WRDW morning anchor Lynnsey Gardner is leaving after six years with the Augusta CBS-affiliate. Her final day is set for May 25.
Jessica Dill, who joined the WRDW morning team two months ago, will replace Gardner at the anchor desk, alongside meteorologist Tim Strong.
“Becoming the new morning anchor in two weeks is very bittersweet,” Dill wrote on her Facebook page this week. “I’ve grown so close to Lynnsey Gardner over the past few months and I can’t imagine work without her. I’m very honored to take her place and I realize I have some big shoes to fill!”
In an email exchange with TVSpy about her next career move, Gardner said that she is currently “entertaining some possibilities and deciding on the right fit.”
In a send-off for Gardner, as well as several members of the WRDW morning crew who are also moving on, the team shot a music video cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” They’re hoping it goes viral (video below).
In addition to marking a transition for the morning team, the video, according to Gardner, was “a creative project to cheer us up, our station and market after the recent death of our friend and colleague, Tom Campbell.”
“Based on our outpouring from viewers on Facebook, it seemed to help put a kinder spin on the transition of the newscast,” Gardner added. “Even though I’m moving on and looking for new challenges, I, of course, want the show to keep growing and doing well as we are now seeing its highest ratings ever. “