she give us the benefit of her wisdom and counsel in managing the transition to a new generation of leaders in the bureau.
The entire email after the jump…
From: Whitaker, Mark (NBC Universal)
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:49 AM
To: @NBC Uni News Washington D.C. Everyone
Subject:
Team:
For more than thirty years–the last fourteen as deputy bureau chief-Wendy Wilkinson has been the heart and soul of NBC News in Washington. She has run the bureau on a daily basis under Tim Russert, led it through the difficult days and months after Tim’s death, and been an invaluable guide and teacher to me since I moved here in August. She has provided mentorship and friendship to several generations of correspondents, producers and technicians. And all the while, she has moonlighted as one of the best specials producers in the business. Again two weeks ago, she oversaw the NBC pool operation on Capitol Hill on Inauguration Day, bringing the historic images of President Obama’s swearing-in and Inaugural address to the world.
It’s been a remarkable career, and a month ago, Wendy told me and Steve Capus that she wanted to go out a high note and retire once the Inauguration was over. After prayerful discussion, we agreed-but only on the condition that she give us the benefit of her wisdom and counsel in managing the transition to a new generation of leaders in the bureau. So for the next month, Wendy has agreed to work with me to identify and train a new deputy bureau chief, as well to set in place other changes that we have been discussing since I came to DC. After February, Wendy will also continue to work with me on pool issues as I prepare to take over chair duties in the spring.
We’ll have plenty of time to lift glasses and tell war stories over the coming weeks. But for now, I’d like to thank Wendy on behalf of everyone in the news division for her tireless devotion to NBC News, for always making us look good-and for helping to ensure that the Washington bureau doesn’t miss a beat as it moves forward into a new era.
Cheers,
Mark