Susan Barnett, evening anchor for Philadelphia CBS owned KYW and CW affiliate WPSG, is leaving the station.
Barnett said in a statement, “I have decided to not renew my contract with the stations at this time. I am incredibly thankful for having been a part of the CBS Philly family, but I feel that this is the right decision at this time.” You can read the statement after the jump.
Barnett’s co-anchor, Chris May reacted to the news on his facebook page, “Susan Barnett is the first person I met in Philadelphia. We’ve been partners for five years — and best friends. And that’s why it’s so hard to let you know that Susan has made the very difficult and personal decision to leave CBS3. Suffice it to say, I’ll miss working with my friend. But I am excited about our future.”
Barnett has been off the air, prompting viewers to ask where she was on the station’s “Get Answers Philly” page. She tweeted in early April she had come down with Pneumonia. Her bio has been removed from the station’s website.
Barnett joined KYW in January 2006 as a morning anchor. She began anchoring the evening newscast in April 2008. Before coming to KYW, Barnett worked at WFOR and WBFS in Miami. She’s also worked for KDKA in Pittsburgh, WCIA in Champaign, IL, and WDTV in Bridgeport, WV.
TVSpy has reached out to KYW for more information. We will update this post when we hear back.
[Philly.com]>UPDATE: Read the statement KYW sent below:
STATEMENT FROM SUSAN BARNETT AND KYW/WPSG-TV
Philadelphia, April 29, 2013 – CBS 3(KYW-TV) and CW Philly (WPSG-TV) News Anchor Susan Barnett will not be renewing her contract with the stations, Barnett and the stations announced today. Barnett’s contract expired at the end of March.
Barnett, who has been with the Philadelphia stations since 2006, said: “I have decided to not renew my contract with the stations at this time. I am incredibly thankful for having been a part of the CBS Philly family, but I feel that this is the right decision at this time.”
Jon Hitchcock, President and General Manager of CBS 3/CW Philly, said: “Susan has been a valued member of our team. While we would have liked to have her continue in her current role, we respect her decision and wish her the very best. Moving forward, Eyewitness News, the area’s most honored team of television journalists, will continue to provide the Delaware Valley with the most complete news coverage in the tradition of the first name in local news.”