Longtime WJRT anchor Bill Harris is joining crosstown rival WEYI.
“Grab your remotes!” NBC-affiliate WEYI exclaimed, announcing the move. “The face of Mid-Michigan news hasn’t changed, but the channel has.”
Harris spent over three decades anchoring the news for WJRT before being cut loose last spring. He returned to the station to do occasional special reports last year, but officially said goodbye in December.
Harris will anchor WEYI’s 6 p.m. newscast. His first day is set for January 30th.
“I still have [a] very warm and sincere connection to everyone in our communities, and it’s great to be back,” Harris said. “This is not just a perfect fit personally; it’s a perfect fit for the viewers and all the special community projects I have been a part of in the past. The need for true and fair journalism for our viewers has never changed, but the way we cover things has. We at NBC25 are starting 2012 with a great team.”
After cutting ties with WJRT last month, Harris told the Flint Journal that his vision for what he wanted to do “didn’t mesh” with the work at the station.
“We are committed to providing our viewers with fair, accurate content,” said WEYI news director Kathy Reynolds. “Adding Bill–a longtime area resident–to our evening news will also provide our viewers with perspective. Bill doesn’t just deliver the news; he explains its impact on our viewers’ lives. That’s why they consider him family and we’re proud to have him as part of ours.”
In October, WEYI hired Joel Feick, another longtime WJRT anchor who was shown the door last spring.