Brendan McLaughlin is leaving Tampa/St. Pete ABC affiliate WFTS.
“Friday December 18th will be my last day on the air at ABC Action News after 21 years,” McLaughlin wrote on Facebook. “A six month sabbatical starts then, followed by a return to productive and meaningful work.”
McLaughlin started his career in San Francisco. He then worked in Austin, and Seattle before moving to WFTS in 1994 as the station’s first evening anchor. WFTS had transitioned from a Fox affiliate, without a news department, to an ABC affiliate producing more than four hours a day of news. Just yesterday, another WFTS news original, Linda Hurtado announced she was joining Tampa Fox station WTVT.
WFTS plans on celebrating McLaughlin’s contributions to the station and the community over the next week.