Claire Metz is retiring from Orlando NBC affiliate WESH after 39 years.
The station called her “a beloved fixture at WESH 2 and an icon in Central Florida journalism.”
“If there’s a Mount Rushmore for TV news for Central Florida to WESH 2, Claire is the first face you’re putting on it,” said anchor Stewart Moore.
The station posted some of Metz’ stories on its website as a tribute. Her first story for WESH aired on Sept. 22, 1984. It was about a citrus disease that devastated crops that year.
“She’ll call me and let me know that we’re having a major call or a major event before I even know it’s happening,” said Deputy Chief Tammy Malphurs of Volusia County Beach Patrol. “Everyone loves Claire; everyone knows Claire. She’s the best at what she does. Everyone trusts her as well.”
“We’re here to share important stories and get as many sides as possible and balance it as well as you can,” Metz told the Orlando Sentinel. “People feel comfortable with me because I’m a very familiar face. That’s a real joy; it’s a real pleasure.”