WVLT assistant news director Nash Armstrong died in a car crash Sunday morning. He was 33.
“You didn’t see Nash sitting on this desk. You didn’t see him in front of the camera,” said anchor Amanda Hara. “You may not recognize him. But his work and his contribution to this station was on your screen everyday.”
Armstrong had been at the Knoxville, Tenn. CBS affiliate since 2013, where he moved up the ranks from producer to executive producer to managing editor and then, finally, assistant news director. He was the station’s 2020 Employee of the Year.
Armstrong started his career as a freelance reporter for the Greeneville Sun and the Knoxville News Sentinel before joining WATE as a producer.
WVLT GM Jasmine Hardin told Knox News that Armstrong was a generous colleague and would cover holidays so employees could spend them with family. If they couldn’t go home, Hardin said, “Armstrong would insist on cooking them a meal and giving them good company.”
“Nash has been the nucleus of our newsroom for almost a decade,” Hardin said. “He trained our new employees, was respected by our experienced team and had the heart of a true journalist who wanted to impact his community.”